Robert Downey Jr. is one of the top actors in the world. His filmography spans a wide variety of genres to the point where his most recognizable character (Iron Man) served as the basis for the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. Even though he no longer represents the character, Iron Man’s shadow still follows him around in both good and bad ways.
The 58-year-old actor had a promising early career, but made a full-fledged debut in 1997’s Less Than Zero. Moreover, he launched a career that saw an early apex with his universally praised performance as Charlie Chaplin in Chaplin (1992).
However, his first film after leaving the remarkable role of Iron Man in Avengers: Endgame did not perform as well as he had hoped.
His real-life tale of overcoming obstacles and achieving success is one of a superhero’s own origin stories. Even though he’ll be best known for playing Iron Man, Downey Jr. has performed in about 50 other films and television shows.
And one such was the 2020 fantasy/adventure, also starring Tom Holland, which turned out to be a complete failure.
Robert Downey Jr. Was Looking For A Return In The MCU
Robert Downey Jr. had trouble finding success after leaving the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Avengers: Endgame.
After the enormous success of the concluding movie of the Infinity saga, the actor chose to focus on Dolittle as his next endeavor. Unfortunately, the movie performed extremely poorly and ended up being a spectacular flop. The actor’s poor performance in the film did not prove well for his career. This is because it only served to show that he may not be able to find success after playing Iron Man for so long.
Although Dolittle was Downey Jr.’s first movie since he officially left the Marvel Cinematic Universe, its failure could have paved the way for him to reprise his role as Iron Man sooner rather than later.
The Oppenheimer actor began a ground-breaking chapter in his career as Avengers: Endgame supposedly marked the end of Tony Stark’s lengthy and lauded cinematic journey. It is, in fact, a career-defining move for any actor. It’s true that many actors have struggled to overcome the fame and attachment that come with being a part of a popular franchise.
Probably, that’s why, Dolittle did not perform well at the box office despite its $251 million box office collection. This Stephen Gaghan’s film was served by Hugh Lofting’s 1922 children’s book, The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle.
And of course, was lifted by Downey Jr.’s charisma and a large voice cast of computer-generated animals that include Tom Holland, Selena Gomez, Rami Malek, and John Cena, among many others.
How Dolittle’s Failure Paved the Way For His MCU Comeback?
It goes without saying that Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal of Iron Man marked a pivotal point in both his life and career.
He hadn’t yet acted in a significant blockbuster role by the middle of the 2000s. All of that, however, changed in 2008 when he appeared in and won critical acclaim for two blockbuster films: Tropic Thunder, a satirical black comedy, and of course, Iron Man.
It’s also important to note that Downey Jr. and his wife were both producers of Dolittle, which means that his family suffered financially after the movie failed. This is not to say that the actor hasn’t benefited financially from the MCU, but no actor can resist the allure of a steady paycheck. And that’s when the 58-year-old actor claimed that Iron Man might return to the MCU.
Well, Iron Man was the film that audiences responded to the most, ushering in a new era for the entertainment industry in regard to Downey Jr.
In the years that followed, Tony Stark and the Marvel Cinematic Universe both attained considerable fame. The ‘Iron Man’ character developed into not only a beloved member of the series but also became the most significant one after appearing in several other MCU films.
Source- Screen Rant
