Robert Downey Jr. is back in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Having played Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, for eleven years from 2008 until 2019, the Oppenheimer actor will now return as the iconic villain Doctor Doom following Marvel Studios Earth-shattering announcement at Comic-Con.
Downey Jr. has appeared in the MCU in the movies Iron Man (2008), The Incredible Hulk (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), The Avengers (2012), Iron Man 3 (2013), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019). In this piece, we’ll rank his performances in them all.
10. The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Downey Jr. had a brief uncredited cameo in the post-credits scene of The Incredible Hulk, in which Tony Stark approaches General Ross to tell him he’s putting together a team. The Marvel One-Shot The Consultant retconned this by revealing that Stark was explicitly sent to deter Ross from letting S.H.I.E.L.D. recruit Abomination for the Avengers, hoping his arrogance would be off-putting to the puritanical military man. It’s the shortest and least impactful of his MCU appearances.
9. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Downey Jr.’s appearance in Spider-Man: Homecoming is little more than a cameo, but he does a great job, and his role impacts the plot. Due to Peter Parker’s recklessness in dealing with Adrian Toomes and his henchmen, he confiscates Parker’s high-tech Spider-Man suit, forcing him to don his homemade costume for the remainder of the film. It was essential to include Stark due to his established relationship with Parker, but several actors have more prominent roles.
8. Iron Man 2 (2010)
Iron Man 2 is the poorest movie in the Iron Man trilogy — and, as its star, Downey Jr. undoubtedly has to take some accountability for that. Maybe it’s because Iron Man was such a hard act to follow and because superhero sequels that came before it — like Superman II (1981), Batman Returns (1992), X2 (2003), and Spider-Man 2 (2004) were so good comparatively — but it was lacking something. Downey Jr. gives another quirky performance, but it’s not enough to provide the same magic as its predecessor.
7. Iron Man 3 (2013)
Iron Man 3 is undoubtedly underrated, but it’s far from being the best movie in the Iron Man trilogy, and it’s not Downey Jr.’s most enthralling performance as Tony Stark. He brilliantly conveys Stark’s post-traumatic stress disorder and panic attacks, following the character’s experiences in The Avengers’ Battle of New York, but that inevitably takes away from some of Stark’s charisma and likeability. That’s not the actor’s fault, and what he does, he does well; he just doesn’t get to be quite as entertaining as he can be in this one.
6. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Following the alien invasion in The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron was the movie in which Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark decided his mission was to place bouncers at Earth’s hypothetical rope. The actor’s performance brilliantly conveyed Stark’s desperation to safeguard the planet while exposing his flaws as a stubborn and often reckless man, as he inadvertently created the eponymous robotic villain through his meddling with powers beyond his control. However, it’s not quite as memorable as his best MCU performances.
5. Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Downey Jr. may have received second billing behind Chris Evans as the eponymous Steve Rogers for Captain America: Civil War, but he was equally important as the leading man, and his performance was outstanding. Stark’s uncharacteristically submissive attitude towards the Sokovia Accords perfectly juxtaposed Rogers’ stubborn refusal of them. His emotional reaction to finding out Bucky Barnes killed his parents was one of the actor’s finest moments in the franchise.
4. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Avengers: Infinity War is possibly the MCU’s most exciting movie. Downey Jr. has a huge part to play in that, and the only reason his performance doesn’t rate even higher on this list is because it’s diluted by the huge ensemble of talented stars in the film. Downey Jr’s performance as Iron Man convincingly portrays him as one of the most formidable heroes in the franchise, while his Tony Stark is one of the most caring and emotionally vulnerable.
3. The Avengers (2012)
Downey Jr.’s first performance in an MCU ensemble movie cemented him as the franchise’s flagship star. The Avengers united his Iron Man character with Chris Evans’ Captain America, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk, Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow, and Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye, and he stood out as the film’s shining light. Stark’s cockiness, brashness, and charisma oozed from the actor in this one, and MCU fans loved him all the more for it.
2. Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Avengers: Endgame was meant to be Downey Jr.’s MCU swan song — and it was an epic one. Of course, the universe had other plans, but that doesn’t change the fact that his then-farewell performance sent us on an emotional roller coaster from beginning to end. Downey Jr. was tremendous in every scene of this one, from being rescued from deep space and expressing sadness and anger at losing Peter Parker in the Snap, to joining the time heist and sacrificing his life to save the universe from the Mad Titan.
1. Iron Man (2008)
The casting of Downey Jr. as Tony Stark in 2008’s Iron Man wasn’t particularly well received. The actor had endured various personal troubles, and Hollywood had effectively blacklisted him, but his impressive comeback had started with movies like 2005’s Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and 2007’s Zodiac. It would prove to be an inspired choice, as his performance in the film remains his best in the franchise and provided the platform from which the MCU has grown. Why he wasn’t nominated for an Academy Award will forever remain a mystery.
Published: Jul 31, 2024 11:27 am