3. He’s Not Too Old
By the time Avengers 3 comes out, Robert Downey Jr. will be in his early 50s, which most studios would consider too old for a lead. However, Downey is still in his prime after resurrecting his career following a spell in prison and being deemed a risk by many studios, and audiences are now heavily invested in him playing Tony Stark.
Robert Downey Jr. is a similar age to Hugh Jackman and both have to follow strict diet and a hard regime of exercise for the roles of Iron Man and Wolverine. Clearly people underestimate older actors and their commitment to their craft. Actors such as Liam Neeson in Taken, Sylvester Stallone in The Expendables and Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones have continued doing physically demanding action roles with great credibility.
As other older actors have proven, Robert Downey Jr. could still play the role for many years to come. Iron Man is not as physical a role when compared to Captain America or Black Widow. Robert Downey Jr. would be not required to do intense physical scenes as fights are computer generated or completed by stuntmen. Being in shape is purely for aesthetic purposes rather than being physically strong enough to play the part so his age would prove irrelevant.
2. Iron Man Can Be An Older Character
All actors age so the studio could incorporate an ageing Tony Stark into the story. Continuity dictates that all characters will grow older. The films have gaps between them so the character is a lot older in Iron Man 3 than he was in the first film. The ability to follow characters as they age can add a great deal of depth to a film and the continuing story.
Maybe Tony Stark’s alcoholism could be brought into the story as many fans expected this to be in Iron Man 3, before director Shane Black rejected the ‘Demon In A Bottle’ storyline. This could be resurrected in the fourth Iron Man movie if it goes ahead. An ageing alcoholic Tony Stark could be used as a major plot point to help the character develop and become darker than before.
Nick Fury could be on his way out of the Marvel franchise after Samuel L. Jackson’s revelation that he has very little to do in the upcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron. Therefore this leaves the role of leading S.H.I.E.L.D. open. This could be filled by an aging Tony Stark, who has matured since we first saw him and would allow him to still appear albeit in a backseat role.
1. Box Office King
Although Robert Downey Jr. has been working for decades, it was only his casting in Iron Man back in 2008 that made him the box office draw that he is today. He has reprised the role of Iron Man five times to date with another two in the pipeline, as well as starring in two Sherlock Holmes movies as the main character. He revealed to GQ magazine that he was given $50 million for starring in The Avengers. This is an outrageous sum of money but clearly demonstrated the studio’s belief in his power to attract a mass audience.
Iron Man 3 went on to make around $1.2 billion dollars at the box office and so while Robert Downey Jr. continues to attract a worldwide audience Marvel Studios will continue to pay him any sum of money he demands. It would not be in the studio’s interest to change the face of Tony Stark for the foreseeable future.
Marvel Studios have invested heavily in Robert Downey Jr. and this has proven financially rewarding for both parties. If the upcoming contracted films make over a billion dollars each, Marvel Studios will make a lot of money and may prove reluctant to risk recasting the lead role of this highly successful franchise. If Robert Downey Jr. continues to play the role of Tony Stark, it will keep millions of fans happy and himself wealthy.
Thomas Roach
Originally published September 27, 2014. Updated April 15, 2018.
