Why Marvel's magic died with Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark
He was the MVP. Now, Feige and company forever chase that shot of genius.
“I am Iron Man.”
According to Kevin Feige and Jon Favreau, Robert Downey Jr. was Marvel too-or at least the cog in the machine that meant the most to the rise of the superhero powerhouse studio. Without the leading man who made rebellion look cooler than Star Wars, the Marvel Cinematic Universe would have never gotten up and running.
The statement doesn’t live anywhere near hyperbole, the evidence essentially sitting on a pedestal of box office numbers and accolades. Without Iron Man, Favreau’s highly successful 2008 film, there wouldn’t be over 30 current films in the MCU. That’s not including the growing list of television shows on Disney Plus. Without Downey Jr, all of that vanishes in a snap of the fingers.
Marvel didn’t even want him at first. Favreau had to convince the studio to take a chance on the then-troublesome star. If he wasn’t breaking the law, he was into drugs. More than a few times, it was both. In a wild way, playing Tony Stark cemented Downey Jr.’s sobriety.
In the process, C.O.O. Feige reaped the rewards. After a successful if not critically beloved Iron Man sequel, Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth showed up. Avengers blasted all of it into the stratosphere. Even in the 2012 team-up film, it was Downey Jr. who anchored it all.
It was Downey Jr. and Favreau who injected the punk rock attitude into the M.C.U. before the Guardians of The Galaxy ever showed up. After watching the original recently, it all holds up succinctly, if not enriching with age.
15 years later, everything still clicks in without an overdose of nostalgia. It’s like drinking an old blend of coffee without having to apply extra sweetener. The killer AC/DC opening track, the quick ease of Downey, the Jericho and the chaos. Jeff Bridges’ slow play of Stark’s mentor-turned-nemesis sizzles, especially in the scene where we all become aware of Obadiah Stane’s evil stain. Gwyneth Paltrow has always radiated bright as Pepper Potts, instilling a connection with Downey Jr. in seconds. Terence Howard didn’t mean as much to the franchise as he may have thought, but he did make a great Rhodes.
For a film without a script when shooting began, a worldwide gross of $586 million is sweet action. A movie that lived and died on a rebel in real life being able to play a Marvel rebel who finds a conscience, along with a suit.
That magic has been gone since Stark left the stage in 2019’s Endgame. The thrill vanished, but the ultimate “thing” as Uncle Charlie would surmise… has been kidnapped. It could come back with the upcoming releases, but the third and final Guardians film means another thoroughbred has left the building. I always thought Jon Favreau and James Gunn’s films weren’t too similar, but they may live on the same street.
It’s different now without Stark. Feige spread him around like jam on many pieces of Marvel toast. Would Spider-Man: Homecoming be as good without Downey Jr? Probably not. Remove him from Civil War, or any other group movie, and it would suffer. Arguments could be made for Evans and Scarlett Johansson, but they wouldn’t be as strong.
Iron Man received three movies, and unlike Captain America films, you wouldn’t see many other big names alongside Downey Jr. That’s because you didn’t need to. When you have a stud, it can be a solo mission. It was fun and fresh, two things Marvel hasn’t been in years.
Stark was Iron Man; at the time, nobody knew that Downey would be, or make, the M.C.U.
Good luck following that up without looking like a copycat, Feige and company.