10 Superhero Movie Performances That Were Totally Oscar-Worthy
7. Robert Downey Jnr - Captain America: Civil War
Robert Downey Jnr is an MCU mainstay, and arguably more than any other actor is the face of the franchise. Sooner rather than later he’ll be handing the reins over, and while his moment desperately holding onto a vanishing Peter in Infinity War might be his best remembered scene, Civil War is undoubtedly his best performance.
The reason the movie is so frequently billed as Avengers-lite is because of how much spotlight Tony demands for himself. The film’s underlying tension all comes from the heroes’ internal conflict; Tony is at the heart of all that.
Robert Downey Jnr has a natural humour and effortless charisma which made him the perfect Tony Stark from the get go. His improvised ‘I am Iron Man’ showcased a deep understanding of what the character was about, but it wasn’t really until Iron Man 3 and Civil War where his acting chops really shone.
A man in deep turmoil, obsessed with his legacy not because he wants to be remembered, but because he fears he hasn’t done enough. He showcases a real, urgent vulnerability here, beyond a superhero’s weakness to show us Tony Stark’s inner workings. The MCU will certainly miss him when he’s gone.