Marvel confirms Iron Man was offered to another actor before Robert Downey Jr.

It’s hard to imagine someone who isn’t Robert Downey Jr. playing Iron Man. When I think of Tony Stark, it’s his face that immediately pops up in my head, but Marvel has confirmed that the role was offered to another actor before Downey Jr. accepted.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is very much in a transitional state. Phase Three concluded The Infinity Saga, but Phases Four and Five are taking their sweet time getting The Multiverse Saga underway. Sure, we’ve witnessed plenty of multiversal antics, but by the end of Phase One, we’d already had an Avengers team-up. Our first major team-up of The Multiverse Saga will take place in Thunderbolts, due out July 2024. The latest entry, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, has been described as the ‘best Marvel film in years’ though, so things are on the up. It’s okay to miss the good ol’ days from time to time though.

Next up on the roster is The Marvels. Take a look at the trailer below.

Iron Man was arguably the most pivotal figure in The Infinity Saga, leading the Avengers, but did you know that the character was almost played by Clive Owen? As reported by The Direct, during a commencement address at a University of Southern California graduation ceremony, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige revealed that Owen turned down the role.

Feige said that when his team began their casting search, “it was not an easy task”. He explained, “Together with my team and our casting directors and our director, Jon Favreau, we culled down our list, we pinpointed the right guy, and we extended an offer to our top choice - an actor who checked all of those boxes and who we were confident would be a huge hit. And his name, of course, was Clive Owen. He passed. He was not interested."

He continued, “Being our first Marvel film out of the gate, the stakes could not have been higher. The success of the film and the future of our entire studio rested on the shoulders of this one person. [...] Not getting your first choice might just be the greatest thing that can happen to you. Because you know what’s better than getting your first choice? Getting the right choice. And in our case, of course, that choice was Robert Downey Jr., and the first movie we ever made as a studio ended up being one of the best-reviewed and highest-grossing movies of the year." The right choice was indeed made.