Marvel boss says the MCU would be nothing without Robert Downey Jr

Marvel boss Kevin Feige has said that the MCU would be nothing without Robert Downey Jr.

Captain America is said to be the First Avenger, at least in the MCU. Though some could argue that Captain Marvel, Hawkeye and Black Widow have a case to argue. Sure, Captain America (aka Steve Rodgers) had been around for decades prior to the aforementioned names, but he wasn't technically an Avenger during WWII - and he was also frozen for 70 years. Anyway, I’m going on a tangent here.

Some could also argue the case for Iron Man (aka Tony Stark), played by Robert Downey Jr., and whether that may or may not be true, few could argue with MCU chief Kevin Feige that Downey Jr. is probably the most important individual on the MCU's silver screen.

Next up in the MCU, we have The Marvels. Take a look at the trailer below.

As reported by our friends at UNILAD, Marvel Cinematic Universe chief Kevin Feige and Iron Man director Jon Favreau spoke to IGN in celebration of the movie’s 15th anniversary. On the topic of Downey Jr’s. impact as Iron Man, Favreau said: “Once it was Robert, then every decision became a lot easier. I remember sitting down with [Robert] and I was like, he just got it and he's got that spark in him and his eye and he's ready.”

Feige added: "I remember on later movies – we’ll talk about them on the 15th anniversary of those – there were dark days. I would say to Robert, ‘We wouldn’t be in this mess if it wasn’t for you', meaning we wouldn’t have a studio if it wasn’t for him. Or you [Favreau].”

However, Feige and Favreau revealed that Downey Jr. wasn't initially intended to play Iron Man. In fact, the popular Hollywood star was close to playing Dr. Doom in the 2005 movie Fantastic Four. Thankfully, that role never came to be for Downey Jr., otherwise, the MCU could have been very different.

According to MovieWeb.com, the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Cruise and Nicolas Cage, and even Clive Owen all came close to becoming the billionaire playboy. Favreau recalled Downey Jr.’s screen test, explaining, “Robert had come in for a general on it and I remember you had all met with him already for like Dr. Doom or something on another project. I think he had come through on, like, Fantastic Four. So everybody sort of knew who he was, and that's when we were in your [Kevin Feige's] office and we were pointing to his headshot and saying we got to try to figure this out.”

In related news, according to a job listing, the Iron Man game from Electronic Arts looks to be an open world adventure. Oh, and if you’re interested, here’s how much money Robert Downey Jr. earned as Iron Man.