Marvel President Kevin Feige: Casting Robert Downey Jr As Iron Man Was The Biggest Risk For MCU

In 2008, MCU commenced with Robert Downey Jr playing Tony Stark, aka Iron Man. RDJ has acted in three Iron Man films, 2 other MCU films and 4 Avengers movies. He became the main face of the superhero franchise for more than a decade. Hence, when his character died in Avengers: Endgame, fans were shattered. Many are still having a hard time accepting that he won't play the superhero again. 

If there's one thing Marvel does the best is casting. Whether it is Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark, Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff, Chris Evans as Steve Rogers or Tom Hiddleston as Loki, they have hired the perfect actors to play the superhero and the villains too. Now, Marvel President Kevin Fiege says that RDJ's casting as Iron Man was the biggest risk for MCU.

In an interaction with Cinemabland, Kevin Fiege said, "I was lucky enough to be involved in early Spider-Man films and X-Men films. But we wanted to do an Iron Man movie. And I do think, still, the biggest risk — which seems outrageous to say now — was casting Robert Downey Jr. It was both the biggest risk and the most important thing in the founding of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Without Robert, we wouldn’t be sitting here today. I really believe that."

If you aren't aware, RDJ wasn't the first choice to play Tony Stark. Tom Cruise was considered for the role, but things didn't work out. The director of the first two Iron Man films, Jon Favreau, was adamant about casting Downey Jr as Tony Stark. Well, the rest is history. 

Earlier, about Robert's casting as Tony Stark, Favreau had said, "Robert brings a depth that goes beyond a comic-book character who is having trouble in high school, or can’t get the girl. Plus, he’s simply one of the best actors around."