Avengers: Endgame and Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. shared his thoughts on director Quentin Tarantino's criticism of Marvel films.
In an interview with Deadline, Downey was asked to share his perspective on Tarantino's recent comments about Marvel films and the superhero genre. "I think that creatively it is a waste of time to be at war with ourselves," he said. "Throwing stones one way or another…and I’ve had my reactions in the past when people said things that I felt were discrediting my integrity…I go, you know what, let’s just get over it. We’re all a community. There’s enough room for everything and thank God for Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar: The Way of Water. That’s all I have to say."
Downey's comments come after a recent interview with Tarantino, who discussed the "Marvel-ization of Hollywood" and explained how Marvel films are less about actors and more about the characters they play. "You have all these actors who have become famous playing these characters," the director said. "But they're not movie stars. Right?"
Tony Stark's Impact on the MCU
Downey, who first starred as Tony Stark/Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2008's Iron Man, went on to say that "our opinions on these matters say a lot about us" when it comes to the merits of things like superhero movies. "I think that we are in a time and place that I unwittingly contributed to, where IP has taken precedence over principle and personality," he continued, but noted that " it’s a double-edged sword." He said, "A piece of IP is only as good as the human talent you get to represent it and you can have some great IP even if it’s coming from an auteur or a national treasure of a writer-director, and if you don’t have the right kind of artist playing that role, you’ll never know how good it could have been."
Downey made his last appearance as Iron Man in the MCU in 2019's Avengers: Endgame, which saw the character sacrifice himself to defeat Thanos. Though he portrayed the character through three phases of the MCU, Marvel Studios President and Chief Creative Officer Kevin Feige stated in a July 2021 interview that casting the actor, who had a history of alcoholism, drug use and public arrests, was a major gamble for the studio at the time. "It was both the biggest risk and the most important thing in the founding of the Marvel Cinematic Universe," Feige said. "Without Robert, we wouldn't be sitting here today. I really believe that."
While it is unlikely that Downey will reprise his role in future projects, some fans have speculated that Marvel Studios' upcoming movie, Armor Wars, might see Iron Man's grand return to the MCU, either through artificial intelligence or a flashback sequence. Armor Wars star Don Cheadle has provided "no comment" when asked if James Rhodes/War Machine is the MCU's next Iron Man.
Armor Wars does not yet have a release date.
Source: Deadline