MCU: Iron Man's 10 Greatest Moments
He is Iron Man.
Robert Downey Jr’s portrayal of Tony Stark has made Iron Man one of the most iconic characters not just for Marvel, but in the entire history of cinema. Across 10 movies (or nine plus an Incredible Hulk cameo), Robert Downey Jnr has taken his character on one hell of an arc since he made his debut as a narcissistic, chauvinistic arms dealer.
Ups, downs and wall to wall action, he’s certainly earned his paycheque after giving the MCU hit after hit after hit at the box office.
It hasn’t all been action or jokes either, though there has been a lot of that. His relationships with Pepper, Happy, Captain America and most recently Peter Parker have added a healthy dose of emotion to the MCU and helped provide a substance to all of the mayhem and explosions too.
His career looked to be over at the turn of the century, but after clawing his way back with bit parts here and there, Iron Man gave him his last big shot. He certainly paid Marvel back.
10. I Am Iron Man (Iron Man)
The final line of the first MCU movie was Tony Stark confirming to the press that he was indeed the superhero they speculated he was, with the immortal ‘I am Iron Man’.
It kicks of the list of his best moments as it’s one of his most iconic lines and it set the MCU on a path that eventually saw the franchise become the biggest movie juggernaut in the history of cinema. The best part is that it wasn’t even in the original script, but was added last minute at Robert Downey Jnr’s insistence.
While this is an interesting bit of trivia, especially given how important the line has become, it’s indicative of so much more.
People have joked that Marvel grow their actors on a farm, given how perfect the likes of RDJ, Chris Evans, Paul Rudd and Tom Holland are for their respective roles. It’s things like this though that back up what people mean: before the MCU even existed in any recognised form, Robert Downey Jnr understood the character better than anyone.
A lot of people worked extremely hard to make the MCU the success it is today, but few were as influential as Robert Downey Jnr.