Look, we need to be painfully, and almost inappropriately honest right now: Robert Downey Jr. is no spring chicken. I mean, the guy looks great; there’s no doubt about it. But he’s 51 years old and getting older; this is a bad thing when one represents a character who, thanks to comics, never really ages beyond 35 years. Besides the dilemma of human actors aging in real time, contractual obligations, no matter how binding, are deliberately finite and unexpectedly mutable. Heck, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige even mentioned that the MCU will eventually have to decide whether to retire certain characters, have other characters assume new mantles, or recast actors. So, with finite contracts, the malady of consistent human aging, and the near perfect guarantee of a Marvel Cinematic Universe that will continue for a significant number of years, one must ask the following question: should Marvel recast Iron Man? Jon Favreau, director of the first Iron Man film and newly returned to Marvel Studios, shared a few insights.
“I can’t imagine how they could but that doesn’t mean that they can’t. I just can’t wrap my head around that one. To me he’s the one element that has unified all of it, and I think kept a consistent tone, and the integrity of his acting ability and his talent really works wonderfully synergistically with the Marvel universe. I think that his personality is something which helps define it. That being said, nothing would surprise me, but for me it would be a hard pill to swallow and big shoes to fill.”
I agree with EVERY SINGLE WORD YOU’RE SAYING, Jon Favreau! Downey is the freaking KEYSTONE of the MCU! And you know what? Maybe an aging Iron Man isn’t such a terrible thing. He was there at the beginning and introduced us to the new MCU. Wouldn’t it be great to experience the evolution of this universe with someone relatable, affable, and wise in the ways of superhero science fiction??
What do you think? Could the MCU survive the recasting of Iron Man??
