Iron Man: Ranking All Of Robert Downey Jr.'s MCU Performances From Worst To Best

Joss Whedon's dialogue in The Avengers fit Downey like a glove and just when you thought that no one's writing could have been a better match for Tony Stark, Shane Black came along and proved why he's such a Hollywood legend.

Iron Man 3 is an excellent film that actively strips away Tony's armor (both literally and metaphorically), making him more open and vulnerable than ever before. Whereas all of his prior appearances had truly been starring Iron Man, Black's film pits Tony himself as the star of the show. It's a brilliant choice, one that allows Downey to get to the core of the character in an entirely new way.

The work he delivers during the second act of the film, after he meets Harley Keener, is straight up some of the best work Robert Downey Jr. has ever done in his entire career. Black said that Harley represented a sort of 'ghost of Christmas past' to Stark and while that's certainly true, it also feels like he represents that to Downey himself as well. Downey's performances in this franchise have always been at there best when blurring the line between himself and the character and nowhere is that truer than here, seeing Stark fall from grace and have to learn how to be himself once more.

It's a powerful performance from Downey with some surprising and unexpected poignancy.