Robert Downey Jr. calls Iron Man a 'second-tier superhero' before MCU

Robert Downey Jr. recently congratulated Jon Favreau for receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The former Marvel Cinematic Universe actor also gave a speech during the occasion. He commended Jon Favreau for committing to direct Iron Man when he was just “a second-tier superhero.” 

The Hollywood actor took the stage to introduce Favreau and gave a humorous but moving speech about Favreau’s career. He said that during the pre-production phase of Iron Man, it felt like it was a “high-concept indie” film.

Downey Jr. further said that they were very confident during the making of the film. Kevin Feige, who is the head of Marvel Studios, had faith in them.

The Iron Man actor then went on to refer to Iron Man’s character as a “second-tier superhero property.” He further added that Iron Man “had no shot” at being the first entry which would launch a cinematic universe, since there were no shared cinematic universes at the time. 

"Iron Man was a second-tier superhero property that had no shot at affording Kevin Feige the opportunity to launch a cinematic universe, because there was no such thing as a cinematic universe. I would never insinuate that it was me who made Jon a multi-hyphenate international sensation 'cause I have to leave something for his speech.

Check out Robert Downey Jr.'s speech down below.

Jon Favreau on being friends with Robert Downey Jr. 

Jon Favreau spoke with Fox News Digital after receiving the star at the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He said that Robert Downey Jr. is a movie star for the rest of the world, but for him, he’s an “old friend.” 

"To have him here just grounded the whole thing. I know for most people it's you're seeing a movie star, but for me, it's an old friend who I got to share this moment with."

Jon Favreau's most prominent projects

Jon Favreau was the director behind Iron Man, which was the first official project in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Favreau also played the role of Happy Hogan, Tony Stark’s head of security. Favreau is also behind the direction of projects such as Chef, Elf, The Jungle Book and Zathura: A Space Adventure. He's also worked on several other projects as an actor.