After 10 appearances across the span of 11 years, Robert Downey Jr. literally was Tony Stark to the world. While the world of upcoming Marvel movies continue to press on with the franchise, the speculation about whether or not Iron Man’s marquee star could return to the MCU burns bright.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound like that’s going to happen any time soon, as the 2024 Oscar winner got real about being in that suit of armor for so long, and his remarks were enough to get an audience to laugh. On hand to accept the Maltin Modern Master Award at the 2024 Santa Barbara International Film Festival, the Oppenheimer star was filmed in conversation with critic Leonard Maltin by THR. As the conversation turned to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Downey was his usual candid self when he delivered the following remark:
It was so great to be associated with someone like that for a while, you know, and then it wore off.
It’s no secret that once he departed the franchise with 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, Downey started to reflect on his time in the Marvel Studios camp with a lens of respectful candor. Stories about the wild west days of Iron Man’s production, as well as this more recent confession, have painted a more three-dimensional portrait of Downey's experience in that massive fictional world.
With the audience at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival carrying their own baggage connected to the Iron Man legacy, Robert Downey Jr.’s moment of truth sparked the laughter previously mentioned. You can hear how it all went over thanks to the footage shared below:
“It was so great to be associated with someone like that for a while…and then it wore off” - Robert Downey Jr. on his role as #IronMan during a conversation at #SBIFF #SBIFF2024 @SBIFF pic.twitter.com/cRKElyytxfFebruary 10, 2024
To be quite honest, I’m hoping that Robert Downey Jr. is inspired to write a memoir about his time in the MCU, if not his entire career thus far. While he’s gracious to what the Iron Man franchise and The Infinity Saga gave him professionally, the man’s clearly not going to mince words about the moments when the fun stopped being there.
After his huge Best Supporting Actor win for Oppenheimer, the time couldn’t be more ripe for the esteemed actor to tell his own story, should he feel like doing so. At the very least, I’d be interested to hear some more of his thoughts on Jimmy Kimmel’s nasty Oscar jabs; because you know that Robert Downey Jr. would handle the subject with a blend of class and snark that would make even his former Marvel persona chuckle with delight.
For now, the world will just have to be satisfied with reveling in the wonder that is Downey’s Oppenheimer performance. Those of you with a Peacock subscription will be able to do just that very easily thanks to Christopher Nolan’s Best Picture winner currently streaming on that platform of choice.
