MCU
This was Robert Downey Jr.'s audition for Iron Man and his debut with Marvel
The clip was filmed on September 25, 2006, almost two years before the release of Iron Man, the first film in the MCU.
Robert Downey Jr. was introduced to the MCU as Iron Man, one of the most popular characters in the Marvel Studios films. In his first movie as this superhero, it was said that the casting was perfect, but it was never known how this actor auditioned to be Tony Stark. Through a video from 2006 that went viral on social media, the future portrayer of Dr. Doom shined in the dialogue he delivered as the millionaire member of the Avengers.
The scene in question shows Robert Downey Jr. in his role as Tony Stark in full dialog with a journalist about an accusation he makes to the millionaire about what he thinks of him and an accusation against Stark Industries, and then deflects the conversation. At that moment, it was already clear that the American actor not only physically resembled the Marvel character, but also understood him perfectly to play him the way the producers wanted.
Followers on social media praise the actor
In addition to this dialog with a journalist, there are two other clips in which he keeps his composure as Tony Stark at various times, being quite playful or acting like a man totally concerned, so he knew the character completely. Jon Favreau (Happy in the MCU), director of the first Iron Man movie, knew that Robert Downey Jr. was the actor he was looking for, so he recorded the actor in those dialogues.
On social media, he was totally praised as someone who was totally spontaneous and never went out of character in his conversation with three people. Most importantly, he knew that he was going to be the protagonist of Iron Man and then go down in history as the spearhead of the MCU.
Return to the MCU
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Robert Downey Jr. noted that Kevin Feige (head of Marvel Studios) told him, “How can we not go backwards? How can we not disappoint expectations?” After this dialogue, the actor suggested Victor Von Doom, and the executive ended with “Let’s get Victor Von Doom right.”
Robert Downey Jr. will return in the role of this iconic villain in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’, to be released on May 1, 2026, while ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ will hit theaters on May 7, 2027.