Marvel Studios basing any of its characters on Donald Trump is mildly disturbing since he is arguably one of the most divisive human beings on the planet.
But using the former president and his newly minted side-kick Elon Musk as inspiration for Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark is enough to make anyone rethink the entire MCU.
While Trump remained off-limits, Downey was asked to share his thoughts about Musk essentially “cosplaying” Tony Stark in his everyday life during an appearance on the On with Kara Swisher podcast. “I’ve only met him a few times,” the actor said. “As an almost 60-year-old recovering white American male, I just wish that he would control his behavior a little more, but that’s not on me. I know that this idea of ‘It’s all okay ’cause we’ve gotta get to Mars’ doesn’t really hold water with me. But again, you know, you have to look at all that he’s done that demonstrates why he’s valuable.”
Interestingly, Musk made a cameo in 2010’s Iron Man 2. The blink-and-you’ll-miss-it scene sees the billionaire meet Stark at the Monaco Grand Prix. In 2022, screenwriter Mark Fergus told New York Magazine that the appearance was fitting since Musk, Trump, and Steven Jobs were used as a blueprint for Tony Stark. “Back in the early 2000s, when we were saying, ‘Who’s an industrialist who would also be on the gossip pages? Is there even anyone like that?'” he explained. “Elon’s name was definitely in the conversation as the guy who grabbed the torch.”
“Trump was fun before he became president,” Fergus continued. “He was actually kind of a goofy celebrity. Steve Jobs was always serious and angry. He never quite had that gift of the b******t, the working the crowd that Musk has a real natural talent for. Musk took the brilliance of Jobs with the showmanship of Trump. He was the only one who had the fun factor and the celebrity vibe and actual business substance,” he added.
Despite his controversial stance on pretty much everything, the South African-born Musk has done a lot of good in terms of science and innovation. In 1996, he co-founded the web software company Zip2 Corporation, which provided digital city guides for newspapers. He also had a hand in creating online payment company X.com, which later became PayPal. In 2002, he founded SpaceX in an effort to revolutionize space travel (and eventually colonization) by reducing costs and creating reusable rockets for interplanetary travel.
However, Musk slowly became a controversial figure over the years. His management style at Tesla, for instance, was frequently described as harsh and demanding, leading to reports of a toxic workplace culture and lawsuits alleging discrimination and sexual harassment. Musk drew the most criticism after acquiring (and making changes to) social media site Twitter (now X) in 2022.
Musk’s more recent beliefs about world politics have been on the receiving end of backlash. His comments about resolving the war between Russia and Ukraine were seen as “pro-Russian,” upsetting Ukrainian officials and many of the country’s Western allies. His overall brash behavior on social media, along with his alignment with MAGA values, cemented his place as a symbol of division in the U.S., even though he started his life in America as an immigrant.
