It's impossible to imagine anyone other than Robert Downey Jr playing Iron Man in live-action, but the actor nearly played another classic Marvel character instead.
Before Marvel decided to create a groundbreaking cinematic universe, it sold off many of its most popular properties to other studios to get some quick cash.
Among the titles sold were Spider-Man to Sony and both the X-Men and Fantastic Four to 20th Century Fox – and that's where RDJ comes in.
In the upcoming book The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it is revealed that Downey was on Marvel's radar well before he was cast as Tony Stark.
In fact, Iron Man director Jon Favreau reveals Fox and Marvel executives originally wanted him to play the villain in the 2005 Fantastic Four movie (via TheDirect).
"Marvel had already met with him before, I think, to play Doctor Doom," the filmmaker recalled.
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That Fantastic Four film departed hugely from Doctor Doom's comic origins by reframing Victor Von Doom as a suave CEO who was transformed along with the F4 on a space mission.
It's easy to see why RDJ would have been the ideal casting for this wisecracking version of Doom, but the studios ultimately went with Nip/Tuck star Julian McMahon.
McMahon returned for the sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, but the light-hearted tone of the films wasn't well-received by fans at the time. Both films have since developed a cult following.
Things definitely seemed to work out just as history intended because Downey would begin working with Marvel only a few years later as the lynchpin bringing the Marvel Cinematic Universe together.
His final film in the MCU, Avengers: Endgame, is out now on DVD, Blu-ray, 3D, 4K and digital download, and is available on Disney+.
Disney+ Watch the MCU on Disney+
Abrams Books The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe by Tara Bennett and Paul Terry
Marvel Studios Marvel Phase 1-3 complete set Blu-ray
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Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
