Robert Downey Jr. essentially kicked off the Marvel renaissance of movies with his turn as Tony Stark in ‘Iron Man’ which led to two sequels and a little film you may have heard of called ‘The Avengers’. But is RDJ a lock for future Marvel movies? Perhaps not!
The actor is in no way affiliated with ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’, but has been answering questions about the upcoming soon-to-be-a-blockbuster. But sadly one candid reveal may upset Marvel movie fans. When asked about carrying on in the role of Tony Stark/Iron Man, he commented “The smart money is you have to look at everybody’s age. I’ll put myself at the top of the list. Sooner or later, they’ve got to start over and get somebody young. I’m not there with them yet.”
It’s nothing new to replace actors in certain roles. There have been six James Bonds in film, after all and four big screen Batmen. And we’re about to witness the second film starring a second Spider-Man. But… but… Robert Downey Jr., just breathed so much life into his role. I’d go so far as to say if any other actor had embodied the role that we may not be experiencing the Marvel movie inundation we are experiencing now.
Sure Downey is somewhat older than his co-stars like Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans, but is there any doubt that this man anchored this entire Marvel movie franchise?
Downey seemingly joins his co-star Chris Evans a.k.a. Captain America/Steve Rogers who has publicly stated that after he completes his obligations to Marvel, will leave acting altogether. “No one sees my good little movies, man,” he commented after three of his post-Avengers movies tanked. Evans’ next big movie (after ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’) is ‘Snowpiercer’ a science fiction film that has proven a resounding success overseas but has experienced difficulty in getting distributed in the English-speaking portions of the world. He seeks to pursue directing as a full-time profession after that.
But who will save the world if both Iron Man and Captain America retire? Oh sure, there are plenty of other Avengers, but are audiences really going to line up to see Gilgamesh, Deathcry, Demolition Man, Darkhawk and Rage: The Movie?
Or are audiences being primed to see spin-off characters like War Machine and The Falcon (or Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier) as replacements for when these actors depart?
What do you think? Are the Marvel movies strong enough to stand on their own? Or do they need these larger stars to appear in order to appeal to a larger audience? Leave a comment below!
Source: Cinema Blend
