The Marvel Supervillain Robert Downey Jr. Nearly Played Before Iron Man

etcanada.com:

Playing Tony Stark/Iron Man in the 2008 movie that spawned the Marvel Cinematic Universe not only cemented the comeback of Robert Downey Jr., it also made him one of Hollywood’s most sought-after and highest-paid actors.

According to the film’s director, Downey could have actually portrayed a whole other Marvel character before that. In a new Marvel Studios video, Jon Favreau — who directed 2008’s “Iron Man” — speaks with Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige, sharing their recollections of how Downey came to be cast in the movie. READ MORE: Tom Cruise Shoots Down Rumour He Nearly Played Iron Man: ‘Not Close’ According to Favreau, it was the actor’s earlier discussions for a different Marvel movie that landed him on producers’ radar. “I remember you had all met with him [Downey] already for like Doctor Doom or something on another project,” Favreau said, via The Hollywood Reporter. “I think he had come through on like maybe ‘Fantastic Four’, so everybody sort of knew who he was.” While Favreau didn’t elaborate on how far those discussions progressed — “Nip/Tuck” star Julian McMahon was ultimately cast as supervillain Doctor Doom — he recalled that it was when Downey did an “Iron Man” screen test that everyone saw “that spark in him,” and knew he was their Tony Stark. “Once it was him, that’s when my life got a lot easier because he understood the voice of the character,” Favreau said. “And then one by one, people were just signing on board because now it became something interesting.” READ MORE: Twitter Defends Robert Downey Jr.

After Publication Suggests Iron Man ‘Could Be Played By Anyone’ In their discussion, Feige goes even further by contending their may not have even been an MCU had it not been for Downey. “I