At this point, most of us are familiar with the term Marvel Cinematic Universe, or MCU.
It refers to the multiple films produced by Marvel Studios that tell one big interwoven
story. But as that story continues, it's becoming clear that we could also call this the Robert
Downey Jr Cinematic Universe! How did that happen, and what does it mean going forward?
Let's discuss! Now interestingly, when it came to making the very first movie from Marvel
Studios - the big bang of the Marvel Cinematic Universe - casting Robert Downey Jr was considered
a bit of a gamble. He was forty-three at the time, older than the usual actor asked to
anchor a new franchise, and hadn't starred in a box office hit since - well - Back to
School in 1986. But ultimately director Jon Favreau felt Downey's real life struggle with
substance abuse made him the best choice to not only make a difficult character like Tony
Stark likeable, but portray him with some actual emotional depth. Favreau went to bat
for Downey and Kevin Feige agreed in what would be Marvel's first gamble of many - to
pay off! Iron Man was a huge hit, and after similar outside of the box casting with Edward
Norton as Bruce Banner failed to yield the same results, Marvel's only success through
2010, when Iron Man 2 hit theaters. That film was also a box office success, although not
as well received by fans. Still, it far outperformed the debut of two new members to the MCU, Thor
and Captain America - both in 2011. By the time Joss Whedon's The Avengers hit theaters,
Downey had become an invaluable part of the MCU and the ensemble film leaned on him heavily
- in some ways, another Iron Man film. And Downey's luck also continued, as Whedon decided
to pair up his Stark with the other scientist on the team, the new Bruce Banner played by
Mark Ruffalo. Ruffalo was tremendously well-received in the role, as was his relationship with
Stark - the internet went nuts for the Science Bros! And finally shippers had an alternative
to all the Loki-Thor fantasies out there. Hey, the fan hearts want what the fan hearts
want... Then, further proving that Downey is the spine of the Marvel Cinematic Universe,
Iron Man 3 - with Favreau replaced by Downey pal Shane Black at Downey's request - hit
theaters and closely mirrored the astounding success of The Avengers! And this, this is
where things started to really take a turn in Downey's favor - by his design. Despite
its financial success, Iron Man 3 again rubbed fans the wrong way, even more so than Iron
Man 2. And Downey's contract with Marvel had run out. While promoting Iron Man 3, Downey
was very vocal that this might be the end of his run, causing the industry and fans
alike to wonder what the MCU would look like without him. But Marvel didn't want to wonder,
so they cut a deal with Downey for an undisclosed sum. Not for more Iron Man movies though,
as Downey made it clear he was in The Avengers business - he could see that team movies were
the future, especially for Marvel. And speaking of team movies, Downey saw to it that HE would
be at the heart of the most hotly anticipated Marvel movie on the horizon, Avengers 2 Age
of Ultron. Fans couldn't believe it when it seemed that in the movies it would be Downey's
Stark and not Hank Pym who creates Ultron, as Pym does so famously in the comics, and
there was some fear that Mandarin level tinkering was going on. And perhaps it is, as the recently
released synopsis for Avengers Age of Ultron seems to indicate the following workaround
- Pym still creates the Ultron technology, but Stark is the one who evolves it - accidentally
creating Ultron and having to deal with the consequences and guilt. Quite the storyline
and character arc Downey has snagged for himself there - as comic book fans can confirm having
watched Pym go through it on the page! And there's more! Beware, this is a potential
spoiler...okay...rumor has it that Avengers Age of Ultron will end in Marvel Civil War,
with Iron Man and Captain America leading opposing teams! A rumor which has only been
strengthened by the leak that Downey is finalizing a deal to appear in Captain America 3 - where
he was only supposed to have a small role yet lobbied to co-star, and won! And just
like that, Downey has found a way to not only co-opt the success of Captain\'a0America The
Winter Soldier, but now there would be an overlying narrative that refers to him throughout
all the MCU movies in Phase Three, which would see this Civil War play out and then lead
into Avengers 3 and Thanos, the big bad who brings them all back together. For more on
this, be sure to check out my video all about a potential MCU Civil War, the link is in
the video description. Then don't forget Tony Stark's father Howard, introduced in both
Captain America The First Avenger and Iron Man 2. He's also becoming a thread woven throughout
the MCU, which of course even further ties these different storylines and elements to
Tony. Howard Stark will be a character on TV series Agent Carter as well as in the upcoming
film Ant-Man where he presumably crosses paths with...Hank Pym! Does that mean Papa Stark
helped create the Ultron technology? By the way, a flesh and blood Jarvis will also show
up in Agent Carter, causing audiences watching the show to think of Tony and how Jarvis eventually
ended up as his A.I. Then there's Guardians of the Galaxy, which at first glance might
seem like a threat to Downey's domination. But if you can't beat 'em join 'em, which
might be exactly what Downey's ALSO planning. He's publicly stated that Guardians of the
Galaxy is the best Marvel movie to date, but don't forget that in the recent relaunch of
the Guardians of the Galaxy comic, Tony Stark joined the team. Beyond the films we know
Marvel has planned, we also shouldn't be surprised if Tony Stark shows up in any stand-alone
Hulk films thanks to that Science Bros connection. And at this point, maybe Stephen Strange will
start out as Stark's doctor! With all storylines leading to Tony, what will happen when Downey
finally says peace out for real? Will he? Should Marvel recast, or focus on a new character
- or characters? Does the MCU need a focal point? And is Feige servicing the story with
these choices, or an actor's demands? Is Downey's involvement in Captain America 3 a step too
far? Finally, what does the popularity of Guardians of the Galaxy do to this equation?
Will Marvel's Cosmic Cinematic Universe remain largely separate, or should it fold into our
Earth-bound storylines? And if so, do you want to see Downey join the team? Be sure
to write your thoughts down below. I'm Grace Randolph\'a0and this has been a Movie Byte!
You can watch more, right now!