It Took Marvel $356 Million and a Decade Long Storytelling to Match What Robert Downey Jr Did With His First Superhero Movie

Robert Downey Jr.’s ‘Iron Man’ Rotten Tomatoes score was nearly unbeatable in MCU for almost a decade.

Robert Downey Jr.’s biggest comeback was also the savior of Marvel Studios. The actor made his MCU debut with Iron Man and it was a hammer on the nail gaining widespread attention from the global audience. Downey’s Iron Man gave the studio an absolute boost propelling it to the road of success.

While the studio lacked faith in the movie and the actor, director Jon Favreau could somehow convince the producer to move forward with the narrative with Downey. Following the success of the movie, there was room for more sequels and Downey’s Iron Man movies came to be one of the most remarkable franchises in the MCU.

It Took Nearly A Decade To Match One Record Of The First Iron Man

Robert Downey Jr. has lived Tony Stark in the MCU with his three solo movies alongside more appearances in the Avengers and other movies. Downey’s first Iron Man movie surpassed the expectations of the studio and fans which went on to be one of the earliest hits from the studio. The movie grossed $585.8 million at the global box office with a production budget of $185 million (per The Numbers).

Iron Man, released in 2008, also made history with a stunning Rotten Tomatoes record with a 94% score to its credit. Marvel Studios took almost a decade and a record-breaking $356 million to match Iron Man’s score with another Marvel masterpiece Avengers: Endgame.

The 2019 movie was one of the most successful movies of all time even beyond Marvel Cinematic Universe. Avengers: Endgame grossed over $2.799 billion at the global box office, a remarkable feat for the movie as it went on to be the highest-grossing MCU movie of all time.

Avengers: Endgame was also a critical success with the matching Rotten Tomatoes scores as Iron Man. But before Endgame, Marvel Studios tried very hard to beat Iron Man‘s record. Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther starring Chadwick Boseman outshined both movies with a 96% score to its credit but the movie came out one year prior to Endgame, which is again, close to a decade.

Will Robert Downey Jr. Return To MCU?

Downey’s MCU tenure ended with Avengers: Endgame as his titular character sacrificed his life to save the universe from Thanos. The heroic end of the character was purely emotional and heartbreaking but it was best fitting to the narrative. After his MCU departure, the actor went on to find glorious success in his career winning his first Oscar appearing in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer.

Despite his newfound success beyond the shadow of the MCU, the actor is still keen on reprising his role as Iron Man. In an interview with Esquire in April, the actor revealed that he would “happily” return to playing Iron Man. That role chose me. And look, I always say, never, ever bet against Kevin Feige. It is a losing bet. He’s the house. He will always win.

However, Marvel Studios seemingly has no plans to bring the actor back because Iron Man had a glorious death and quite a satisfying farewell to his long cinematic saga. Still, it’s not impossible, Hugh Jackman is returning to play Wolverine in Deadpool & Wolverine after the demise of his character in Logan, and with that note, Downey’s return to wear the iconic armor again is not out of the picture.