by Robert Downey Jr. nearly lost the part to another 2000s action star before he cemented his place in cinema history as Iron Man in the MCU.
As Iron Man director Jon Favreau and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige succeeded in bringing to life a figure who would pave the path for so many MCU heroes to follow him, the story behind Downey’s casting is the stuff of movie folklore.
Downey was undoubtedly the ideal choice to portray the brilliant millionaire playboy, philanthropist, but was he Marvel’s first choice?
Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr. nearly lost his job
During his commencement speech at the University of Southern California (USC) graduation ceremony on May 12, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige shared additional details regarding the casting of Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man.
Feige said that he and his team searched for someone with “the perfect mix of heart, strength, and charisma,” and that the success of the MCU as a whole depended on that actor:
“When we were casting the role of Iron Man, we looked at so many different actors. We had to find the perfect mix of heart and strength and charisma. Being our first Marvel film out of the gate, the stakes could not have been higher. The success of the film and the future of our entire studio rested on the shoulders of this one person.”
He continued by revealing that Marvel had actually made Clive Owen, who was their first pick to play Tony Stark, an offer. The English performer “was not interested” in the part, declining it, which resulted in Downey being hired by Marvel Studios in September 2006:
“And it was not an easy task, but together with my team and our casting directors and our director, Jon Favreau, we culled down our list, we pinpointed the right guy, and we extended an offer to our top choice – an actor who checked all of those boxes and who we were confident would be a huge hit. And his name, of course, was Clive Owen. He passed. He was not interested.”
In the late 1990s, Owen gained notoriety and later appeared in popular thriller and action films like Sin City, The Bourne Identity, Children of Men, and Inside Man.
While Owen declined the part, Feige took the opportunity to realise that it’s preferable to make “the right choice” as opposed to “your first choice.” He continued by praising Downey for directing one of the year’s most popular films, Iron Man, which launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2008:
“And that is the unwritten rule of life. Not getting your first choice might just be the greatest thing that can happen to you. Because you know what’s better than getting your first choice? Getting the right choice. And in our case, of course, that choice was Robert Downey Jr., and the first movie we ever made as a studio ended up being one of the best-reviewed and highest-grossing movies of the year.”
Even future Iron Man 2 star Sam Rockwell, before he portrayed Justin Hammer, was on the list of candidates to play Tony Stark, proving that Downey and Owen were by no means the only contenders.
An MCU Without Iron Man by Robert Downey Jr.
Clive Owen, who is just about the same age as Downey Jr. and stands at 6’1″, would have likely matched the Tony Stark mould well if he had accepted the role. He also has the classic action hero look.
Although Marvel Studios was far from a sure thing at the time, it is still unclear why he passed down the role. After all, Iron Man was the group’s debut film, one that centred on a character that was at the time considered to be a B-list hero and had a genuine possibility of not becoming a global success.
As a result of Downey playing the title character in both his own Iron Man trilogy and the entire Infinity Saga, his portrayal of Tony Stark ended up becoming one of the most recognisable actor-role pairings in film history.
The MCU as a whole would become a reality with Iron Man’s almost $600 million global total, making it the eighth-highest film globally and the second-biggest domestic financial success of 2008 overall.
It’s impossible to say whether the solo film would have achieved the same success if Clive Owen had been present, but Marvel fans are undoubtedly appreciative that things turned out the way they did because the MCU is currently the highest-grossing film franchise of all time.
All of Robert Downey Jr.’s MCU roles as Iron Man, with the exception of 2008’s The Incredible Hulk, are streamable worldwide on Disney+.
