Iron Man Fans Wish Robert Downey Jr. a Happy Birthday

Today is Robert Downey Jr. Day. The Marvel Cinematic Universe's Iron Man turns 56-years-old, and Marvel Studios fans are taking to social media to let him know how much they appreciate him. Downey helped launch the Marvel Cinematic Universe by starring in 2008's Iron Man and continued to play Tony Stark for a decade up until the character's ultimate sacrifice in 2019's Avengers: Endgame. It's been two years since that moment (and two years since Marvel Studios released a movie), but Marvel fans haven't forgotten and likely never will. They continue to send Downey their love on his birthday. You can see some of those birthday wishes below.

There were rumors that Downey could have a cameo appearance in the upcoming Black Widow movie since the film takes place between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. Thanks to the film's delays, those rumors are now more than a year old. When asked about them back then, Downey claimed ignorance. "Right. Great. I mean, it would be nice if they notified me. Forewarned is forearmed," Downey told Entertainment Tonight. "They can do anything now. This could be a deep fake interview for all we know."

Despite his retirement, Downey has left the door open to possibly returning as Iron Man. "I'm not sure. Are we in bargaining now?" Downey said. "I am so pleased, just that, I wound up where I have. I'm very fortunate so, I'm not the kind of guy who — I want to try to keep it classy. We'll see."

"Yeah, anything could happen," Downey said in an interview with Extra. "As far as I'm concerned, I hung up my guns and I'm good to let it go. I also think Marvel is on this journey now and they're trying a bunch of other stuff, and I'm excited for them to see how all that goes. It's hard to project."

Downey seemed to put a firmer punctuation mark at the end of his superhero career in an interview with Parade. "The war for me is over," he said. "I personally have alighted to greener pastures."

It's a mindset he suggests he shares with Marvel co-star Chris Evans, who exited his role as Captain America after Avengers: Endgame. "We opted to, and knew it was part of the job to get off the bus while it rolled on to other destinations," Downey said in D23 magazine. "There's something very sobering about it. I'm glad he and I will be there to welcome others as they retire their jerseys."

Keep reading to see how Iron Man fans are celebrating Robert Downey Jr.'s birthday.