Christopher Nolan described Robert Downey Jr.’s role as Iron Man as “one of the most important casting decisions ever,” but Downey Jr. nearly played a different Marvel character.
Jon Favreau, who directed the first two Iron Man movies, revealed this in a look back at the 2008 film, shared by Marvel, 15 years after Downey Jr. first appeared as Iron Man.
According to Favreau, Robert Downey Jr., who feels his best work as Iron Man wasn’t fully appreciated, was considered for the role of Doctor Doom in the 2005 film Fantastic Four.
Advertisement Released three years before the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) started, the movie starred Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis, and Chris Evans, who later became Captain America.
“I remember you all had already met with him for Doctor Doom or some other project,” Favreau recalled while talking with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige.
“I think he had auditioned for Fantastic Four, so everyone knew who he was,” referring to Downey Jr.
Julian McMahon, known for the US drama Nip/Tuck at the time, was cast as Doctor Doom instead. Toby Kebbell later played the character in a 2015 reboot.
If Downey Jr. had played Doctor Doom, he might still have ended up as Iron Man in 10 films. In Fantastic Four as Human Torch, Evans played a big role in the MCU.
Feige said the first Iron Man set the tone for much of the MCU. Favreau called Downey Jr. “the piece that made it all work.”
Remembering their first meeting about the role, Favreau said, “I sat down with him and saw that spark in his eye. Once it was him, things got a lot easier for me.”
Marvel is trying again to make a new Fantastic Four movie; this time, the characters will be part of the MCU for the first time. The film, starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn, is planned for release in 2025.
Favreau and Feige are starting a series of retrospectives to celebrate the 15th anniversary of each movie in the MCU. You can also watch Marvel’s earlier movies and keep an eye out for more exciting news from the Marvel universe.
Source: Deadline