Little Boy Left “In Tears” After Being Bullied For Tony Stark Costume Goes Viral

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robert downey jr as tony stark (left) and evan struckman as tony stark (right)

Credit: Marvel Studios/Jill Struckman

There is arguably no Marvel Avenger suaver than Tony Stark. Made famous in the Marvel Cinematic Universe by Robert Downey, Jr., the billionaire playboy has it all — from fast cars to incredible tech — hello, Iron Man arc reactor — to practically any date he wants.

robert downey jr as tony stark
Credit: Marvel Studios

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And, after 11 years in the MCU — beginning with Iron Man (2008) and ending with the Infinity Saga finale, Avengers: Endgame (2019) — Stark became a true hero, sacrificing himself to help save the world from Thanos (Josh Brolin).

Thus, it’s no wonder that there are plenty of kids around the United States (and the world) who idolize Stark. Such is the case for Missouri resident, 10-year-old Evan Struckman.

robert downey jr as tony stark aka iron man in iron man 3 marvel christmas movie
Credit: Marvel Studios

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Struckman decided to dress like the MCU fan-favorite for his Halloween party at school, but due to a chaotic morning at home, found himself riding the bus instead of being dropped off by his mom, Jill, like he typically is. This led to a bullying incident that Jill outlined on her Facebook page:

Got a call from Evan at school 20 minutes after he left on the bus. Apparently some kids on the bus (who weren’t even wearing costumes) told him he looked stupid. Evan got to school and immediately went to the bathroom and washed his face. 
When he called he was crying and soooo hurt that He didn’t even want to stay for his party. Here’s what my little Tony Stark looks like now. We both have swollen eyes from crying and are on our way to try to find ice cream.
Kids need to understand that WORDS hurt.

Related: Petition to Ban Celebrity From Disney For Bullying Gains Speed

Fortunately, the little boy and his mom had a heart-to-heart over Starbucks Frappuccinos and Evan ultimately decided to return to school for his party. In a post that has now been shared over 30,000 times Jill shared an update about her resilient little boy, writing:

If you’ve seen my posts this morning you know what a roller coaster it has been… I have an update that I would like to share… After going to Starbucks and talking through his feelings, Evan decided he didn’t want to miss his school party!!! So we went home redid his AWESOME makeup and matched right back into school!
He ended up getting that ride he wanted afterall. He also learned some valuable lessons today. Thanks for all the sweet words (and offers to beat up 10 year olds) lol, I do appreciate you all. #tonyisback #proudmomma

Related: Marvel’s Anthony Mackie Was Punched in the Jaw By Will Smith

As for the real Iron Man, RDJ has said in no uncertain terms that he has “done all I could with Iron Man”, dashing any flicker of hope for his future return to the Marvel universe.

tony stark infinity stones
Credit: Marvel Studios

Related: Tom Holland Shares Shock at Discovering He Was “No Longer In the MCU”

The character did, however, recently appear in Marvel’s animated series What If…?. Although RDJ did not rejoin his Avengers costars for the first season of the series, many Marvel Cinematic Universe alums did return. Among them were Tom Hiddleston (Loki)Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury)Chris Hemsworth (Thor)Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner/the Hulk)Josh Brolin (Thanos)Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter)Paul Rudd (Scott Lang/Ant-Man)Natalie Portman (Jane Foster), Michael Douglas (Dr. Hank Pym), Michael B. Jordan (Erik “Killmonger” Stevens)Jeremy Renner (Clint Barton/Hawkeye)Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier)Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Stephen Strange), and late actor Chadwick Boseman (T’Challa/Black Panther).

What do you think of Evan Struckman’s costume?

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