An MCU without Robert Downey Jr. is hard to imagine. So hard that after his death he is now returning to the franchise as Tony Stark aka Iron Man. The actor’s decision is not surprising, after all, the MCU not only saved his career, but also top of the list of most popular actors Downey Jr. should be grateful not only to Marvel boss Kevin Feige for this opportunity, but also to his colleague who turned down the role of Iron Man.
Kevin Feige envisioned another star than Robert Downey Jr. for the perfect Tony Stark
Robert Downey Jr. is now so closely associated with Iron Man in the minds of the audience that it is hard to imagine another actor in the role. Although there were always rumors that Tom Cruise would be the next Iron Man, they never came to fruition. Nevertheless, we almost saw another face on screen ushering in the era of Marvel superheroes.
According to FandomWire, Kevin Feige spoke about it during a visit to the University of South California last year, who was originally intended to play the role of Iron Man. He also explained what the studio was looking for:
We had to find the perfect mix of heart, power and charisma.
Check out the trailer for the first Iron Man here:
Iron Man – Trailer (German)
Iron Man was the first film that Marvel Studios put together on its own. The success of the film was crucial for the entire studio and the burden on the lead role was accordingly heavy. After many discussions with the team and director Jon Favreau, it was finally clear to Feige who should take on the role:
And his name, of course, was Clive Owen. He declined. He wasn’t interested. Reasons for Iron Man rejection are unknown
Clive Owen had the chance to start the MCU as Iron Man, but turned down the role. We can only speculate about the reasons, but it is clear that the Project was extremely risky at the time Marvel Studios had never made a film of its own and Iron Man was one of the lesser-known characters in the Marvel comics at the time.
For Feige and Marvel Studios, however, Owen’s rejection was a stroke of luck, as Robert Downey Jr. subsequently helped to carry and shape the MCU’s success story for more than 10 years.