Robert Downey Jr. was announced as Tony Stark 20 years ago, marking one of the most iconic superhero castings ever made. A report from September 29, 2006 was shared by a fan on Reddit alongside one of the actor’s final screen tests.
In the original report from The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel head Kevin Feige was quoted about the news, seemingly bracing for backlash from fans. “In every casting announcement we’ve done, people in their mind’s eye have their own view of it and let us know about it,” he said: “We’re used to it. The point is we looked at everybody and we found the best person for the role. It’s as confident a casting move as we’ve ever done. The proof will be in the pudding, but he is Tony Stark.”
Indeed, the initial casting was reportedly met with mixed reactions with everything from his age to on-screen history questioned by fans. However, as Feige puts it, the proof really was in the pudding and Downey Jr. is in my mind the best casting the MCU has ever done.
His screen test audition proves it too, featuring a scene from a movie where Stark is outrageously arrogant to a female journalist. The screen test also features Downey Jr. improvising and leaving the executives watching laughing as well as featuring one of Stark’s most intense scenes with Rhodey. Yep, he is Tony Stark.
Marvel fans have been reacting to seeing this 20 years on from the casting, some for the first time. “What a pivotal moment for the MCU, it’s hard to imagine anyone else as Tony Stark now,” writes one, while another added: “Crazy to think this was the moment that set the whole MCU in motion. RDJ as Tony Stark ended up becoming one of the most defining casting choices in superhero movie history.”
Tony Stark’s story came to a heartbreaking end in Avengers: Endgame, but Downey Jr. will soon be heading back to the MCU as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday. That casting was equally met with mixed emotions, will the actor prove audiences wrong once again come December? I can’t want to find out.
Avengers: Doomsday is released on December 16 in the UK and December 18 in the US. For more upcoming superhero movies, check out our breakdown of all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows you need on your radar.