Robert Downey Jr. may have bowed out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe two years ago, but the speculation linking him with a swift return has never come close to subsiding. In fact, the actor has been linked to a slew of feature films and Disney Plus shows on a regular basis, including many that haven’t even been announced to be in the works, despite saying he’s done all that he can with the character of Tony Stark.
While the chatter of an Iron Man comeback isn’t likely to ever truly disappear, it’s not as though the actor will mind. His decade-long stint as the face of the entire shared universe has set him up for life (and then some) financially. The iconic role also opened almost every door in the industry that had once been slammed shut in his face during his well-publicized personal issues that threatened to derail his entire career.
Not only that, but the level of global fame and recognition has also helped his budding sideline as an investor. In a new interview, Downey Jr. was discussing his approach to founding The Footprint Coalition, and admitted that his residual fame and visibility from the MCU played a huge part in influencing how he approaches his nascent business career.
“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. 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.”
Having gotten in on the ground floor when Kevin Feige was an unproven producer turning a B-tier superhero like Iron Man into the star of Marvel Studios’ first-ever self-funded blockbuster, Robert Downey Jr. was there from the beginning as the MCU snowballed into the biggest franchise in the history of cinema, so he’s got plenty of experience riding the train on the way up, which should serve him well in the future.
