Gwyneth Paltrow Shares Adorable Reactions to Iron Man Costar Robert Downey Jr. Winning Oscar

Their time together in the Marvel Cinematic Universe may be over, but the bond between Iron Man co-stars Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow certainly is not! 

Gwyneth Paltrow was like so many of us, watching the 2024 Oscars from the comfort of home (or some domestic location). When the category of Best Supporting Actor was announced, Paltrow (like many of us) was also on the edge of her seat to see if RDJ would finally get his Oscar – which he ultimately did for his role as the duplicitous Lewis Strauss in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. 

Now, Paltrow has shared a video that captured her reaction to Downey winning the Oscar. It’s as cute as any MCU fan would expect it to be, giving off major ‘Tony Stark and Pepper Potts’ vibes from the early era of the Iron Man movies. The fact that she filmed it is a testament to the faith she had that RDJ would win; ironically enough, Gwyneth Paltrow has been an Oscar-winner for 25 years now, after winning the Best Actress category in 1998 for Shakespeare In Love. 

Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow last appeared together as Tony Stark/Iron Man and his wife Pepper Potts in Avengers: Endgame (2019). That film saw Tony and Pepper settle down and raise a daughter, Morgan, after Thanos eliminated half the population. Both Tony and Pepper suited up again in the Iron Man and “Rescue” armor (respectively) for the final battle with Thanos – a battle Iron Man ultimately won for Earth and its heroes, at the cost of his own life. 

Behind the scenes, Downey and Paltrow have both exited the MCU and moved other things (like Oscar wins). That said, Marvel fans still keep torches lit in hopes that one or both of them will make a return appearance in some future MCU project. 

Robert Downey Jr.’s Oscar Win Speech

“I’d like to thank my terrible childhood and the Academy, in that order,” Downey said at the start of his acceptance speech, before moving into some self-deprecating jokes in honor of his most loyal supporter: “I’d like to thank my veterinarian — I meant wife — Susan Downey over there. She found me, a snarling rescue pet, and loved me back to life. That’s why I am here. Thank you.”

More than anything, Downey thanked Oppenheimer director Chris Nolan and his producing partner Emma Thomas for putting him in place for the win: 

“Here’s my little secret: I needed this job more than it needed me. Chris knew it, Emma made sure that she… surrounded me with one of the greatest cast and crews of all time,” Downey explained, before extending thanks to his Oppenheimer co-stars: “Emily [Blunt], Cillian [Murphy], Matt Damon … it was fantastic and I stand here before you a better man because of it. You know, what we do is meaningful, and the stuff that we decide to make is important.”

You can stream Oppenheimer on Peacock. The Iron Man and Avengers movies stream on Disney+.