Robert Downey Jr’s Original Marvel Audition Was Rejected

Robert Downey Jr. (RDJ) may be taking on the role of Doctor Doom now, but he tried to get this role far earlier. Before RDJ was cast in his iconic role as Tony Stark in Iron Man, he auditioned for the role of Victor von Doom in the 2005 film Fantastic Four.

While the role ultimately went to Julian McMahon, this audition helped Downey immensely. This came up in a retrospective chat between Jon Favreau and Kevin Feige. Favreau reminded Feige that Downey auditioned for Doctor Doom, and Feige decided to give the role to someone else. At the time, Downey’s jail time and addiction were still on the minds of Hollywood decision-makers, and he was seen as a risky gambit.

What’s more interesting is that Downey brought so much passion and hunger for the role that the next time he auditioned, Favreau would remember him. Favreau commented that he paid more attention to the actor because of RDJ’s failed audition years prior. To Favreau, Downey was a great casting for Iron Man, and he was right.

If Downey had played Doctor Doom earlier, he wouldn’t have been so pivotal in the MCU, as the role of Tony Stark would likely have gone to someone else. Since Toby Maguire inspired Downey to audition for Iron Man, Doctor Doom was likely also an inspired audition. Now, RDJ is taking on the role as Doctor Doom, and it comes with praise and nostalgia, not a gamble. It’s something that Marvel is likely using to regain the fanbase that has left, as the newest releases haven’t generated the hype of Endgame.

Still, it’s interesting to know that what may seem like a failure one day leads to your biggest successes another. Downey kept going back to auditions, not letting the Doctor Doom failure get to him when he unknowingly sowed the seeds to get a dream role.