Every Single MCU Film Ranked From Worst To Best

13. Iron Man (2008)

Without Iron Man, there wouldn't be an MCU. Without Robert Downey Jr there would probably be no Iron Man. And without Jon Favreau, there would definitely be no RDJ as Stark. Back before he was the MCU's lynch-pin, Downey Jr was still classed as a perpetual enfant terrible in Hollywood terms. He had lots of red in his ledger, and Marvel reportedly struggled with the idea of casting him.

Just imagine the alternative. This is the same Hollywood that tried to cast Tom Hanks as Tony Stark for a long time, missing the fact that Stark absolutely isn't a clean cut Ethan Hunt-style hero. He's a douche-bag, inflated by money and charm, who skirts the line between likeability and the opposite as a calling card. He's basically the fictional living embodiment of Downey Jr, with his baggage included.

The film, ultimately, is all about Downey Jr's fit: there's a reasonably good story in there, with his conflict with Obediah Stane and his own shifting moral compass playing central roles, but this was mostly an opportunity for the star to see how well his feet fit Stark's boots, while setting up future plot threads.