Robert Downey Jr. Admits Big Marvel Role Hurt His Credibility

Robert Downey Jr. shared his thoughts regarding the last few years of his career.

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Robert Downey Jr., one of the world’s most celebrated and successful actors, had some choice words to share after winning a Best Supporting Actor BAFTA award for his work in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer (2023).

“When I was 15, I wanted to be Peter O’Toole. When I was 25, I worked for Richard Attenborough and Anthony Hopkins. When I was 35, I finally understood why Dickie thought Tony would be a better role model for me than Peter,” Downey stated, reflecting on his career. “When I was 42, I did two films for Guy Ritchie and learned how to make big Hollywood movies with a civil British flare. I then played a guy named Tony in the MCU for about 12 years.”

This is far from the first time Downey has talked about his career inside the Marvel world, with the actor cracking jokes at his own expense, sharing thoughts similar to famed Marvel skeptic Martin Scorcese. Downey stated that playing Iron Man for so long hurt his credibility, something that Christopher Nolan wanted to help him regain.

“I played a guy named Tony in the MCU for about 12 years,” said Downey, going on to discuss his role as Iron Man and how it affected his reputation. “And then recently, Chris Nolan suggested I attempt an understated approach as a last-ditch effort to resurrect my dwindling credibility.”

The acclaimed actor has starred in dozens of movies and films, with his role as Tony Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe propelling him to heights unimaginable for audiences as well as the man himself. Robert Downey Jr. portrayed Tony Stark in a total of ten films: Iron Man (2008), The Incredible Hulk (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), The Avengers (2012), Iron Man 3 (2013), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019) all of which spanned nearly two decades.

These films helped make Robert Downey Jr. the man he is today, but the actor has been very vocal about the toll these films took on his personal and professional life. In 2023, Downey admitted that he was worried playing Iron Man would hurt his acting capabilities.

Regardless, Downey’s portrayal of Tony Stark in the original Iron Man (2008) may go down in history as one of the most influential and important events in film history, paving the way for dozens of future films and television shows all held together by connective string we now know as the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Before Iron Man, there was no MCU, and comic book movies consistently failed to generate good word of mouth or make any substantial amount of money. However, with the release of Iron Man and subsequent MCU films, the world of cinema changed forever, and Robert Downey Jr. became the face of this new machine, whether he was prepared or not.

Flash forward nearly two decades later, and the MCU is one of the most profitable forces in the world of entertainment, with new projects announced on a continuous basis. Disney+ is the unofficial home of MCU content, with a plethora of original series available on the platform, like WandaVision, Secret Invasion, Ms. Marvel, and the most recent series, Echo.

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The 58-year-old New York native has an impressive career behind him, and with his most recent role in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer (2023), Robert Downey Jr. shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. The role of Lewis Strauss helped put the actor back on the figurative map, though he never truly disappeared. Downey is astounding in the movie, always on the verge of exploding into a fit of rage, working opposite of the expertly understated Cillian Murphy, who portrays the titular Robert Oppenheimer.

Robert Downey Jr. commands every scene he is in, and his vengeful, hate-filled portrayal of Lewis Strauss is envigorating to watch, acting as a pallet cleanser after years upon years of Iron Man.

Downey’s full acceptance speech is linked below from the official BAFTA YouTube channel.

Did you enjoy Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal of Tony Stark in the MCU? What’s your favorite Marvel movie?