Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man Role Is Boosting His New Business Ventures

Right now, there’s no franchise as successful as The Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel Studios has churned our 26 movies and TV shows with dozens more

By Ishita Chatterjee
July 1,2021
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Right now, there’s no franchise as successful as The Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel Studios has churned our 26 movies and TV shows with dozens more in production. Not to mention the fact that it has the second highest-grossing movie in its bag- Avengers: Endgame. 

Once Endgame was the highest-earning movie in cinema history, but James Cameron’s Avatar took its top seat back after it was released in Chinese theatres for some time. 

But nonetheless, Marvel would have none of its success without Iron Man Robert Downey, Jr. He kicked off the cinematic universe of the MCU back in 2008 with Iron Man directed by Jon Favreau. 

Robert Downey Jr. And Iron Man

The actor has cameoed or appeared as Tony Stark in a total of 10 Marvel Studio films. But his journey came to an end with the Infinity Saga. However, Downey Jr.’s legacy lives on both in the real world as well as in the MCU. After finishing his role, the Iron Man star shifted his focus to business and began a production company with his wife. 

Being Known As Iron Man Helped Robert Downey Jr. Start His Business Quicker

In an interview with LinkedIn Editor-in-Chief Dan Roth on the, This is Working podcast, Downey Jr. explained just how much the MCU still impacts his other ventures. 

Iron Man

He said that the major lesson he learned from his MCU years is that money is everything and the only reason the Marvel Cinematic Universe is around is because some people “bet on each other.” 

Here’s his entire quote: 

“If I learned anything in my years with Marvel, unfortunately, until some utopian next chapter, money moves the needle. It leverages innovation to become commonplace. There was no Marvel Cinematic Universe 13 years ago, and a small group of motivated people bet on each other and then worked our asses off for a decade.”

Robert Downey Jr.

The established actor also said that playing Iron Man has helped him create relationships in the investment industry, specifically with The Footprint Coalition. It is a series of venture capital funds that’s focused on sustainable technology. Downey Jr.,  launched that in early 2021. In the full quote he says: 

“For me the future is uncertain, but the credibility gap was a bit quicker only because of this strange association with this certain character I played who understood tech and understood how to put it to work for creative and existential problem-solving.”

Robert Downey Jr. Wants To Help The World, Just Like Tony Stark

Robert Downey Jr.

Since Robert has played a genius philanthropic billionaire for more than ten years, so it makes sense that in the eyes of the public, the lines between him and his character has blurred. 

After all, Tony Stark, the character he played, frequently wanted to end the world’s problems and it’s clear that the fictional character has inspired the actor to follow in his fictional footsteps. 

Tony Stark created technologies like the arc reactor and Nanotech to become a superhero and also to solve the world’s problems. In a unique life-imitating-art situation, Downey funded the Footprint Coalition in 2019. It’s dedicated towards investing in various advanced technologies to aid the environment. 

Maybe Downey Jr., can replicate what his character Tony Stark did and make a difference in the world with the Footprint Coalition. But it’s better to not get ahead of ourselves. After all, it’s still early days. Now, how can we end without asking the one question which fans want to know the answer to- will Downey Jr., ever return to his major MCU role? He says “never says never.” But whether he returns or not, it’s clear that Iron Man’s legacy will keep on impacting future Marvel projects.

Check Out: Why Did Tony Stark Never Use Vibranium To Make His Iron Man Suit