Just How Iconic Is Robert Downey Junior (Iron Man)?

  

    It’s been three years since our hearts were broken by the scene where Iron Man wielding all five infinity stones uttered, “ I am Iron Man”, that statement was an emphatic throwback to the end of the first Iron Man movie were he said the exact same line but it was also a declaration of who the character was and what he meant for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

 Downey’s Iron Man is one of the most loved portrayals of any character in the history of cinema and has gone down as one for the history books. The character launched the MCU in a way that no other character could have, giving the studio the momentum it needed to dare to create what has become one of the biggest franchises in world cinema.

To say that Downey has had an impact in Hollywood is a bit of an understatement, he is one of the greatest actors of his generation and has inspired and entertained millions all over the world. Let us take a look at what makes his portrayal so iconic and legendary.

I honestly believe that great characters borrow certain traits from reality, either in the form of a writer’s personal experience or from the actor who portrays that character. This is exactly what Downey did in his role as Iron Man, he brought his amazing sense of humour into the role creating a fun character in the process. 

Downey’s Iron Man displays a form of humour that is unique, this is as a result of amazing work from those working behind the scenes especially director Jon Favreu who gave Downey creative license to improvise dialogue in the movie.

 Favreu could have just had the writers flesh up a standard superhero script and find an actor who fits the stereotypical superhero look and tone, he found an amazing actor who wasn’t just perfect for the character but whose personality and humour made him the closest thing Hollywood had to the good side of Tony Stark.

 By doing so, he created something special, they created a form of cinema that is pure in the performative sense, you see when Favreu decided to have actors improvise certain scenes he had writers come up with outlines that gave a sense of direction to where the movie was going allowing the actors to take over from there.

 A good actor is not just meant to behave like the character being portrayed, in certain aspects the actor is meant to become the character in a certain logical zone and by so doing bring the character to life. 

So when Favreu let some scenes to be improvised he got the actors thinking, “What would this character say in this scenario?”, at this time the actors are in character and so they know how their character thinks and are able to answer that question. 

This brings us back to the iconic, “I am Iron Man” line from the first movie, it has been confirmed that Downey improvised that line, can you believe it? One of the most iconic lines in the MCU was an improv! This is filmmaking at its absolute best, creating an environment that enables creativity and literal freedom in a form that is both uplifting and objective. 

This is one of the reasons why the movie and its sequel are so unique in tone, the comedy flows naturally between the characters to a degree that is unquestionably perfect for entertainment. It is a director’s dream to be given the license to bring a script to life on his or her own term and for this reason credit must be given to Marvel Studios.

Downey’s Iron Man is special not because of the great CGI suit or the amazing fight sequences, it is great because a dedicated studio trusted an incredible director who was able to develop an environment where Downey was allowed to be not just an actor but a creator, a beating presence within the confines of the story, he didn’t just act, he embodied the role, maybe that’s why that last line from the first movie was such a hit, because even though it was Downey’s improv, it was Tony who made the announcement.