‘Iron Man’ Star Robert Downey Jr. Sends Special Message to Child Battling Brain Cancer

Avengers star Robert Downey Jr. sent a special video message to 7-year-old Iron Man fan and brain cancer fighter Jackson Tijerina, Omaha.com reports.

"Jackson, is that you? Hi! It's Robert Downey Jr., but you can call me Tony," Downey says in the video, evoking his Marvel Cinematic Universe character Tony Stark. "Thinking about you, stay strong, know that my prayers are with you, and also, you know, life is challenging. And you are just the man for the job. So lots of love."

Jackson is a fan of the armored Avenger and sported a costume of his hero for Halloween last year. The boy even shows off a medical port in the center of his chest, which he views as the arc reactor that fueled most of Stark's super-powered armors.

"[Jackson is] more than willing to show his port, and he does this little Iron Man pose," Jackson's mother Amy said.

Jackson was diagnosed with a brain tumor in January 2016 and is now battling the disease with an experimental oral chemotherapy drug supplied through St. Jude Children's Hospital.

"Within two weeks [of his diagnosis], he was in surgery and having brain surgery," Amy previously told the Daily Nonpareil.

Amy said meeting "the real Iron Man — Tony Stark" was the last item on Jackson's bucket list, which included watching his favorite NFL team, the Denver Broncos, play a game and a gift in the form of a Peyton Manning-autographed football given to him by a family friend.

Amy put out her request on Facebook, where her message was seen by Council Bluffs, Iowa resident Sue Wheeler, who passed along the message to a friend in the movie industry.

"It just breaks my heart to imagine what that family is going through, and the pain poor Jackson has to endure," Wheeler said. "When I saw his wish to meet Robert Downey Jr., I wondered if my friend had any contacts ... so I thought maybe she might have a way to get to someone like RDJ. Lo and behold, my old pal pulled through!"

Amy admitted she at first was unsure of the legitimacy of the video message before it turned out to be the Avengers star sending his well wishes to her son.

"I wasn't sure it was for real," she said. "But they sent it to me right away, and it was Robert Downey Jr. I was like, 'Is this legitimate?' And then, immediately after, I received a message that it was the real thing."

When Jackson received the special message, "he was jumping up and down, and he was smiling from ear to ear," Amy said. "He was so excited and I was crying."

Amy shared the video to her Facebook page, where it has been viewed more than 11,000 times. Jackson and his sister sent a "thank you" video in return.

Downey next returns as Tony Stark-slash-Iron Man in Avengers 4, out May 3.