Robert Downey Jr. Won The Iron Man Role Over Timothy Olyphant
The Marvel Cinematic Universe might be struggling these days, having pumped the market full of middling superhero projects that actually deserve that most damning of designations: "content." But this very well could be a mere slump for the behemoth that is Marvel Studios, which at this point is surely too big to fail and will undoubtedly return to glory at some point in the near future... probably.
And when we talk about the glory days, no single project has been as significant to the rise of the MCU than the movie that we can blame for our current situation kicked it all off: "Iron Man." The 2008 hit not only set Kevin Feige's shared universe plans in motion, but it also reestablished star Robert Downey Jr. as ... well, a star. The actor had struggled since his substance addictions and numerous arrests in the 1990s, but his casting in "Iron Man" not only revived his career, it turned out to be a masterstroke on behalf of Feige and director Jon Favreau.
In a recent discussion on the Marvel Entertainment YouTube channel, Favreau told Feige, "It wasn't really until we cast Robert that I fully understood what the take was and once it was Robert then it was like every decision became a lot easier," to which Feige responded, "I think that's probably one of the greatest decisions in the history of Hollywood." This might not be an understatement, considering the success of "Iron Man" and its legacy as the film that changed Hollywood and made the MCU possible. But things could have happened very differently if Marvel Studios caved under pressure to pass on RDJ.
'My board thought I was crazy'
No one else in MCU history has embodied their role in the way Robert Downey Jr. embodied Tony Stark. While there have been excellent performances and brilliant casting decisions, Downey Jr. basically was Tony Stark/Iron Man and would come to define the character in the public consciousness in a way that few other superhero actors have. And the brilliance of Kevin Feige and Jon Favreau was that they could apparently see all of that from the outset.
In his chat with Feige, the director revealed that their future star had auditioned to play a general in "Iron Man," and that Feige had actually met with Downey Jr. previously about playing Dr. Doom in 2005's "Fantastic Four." But after meeting with him for "Iron Man," Favreau recalled thinking, "Geez he just got it, he's got that spark in him and his eye and he's ready."
At the time, Feige, who'd harbored ambitions to build the MCU since Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" in 2002, was yet to take the top spot at Marvel Studios, having been designated President of Production. The actual President of the company during the "Iron Man" production was David Maisel, who it turns out struggled to get approval to cast RDJ in the lead role. As Maisel told The New Yorker:
"My board thought I was crazy to put the future of the company in the hands of an addict. I helped them understand how great he was for the role. We all had confidence that he was clean and would stay clean."
According to the report, Downey Jr. eventually won the role over one other actor who was in the running: Timothy Olyphant.
Things worked out ... sort of
Between 1996 and 2001, Robert Downey Jr. was arrested several times on drug-related charges, struggling to make it through rehab programs and famously telling a judge in '99, "It's like I have a loaded gun in my mouth and my finger's on the trigger. And I like the taste of the gunmetal." Following a 1993 Oscar nomination for playing the lead role in the Charlie Chaplin biopic "Chaplin," the actor's career had seemingly disintegrated. But after getting clean in the early-2000s he launched a comeback, and "Iron Man" was the movie that cemented his return as one of Hollywood's biggest stars.
And in light of that movie's breakout success, it's strange to imagine anyone else but RDJ in the lead role. Not only did "Iron Man" basically revive the man's career, but he also helped build the MCU as we know it, winning over audiences with his charisma and roguish charm. Timothy Olyphant, meanwhile, was known for playing the lead role in HBO's "Deadwood," helping to establish that show's legacy as one of the best-written TV shows of all time. But Olyphant didn't necessarily have the same charisma as RDJ, and Kevin Feige and Jon Favreau clearly knew that.
Luckily, things worked out for the best. Now, Feige just has to have another masterstroke to figure out how to get the MCU back on track. Meanwhile, David Maisel is long gone, having set up the Disney takeover of Marvel and resigning as President of Marvel Studios shortly after. Let's hope the upcoming "Fantastic Four" movie turns out to be the "big pillar" of a film Feige promised.