12 Perfect Casting Choices That Launched Major Film Franchises
11. Robert Downey Jr. Tony Stark/Iron Man
Before it was released in 2008, most non-comic readers equated the term Iron Man with a song by Black Sabbath. But that was before Robert Downey Jr. put on the suit. Most of the superheroes wed seen up to 2008 were rather stiff and moral (the DC brand), or youthful and inexperienced (the Marvel brand). Downeys Tony Stark was neither; he was a hard drinking, womanizing socialite who just happened to be one of the smartest (and richest) men on the planet. In his review for Iron Man, the late Roger Ebert noted that Tony Stark is created from the persona Downey has fashioned through many movies: irreverent, quirky, self-deprecating, wise-cracking. Its that persona that makes us buy into the epiphany that Tony Stark has in creating the Iron Man suit and using it to fight evil. Director Jon Favreau noted that, (Downey) understood what made the character tick. He found a lot of his own experience in Tony Stark. Given Downeys experiences with substance abuse and alcoholism, plus the sense of self-aggrandizement that comes from being part of Hollywood royalty, this is an apt statement. Its true that audiences are entertained by the action in the Iron Man and Avengers films. But part of the enjoyment also comes from the effortless way that Downey unflinchingly exhibits the brash persona that is Tony Stark.
