I can’t believe not one but two MCU actors cite Robert Downey Jr. as a crucial influence in convincing them to take on their Marvel movie roles. While the MCU timeline has featured an extensive roster of actors throughout its almost two-decade-long history, some are ᴀssociated more directly with the franchise’s lasting legacy than others. Of course, one of the main – if not the main – actor intertwined with Marvel’s cinematic universe is without a shadow of a doubt that of Robert Downey Jr.

Robert Downey Jr.’s time as Iron Man spanned the course of eleven years, and saw the actor appear as Tony Stark in around 13 different MCU releases before the character’s death in Avengers: Endgame – a feat made all the more noteworthy since this predated the MCU’s newfound focus on releasing shows explicitly tied to its movie releases. While the impact of this role is almost impossible to exaggerate – and Robert Downey Jr.’s incoming return to the franchise in the MCU’s upcoming releases is set to make him even more important to the franchise – his effect on the MCU doesn’t end there.

Robert Downey Jr. Has Always Been A Core Part Of The MCU

Robert Downey Jr. Defined The MCU As Iron Man

As the MCU’s Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. proved a central cornerstone of the franchise from its earliest days, with Iron Man blossoming into an extensive franchise that featured a wide range of crossovers. The majority of these crossovers placed Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark at their heart, be that via exploring his conflict with Captain America in Captain America: Civil War, or exploring his decision to act as Spider-Man’s mentor in the franchise and its knock-on effects on both himself and the young hero’s own personal arc.

Iron Man remained a central part of the franchise long after his own movie trilogy came to an end, with his focal roles in the various Avengers movies helping further reinforce his significance in the MCU – a concept that was well and truly solidified with Stark’s sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame, which cemented him as arguably the core hero of the Infinity Saga. Even years after this sacrifice, Iron Man’s impact on the MCU continues to be felt, showing just how franchise-defining Tony Stark’s on-screen story was for the cinematic universe.

Of course, it’s been revealed that even this isn’t the end of Robert Downey Jr.’s time in the MCU, as the actor is set to return as Doctor Doom in the next chapters of the Multiverse Saga, letting him instead be the franchise’s focal antagonist, and the core villain of at least one Avengers movie, if not likely both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. However, Robert Downey Jr.’s impact on the MCU is not limited to his performances on-screen in its releases.

Robert Downey Jr. Helping 2 Other Major Avengers Actors Take On Their MCU Roles Underlines His Significance In The Franchise

Two Major Members Of The Original MCU Avengers Team Cite Robert Downey Jr. As A Crucial Part Of Their Decision To Take On Their Roles

More than one of the original MCU Avengers actors have discussed how Robert Downey Jr. helped encourage them to take on their Marvel movie roles when they were uncertain about whether they would or not. Most recently, Chris Evans discussed how Downey Jr. “was the one who kind of talked me into it“ in an interview with ScreenRant where he discussed his time as Captain America. Evans explained that he was intimidated by the role and the prospective commitment it would require from him, but that his fellow MCU actor discussing it with him helped him decide to take it on, stating:

I didn’t want to take the role. I said no a few times and he was the one that kind of gave the knowledge… I said no a few times. I know. Just didn’t want to do it. I was scared, I was intimidated. I didn’t know. It was a big commitment and I was kind of thinking about leaving acting in general. I don’t know.

Interestingly, Chris Evans is by no means the only actor to have had his uncertainty about taking on an MCU role helped by a conversation with Robert Downey Jr. Mark Ruffalo has also previously mentioned that talking with the Iron Man actor helped him decide to take on the role of the MCU’s Hulk despite his own initial concerns about whether he was right for the role, with this story being notably close to Chris Evans’ in this regard. In comments that parallel Evans’ own, Mark Ruffalo explained in a 2020 interview for The Late Show With Jimmy Fallon that:

I was scared. I didn’t know what I could add to what I’d already thought had been done so well before me… and I’d only been doing indie movies until that point, so I was like ‘I don’t know if I’m the right person for this.’… It must have made it to him that I was… hemming and hawing, and he just simply said, ‘Ruffalo, let’s go. We got this.’ in true Iron Man fashion. And then after that, I was like, I guess I have to do it.

Robert Downey Jr. helping convince two of the most prominent MCU actors in the franchise’s history to take on their respective roles is impressive by itself. However, this is also striking in the sense that it means three of the original six Avengers members – that being Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, the Hulk and Hawkeye – were ultimately influenced by Robert Downey Jr. when factoring in his own casting in the franchise.

Robert Downey Jr.’s MCU Actor Encouragement Shows The Franchise Could Have Been Even More Different Without Him In It

The Actor’s Influence On The Franchise Goes Further Than Just Being Iron Man Or Doctor Doom

Robert Downey Jr.’s influence on the MCU as Iron Man itself is a huge deal for the franchise, and his impending return as Doctor Doom reinforces the idea that the MCU’s story has leaned on his acting talents and charisma historically. However, hearing that Robert Downey Jr. also helped the MCU gain the actors it did for its main movie Hulk and its first Captain America underlines that things could have been even more different had Robert Downey Jr. not been cast as Tony Stark in the first place.

Chris Evans and Mark Ruffalo’s performances as their respective characters are also crucial parts of the MCU, especially in its early chapters when the franchise was very much still establishing itself. Though it’s not impossible to imagine either or both actors could still have taken on the roles without talking to Robert Downey Jr. about the matter, it certainly seems this was a crucial point of the process for both, and thus that they could have decided to pᴀss on the role had things gone differently, which would have drastically altered the face of the MCU in an even more widespread way.

While the stories of Tony Stark and Steve Rogers have come to an end – and it’s not yet clear whether the Hulk will be in Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars based on the cast updates we have so far – the lingering significance of all of these characters is undeniable in the MCU, and would have been drastically different with other actors behind the proverbial wheel. Looking forward, it seems likely the next Avengers movies will only reinforce Robert Downey Jr.’s lasting impact on the franchise via Victor Von Doom, whatever role the character takes in the MCU as it continues to unfold.