Robert Downey Jr. Almost Played a Different Iconic Character in One of Marvel’s Worst Movies

It’s no secret that Robert Downey Jr. is one of the most recognizable faces in the MCU. His first project as Iron Man is the true start of the MCU, and his portrayal of the character is considered iconic.

The MCU also returned his career back on track following a series of incidents, and recently, Downey admitted that he would be willing to return to the MCU as the role of Iron Man is integral to his DNA.

But, before Downey Jr. scored the role of Tony Stark, he auditioned for the role of one of Marvel’s most iconic villains – Dr. Doom.

Jon Favreau revealed in a 15th-anniversary retrospective of the inaugural MCU title that Downey Jr. also auditioned for the role in 2005’s ‘Fantastic Four.’

I remember you had all met with him already for like Doctor Doom or something on another project. I think he had come through on maybe Fantastic Four, so everybody sort of knew who he was.

Fortunately, the role of Doctor Doom eventually went to Julian McMahon, and it’s perhaps for the best. ‘Fantastic Four’ wasn’t exactly a critical success. Everything from story to effects and casting were criticized, with some critics going as far as to call it a goofy and B-list adaptation. The movie was a commercial success and that’s the only thing that allowed it to have a sequel which bombed in every sense of the word.

McMahon’s portrayal of Doom was decent enough, and it’s for the better that Robet Downey Jr. started with a clean slate in the MCU unrelated to the ties of the critically failed movie. This doesn’t necessarily mean that he would never score the role of Iron Man. Evans appeared in the movie as Human Torch and still landed a highly lucrative role of Captain America and three standalone movies.

During the same event, Feige admitted that they wouldn’t have a studio if it wasn’t for his brilliant portrayal of Iron Man:

I remember on later movies – we’ll talk about them on the 15th anniversary of those – there were dark days, and I would say to Robert, ‘We wouldn’t be in this mess if it wasn’t for you.’ Meaning, we wouldn’t have a studio if it wasn’t for him.

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