Robert Downey Jr. Calls His MCU Performances The Best Work Of His Career But Feels They Were Overlooked

Robert Downey Jr. Calls His MCU Performances The Best Work Of His Career But Feels They Were Overlooked

Robert Downey Jr. is currently on an awards season promo tour for his excellent performance in Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer but he'll always find time to say positive things about his MCU experience.

By MarkJulian - Jan 13, 2024 01:01 PM EST
Filed Under: Marvel Studios
Source: Literally! With Rob Lowe podcast

Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr. figures to be a serious contender this awards season thanks to his supporting role in director Christopher Nolan's biographical thriller, Oppenheimer.

For his turn as Rear Admiral Lewis Strauss. Downey figures to secure a nomination at the Oscars for this role after winning Best Supporting Actor at this year's Golden Globe Awards.

However, while appearing on the Literally! With Rob Lowe podcast, Downey took some time out to reflect on his time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The conversation shifted from Oppenheimer to the MCU when RDJ's phone rang in the middle of the podcast's recording. Lowe joked that it was Marvel, calling to offer an absurd amount of money to get Downey to return.

Intriguingly enough, RDJ replied to Lowe's jest by stating, "Not just yet."

Lowe went on to add, "You know what I say. That phone is going to ring, baby, and I want to be on that call. I want to be negotiating for you. I know what your deal is. Here’s what you do. You go, ‘I’ll come back and I’ll play Tony Stark for you guys again since you [frick]ed everything up. But I want a gazillion dollars. I know what that number should be, and I want first dollar gross of every ensuing movie. That’s what I would do."

"That sounds quite hostile," Downey replied while laughing.

However, the Tony Stark actor quickly steered the conversation to his past MCU work, not a potential return.

"I felt so exposed after being in the cocoon of Marvel, where I think I did some of the best work I will ever do, but it went a little bit unnoticed because of the genre," said Downey.

He went on to say that he thinks his Avengers: Endgame exit may be a blessing in disguise. 

"In a way, I did myself a favor, because the rug was pulled so definitively out from underneath me and all the things that I was leaning on as opposed to what my understanding of confidence and security was, boy did they evaporate. And it rendered me teachable. And the crazy thing is they say, ‘When the student is ready, the teacher will come,’ and that’s what happened.

That last part of Downey's statement is in reference to  2020's Dolittle which bombed with critics and at the box office. That lesson reminded Downey that unlike his MCU films, his appearance in a movie doesn't guarantee success. 

That lesson made him more careful of the projects he selected and ultimately influenced his decision to sign up for Oppenheimer.

Fandango Reveals 2025 Most Anticipated Movies And You Won't Believe Which Superhero Movie Was Voted #1
Related:

Fandango Reveals 2025 Most Anticipated Movies And You Won't Believe Which Superhero Movie Was Voted #1

8 Alternate Endings For Marvel And DC Movies Which Would Have Been Better (Or Worse) Than The Final Cut
Recommended For You:

8 Alternate Endings For Marvel And DC Movies Which Would Have Been Better (Or Worse) Than The Final Cut

DISCLAIMER: As a user generated site and platform, ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and "Safe Harbor" provisions.

This post was submitted by a user who has agreed to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. ComicBookMovie.com will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement. Please CONTACT US for expeditious removal of copyrighted/trademarked content. CLICK HERE to learn more about our copyright and trademark policies.

Note that ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

1 2 3 4
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 1/13/2024, 1:13 PM
I completely agree.

His Civil War performance was genuinely oscar-worthy.

(now here come the film snobs telling me that you can't win an Oscar for a cbm unless you play Joker. Silly me)
SpiderParker
SpiderParker - 1/13/2024, 1:17 PM
@ObserverIO - You can't win an Oscan unless you are a Joker.
marvel72
marvel72 - 1/13/2024, 1:18 PM
@ObserverIO - I don't know about Oscar worthy but apart from the first Iron Man movie, Captain America:Civil War was definitely his best performance.
TheNewYorker
TheNewYorker - 1/13/2024, 1:59 PM
@ObserverIO - “Oscar worthy” holy shit 🤣
Baf
Baf - 1/13/2024, 2:20 PM
@ObserverIO - "That shield doesn't belong to you. You don't deserve it. My father made that shield." Just as cringy as the "Martha" scene.
IronSpider101
IronSpider101 - 1/13/2024, 2:24 PM
@TheNewYorker - Definitely an "I only watch blockbusters" mentality
LeDiableBlanc
LeDiableBlanc - 1/13/2024, 4:36 PM
@Baf - the first one made sense,the second one was ridiculous. No comparison.
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 1/13/2024, 4:46 PM
@IronSpider101 - I watch more than just blockbusters. Aquaman 2 for example.
Brand0n
Brand0n - 1/13/2024, 5:13 PM
@ObserverIO - civil war was great but I feel like endgame is where he shined
McMurdo
McMurdo - 1/13/2024, 7:46 PM
@ObserverIO - IM2008 is his best outing. It felt the most true to the character. It's probably my favorite origin film in the genre.
Baf
Baf - 1/13/2024, 8:55 PM
@LeDiableBlanc - They were both grown whiny men. One Superhero said "Get my mommy" the other said "This is my ball and I'm taking it home."
Origame
Origame - 1/13/2024, 1:13 PM
Even Tony stark himself admits marvel f@#$ed up. Can't wait for the defense force from the usual suspects
Feralwookiee
Feralwookiee - 1/13/2024, 1:15 PM
@Origame - That quote is from Lowe, although, it's quite possible RDJ feels the same way.
SpiderParker
SpiderParker - 1/13/2024, 1:18 PM
@Origame - Reading comprehension is strong with this one.
1 2 3 4

Please log in to post comments.

Don't have an account?
Please Register.

View Recorder