When Robert Downey Jr. was cast as Tony Stark for Marvel’s Iron Man, fans were hesitant about whether the actor could pull off the role. However, their fears were quickly thrown out when Downey nailed the role and used his superhero fame to become one of Hollywood’s most lucrative talents. During his Marvel tenure, Downey has played Iron Man in over five films, and he will reprise the role in upcoming projects like Avengers: Infinity War.
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So, really, it is not too surprising to learn that Stan Lee thinks the actor was born to play the hero.
The writer appeared at Rhode Island Comic Con and commented on Downey’s work as Iron Man. When he was asked by a fan about which actor has best embodied a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Lee said he thought Downey took the prize.
“That man was born to be Iron Man, you know? He’d be on the top of the list,” Lee said. “But, I have to say: whoever does the casting for Marvel is a genius. For instance, I can’t picture anyone being better than Thor. Captain America? You couldn’t beat him.”
The comic book creator then went on to recount an odd story about Downey from earlier this year. “I think of all of them, when Robert Downey Jr. played Stark, he was just great,” Lee said before continuing. “I’ll tell you something about him. The other day, I walked up to him the other day and said, ‘You know, everyone calls you Robert because your name is Robert. Do they ever call you Bob?’ He said, ‘Oh, I don’t care. They [can] call me Bob or Rob or Bobby or Boo-Boo.’”
Hopefully, Lee went with another option entirely and simply decided to refer to Downey as Mr. Stark. Fans of the actor have been vocal about how closely the actor resembles Iron Man in both looks and temperament. And, when you watch Downey put on the Stark persona, it is easy to see how fans could believe the act.
Of course, this isn’t the first time Lee has said Downey was born to be Iron Man. The writer spoke to the Toronto Sun and said he hoped Downey and Chris Evans would never leave their respective roles.
“I think those two men were born to play their roles. As long as they will continue to play them, I think we’ll be very lucky,” Lee said. “In fact all the people – (Chris Hemsworth’s) Thor, every one of them – they are so perfectly cast and I hope we stay with them forever.”
And Downey definitely isn’t the only Marvel actor who Lee thinks mirrors their on-screen role. Not long ago, the writer gushed over Tom Holland’s casting as Spider-Man at Denver Comic Con.
“Oh, he’s wonderful, I was with him the other day,” Lee said. “He’s great. I can’t believe it. It’s as if we created a living being to be Spider-Man and it turned out to be Tom. Really!”
So, what do you think? Was Downey destined to play Iron Man on the big screen? Do you think he could ever be replaced? Let us know in the comments below!
