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Robert Downey Jr. Couldn’t See Anything In Original Iron Man Helmet
The original helmet used in 2008's Iron Man blinded star Robert Downey Jr. when he put it on. Iron Man was the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, kicking off the sprawling franchise that has grown into a global phenomenon. Directed by Jon Favreau, the film also featured Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges, and Terrence Howard. The film saw Ir0n Man face off against Iron Monger, played by Bridges.
The original Iron Man kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Downey Jr.'s portrayal of Tony Stark was praised and cited as one reason why the film worked so well. As the cocky tech billionaire, Downey Jr. turned around a floundering career riddled with scandals related to his addiction issues. His role as Iron Man came to a tragic end, though, with his sacrifice wielding the Infinity Stones to defeat Thanos.
In an interview with David Letterman for his show My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, Downey Jr. discusses the making of the first Iron Man film and how he was unable to see out of the helmet that costume designers made for him:
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“Initially it was -- everything was really there. They wanted to spend as little as they could on CG replacement. So I remember this helmet went on... I put this helmet on and it slammed closed and I couldn’t see anything. And then these LED lights went on, and it was like Manchurian Candidate. I was absolutely blinded.”
Downey Jr. explains that, by the last Avengers film, if they asked him to put on the helmet, he would refuse. The actor said he would have them recreate the helmet with CGI during post-production. However, to save money at the start of the franchise, Marvel didn't use CGI to create the suit. Throughout the films, though, Iron Man's suit got more complicated as Tony Stark added more modifications to it. Eventually, the costume became completely automated, appearing at the press of a button. CGI was necessary for this, and, at this point, Marvel could most definitely afford the special effects. The MCU became the highest-grossing franchise in the world throughout Downey Jr.'s tenure as Iron Man.
With Tony Stark's death in Avengers: Endgame, his role is uncertain in future Marvel films. Downey Jr. has said he is completely done with the part, nixing the idea of the character appearing in flashbacks or prequels. Few people have taken over as Iron Man from Tony Stark in the comic books. One of those people is James Rhodes AKA War Machine. Don Cheadle currently plays that character in the franchise after Terrence Howard left. While Marvel is staying mum on what exactly they have in store for Phase 4, it is unlikely that we will see another iteration of Iron Man after Downey Jr.'s now-iconic take on the comic book character.
