Robert Downey Jr. on His Tenure as Iron Man

The journey that began over a decade ago when Tony Stark was taken prisoner in the middle of a desert has finally reached its end. After appearing in 10 films as Iron Man, actor Robert Downey Jr. has seemingly called it quits as of Avengers: Endgame. The hero went out on top, saving the world after Thanos' devastation and delivering a snarky quip in the process.

It was as pure an Iron Man scene as fans could get, and it was that long journey in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that made it all worth while. And now Robert Downey Jr. is looking back at his tenure under the iron mask.

Warning: Spoilers for Avengers: Endgame below.

While speaking for the Avengers: Endgame - The Official Movie Special, Downey compared his time as Tony Stark to Charlie Chaplin, the silent film legend whom he played in the '90s biopic.

"I can make a couple of comparisons. Not to compare myself to Charlie Chaplin, but people wanted to see him play the tramp. He did Monsieur Verdoux, he did Limelight – he had successful forays into not just being his most beloved character," Downey explained, comparing his experience. "But ultimately, in his autumn years he surrendered to the will of the people and re-found his joy and his acceptance in the fact that he'd been fortunate enough to have channeled and created that character to begin with."

Downey went on to praise his collaborators in the earliest stages and how they helped set the stage for his iconic run as Iron Man.

"Tony was out there for me to begin with. But you don't think of the two separately. I think if you'd done as many of these films as I have and the first one was so definitive and game-changing – not because I'm so great, but because everybody did their job so well – what [director, Jon] Favreau did and what Gwyneth [Paltrow] did and everybody... It's just like having a great football team, a great group of folks."

Fans can see the end of Iron Man's journey in Avengers: Endgame, now playing in theaters.

You can catch our own Q&A with the director next week, when Game Over: An Evening With Joe Russo airs on Facebook Live on Monday, May 6th.

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