Robert Downey Jr Iron Man is one of the most iconic movie castings of all time, thanks in no small part to the superstar actor’s skills with improvisation. The flagship character of the Marvel Cinematic Universe before his retirement/death in Avengers: Endgame, The sheer force of personality behind Tony Stark was a huge part of what made the MCU movies so successful. Over the years, Robert Downey Jr. has come to truly embody the character, injecting a lot of his own personality and humor into the script.
Is he in an Avengers Crossover movie or the self-contained Iron Man trilogy, Robert Downey Jr. Is always quick with an ad-lib that was never on the script. Most of the time, his improvisations are humorous jabs that are simply too good not to edit in, sometimes causing Marvel Studios to make major changes to the story just to accommodate them. Other times, his improvisations are the result of chemistry with his incredible co-stars, who can always keep up with Downey’s quick wit.
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10
“I’m Iron Man.”
Iron Man
By far the most famous and improved of Robert Downey Jr. s improvised lines is the closing line of the original Iron Man. During a press conference after the events of the film, Tony Stark looks over the various reporters eager to hear word from him, only to discover “The truth is… I’m Iron Man.“It turns out that this was never supposed to be part of the accepted Spartan script of iron man But both director John Favreau and MCU president Kevin Feige loved the line too much to ignore it in the final edit.
With this spur-of-the-moment change, Robert Downey Jr. Forever guided the course of the following MCU. The line largely did away with secret identities in the series, something the later movies have largely stuck with, with a few key exceptions. Not only is this Robert Downey Jr.’s greatest improvised line, but it’s also one of the best Iron Man quotes in general.
9
“Just get the door…”
Spider-Man: Homecoming Holland and Downey seem to have quite the chemistry on set
Some of the best ad-libbed lines from Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man come from his interactions with his protégé, Peter Parker, as played by Tom Holland. Holland and Downey seem to have quite the chemistry on set, which instantly makes their student-mentor relationship all the more believable. One of their funniest interactions in Spider-Man: Homecoming was a completely unscripted hit.
After the two talk in a car, Tony Stark seems to lean in for a hug, something Peter Parker is eager to reciprocate, even if it’s a little awkward. Clarifying is actions, Tony says “Just get the door…”, revealing that he is only reaching across the young hero to unlock his door for him and see him on his way. The hilarious and incredibly embarrassing misinterpretation of Tony Stark’s actions was entirely improvised by the two performers, kept in the final edit of the film due to how funny it was.
8
“Move your leg.”
Captain America: Civil War
What makes Tony Stark and Peter Parker’s relationship so endearing is the fact that it seems to mirror Robert Downey Jr.’s mentorship of Tom Holland as an actor. It’s impressive enough that the young Tom Holland was able to keep up with the legendary actor in his earliest MCU appearances, but he’s certainly wrong. Fortunately, Robert Downey Jr. is good enough of a performer to turn teachable moments into believable beats worth keeping in the film.
When Tony Stark and Peter Parker meet for the first time in Captain America: Civil WarThey have A private conversation about hero’s work, in which Tony Stark sits next to Peter Parker. During the filming of this scene, Tom Holland made a mistake with his blocking, forgetting to make room for Robert Downey Jr. Downey is able to point this out while in-character, sounding believable as Tony Stark while still instructing Holland by chiding “I will sit here, so move my leg.”
7
– Blueberry?
The Avengers
Over the filming of The Avengers Movies, Robert Downey Jr. Became notorious for his ability to hide snacks on set and munch on them mid-scene. Eventually, the filmmakers have no choice but to allow the food to remain in the final cut, which reflects Tony Stark’s seemingly endless appetite throughout the movies. From the cheeseburgers in Iron Man To the donuts in iron man 2, Downey has already made sure that Tony Stark has a ferocious history with food inside The Avengers.
His most outrageous between-scene snack break was on the Helicarrier in the avengers, In which he has hidden somewhere a pack of blueberries in the amount taken. Robert Downey Jr. is not afraid to draw attention to his food, and offered his co-star a taste with the simple line “Blueberry?“ The end result is a hilariously memorable non-sequitur during an otherwise serious discussion, Something Tony Stark would become known for.
6
“I love you 3,000.”
Avengers: Endgame
Technically, the improvised line was not something that Robert Downey Jr. himself said in the first place, but represents a more conservative effort on his part to personalize the script. When he said goodnight to his daughter, her reciprocating line was originally something more generic. Inspired by his own interactions with his real-life kids, Robert Downey Jr. suggested that the line should be changed to “I love you 3,000“, something he then brings up to Pepper Potts in a Viking smooth.
It’s hard not to hand it to Robert Downey Jr. For a positive impact on the script again here. The personality and specificity of “I love you 3,000“Sounds like something a kid would actually say, It’s all the more heartbreaking as a refrain before Tony Stark’s predictable death. With the proposal to the script, Robert Downey Jr. Helped create one of the MCU’s biggest tearjerker moments.
5
“Please be a secret door…”
Avengers: Age of Ultron
For all the problems Avengers: Age of Ultron Yes, the simple opening sequence of the Avengers tearing through a HYDRA base was an amazing intro. One of the rare moments in which the team easily works together to take on a threat with a small problem, this scene gives each Avenger the opportunity to show their personality. That’s twice for Tony Stark, who again benefits from some improvisation from Robert Downey Jr. When looking for a secret door in the HYDRA compound.
Iron Man tackles his quest with some humor, “Please be a secret door, please be a secret door…“While searching, which has the added benefit of letting the audience know what he’s up to. His conversation with himself makes it all the funnier when he actually finds a secret door, followed by a weak “Yes!” also improvised by Downey. Editors took the time to insert the last line as ADR, being hilarious enough to be worth including in the final edit.
4
“The man is playing Galaga.”
The Avengers
Iron Man’s story in Avengers: Age of Ultron It’s far from the farthest MCU filmmakers are willing to go in order to include a last-minute joke from Robert Downey Jr. One of the biggest laughs in The Avengers came from a juncture in the Helicarrier in which Tony Stark accuses a random SHIELD employee of playing the hit Namco arcade classic Galaga At his desk. After the band leaves, the camera pans over to reveal that he wasn’t kidding, as one of the employees returns to his game.
The line was totally improvised by Robert Downey Jr The Avengers. Producers loved the joke enough that they were willing to digitally alter footage to include gameplay from Galaga On one of the Helicarrier consoles, yet another example of Downey’s ad-libbing altering the final product of the film. enough, Galaga is all about defending humanity from alien invaders, mirroring the plot of The Avengers Pretty good.
3
“Have you ever tried shawarma?”
The Avengers
It’s one thing to change existing footage for one of Robert Downey Jr.’s jokes. The Avengers was willing to completely change his post-credits scene to literally cater to his unique brand of humor. The original post-credits scene of The Avengers was supposed to be much different, with Tony Stark making an impressive speech after the Battle of New York. however, Downey decides to abandon the soliloquy in favor of questioning the rest of the Avengers If they wanted to try shawarma, a delicious Middle Eastern dish.
Sure enough, producers are ecstatic enough about the line to completely re-think the post-credits scene of the movie. cutting it close to the wire of The Avengers‘ release date, the film added on another scene of Avengers get shawarma. The scene finally paid off, showing the more human side to the superhero team after such an exhausting battle.
2
“Mmm, the smell of old beer and defeat.”
The Incredible Hulk
The Avengers Wasn’t the only time Robert Downey Jr.’s antics ran wild in a post-credits scene. In a rarely-remembered post-credits scene following the incredible hulk, Tony Stark visits General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross to discuss the titular storm monster. Here, both Robert Downey Jr. and William Hurt are given little in the way of pre-written lines, instead given a loose parameter of conversation to pursue in-character.
Downey brilliantly opens the conversation by walking into the hazy bar Ross drowned his sorrows in.commenting”Mmm, the smell of stale beer and defeat.” He continues to lambast the general for his attempts to revive the super-soldier program, which was shut down for good reason, before finally expressing interest in the Hulk. Scenes like this truly demonstrate how phenomenal Robert Downey Jr.’s acting is. Is, able to carry entire scenes with his wit alone.
1
“Adults are talking.”
Avengers: Infinity War
As big as Spider-Man and Iron Man’s butterflies is in Captain America: Civil War And Spider-Man: Homecoming, Avengers: Infinity War is where the two’s camaraderie really gets the chance to speak. Here, Spider-Man draws Iron Man’s sorrow after a ride in space on Ebony Maw’s ship, hoping to help the Avengers with the existential threat of Thanos. This infuriates Tony Stark, who does not want to see Peter killed in the ensuing chaos.
This snarky line totally encompasses the personality of Iron Man As channeled by Robert Downey Jr. s ability to think on his feet in a given scene
Still angry at him during his conversation with Doctor Strange, Tony Stark snaps at Peter Parker when he tries to barge in, telling him to be quiet while the “grown-ups” talk. The line was another complete ad-lib from Robert Downey Jr., who knew how to quickly and comically shut down his young impressionable mentee. This snarky line totally encompasses the personality of Iron Man As channeled by Robert Downey Jr. s ability to think on his feet in a given scene.