“Saying the most evil things”: Robert Downey Jr. Comparing Jon Favreau to a Controversial Personality Has Fans Thinking He’s Already Morphing Into Doctor Doom

Marvel Cinematic Universe has undoubtedly become the lead franchise for superheroes today with its multiple storylines and universes. But it all started in 2008 when the first Iron Man was released, and one actor-director duo, who were hungry to prove themselves then, took its responsibility.

Robert Downey Jr. and Jon Favreau’s collaboration set a strong foundation for MCU. However, Downey’s recent words for Favreau have divided fans, and some of them even consider this as his method of getting into his upcoming role of Doctor Doom.

Robert Downey Jr. Compares Jon Favreau to Elon Musk

Robert Downey Jr.‘s character of Tony Stark has often been compared to Elon Musk. Apart from being billionaires and philanthropists, both are super intelligent inventors and technological pioneers, have futuristic visions about the world, and have a heavy influence on pop culture.

Musk also made a cameo in Iron Man 2. Moreover, Downey himself said in an interview with Bloomberg in 2015 that,

Elon was someone Tony probably hung out with and partied with, or more likely they went on some weird jungle trek together to drink concoctions with the shamans.

Also, the playboy image that Tony Stark had in his early years fit well in a way with Musk because of some of his high-profile relationships, like with Talulah Riley and Amber Heard, among others. So in a way, both are geniuses, billionaires, playboys, and philanthropists.

In a recent conversation on The Hollywood Reporter‘s Awards Chatter podcast, Downey praised his good friend Jon Favreau and talked about the professional milestones they achieved together. He said that Favreau is “the Elon Musk of cinema,” as the director himself is quite tech-savvy. But somehow it didn’t fit well with some fans, although Downey’s intentions were positive.

It’s like he’s already trying to channel the mannerisms of Victor Von Doom by saying the most evil things possible

— eri˚❀*·ꕤ. (@eternalcumslime) August 21, 2024

Imagine insulting the guy who helped revitalize your career.

PS: Maybe RDJ is preparing to be in villain mode?

— the World's Greatest Narcissist (@JAMnit_JAM) August 21, 2024

I don’t think RDJ meant to diss Favreau, but that’s like the worst comparison you could make 😭

— irha khan (@irhakhani) August 21, 2024

TAKE IT BACK ROBERT THAT’S NOT THE COMPARISON YOU WANT TO MAKE pic.twitter.com/lMw3HbLqLz

— Joe (@hzjoe03) August 21, 2024

that’s quite literally not a compliment ……. pic.twitter.com/hsqhdg8G6T

— Honest Andrew 🥀 (@andrewscomet) August 21, 2024

Favreau is a businessman as well, though not at the level of Musk. However, the hatred by some netizens towards Musk might be because of his online persona. Musk often gets into controversy with his provocative comments, trolling, and memes on X. His political views also divide netizens many times.

Besides these, his labor practices and inconsistent industry-level salary to his employees, along with his views on work-life balance, have also been a concern. Adding to all these, some people also question the environmental sustainability aspect of his rocket missions.

These are some of the criticisms that Musk carries with him wherever he goes and to whoever he gets associated with. This time, it was Downey for his harmless comparison with Favreau.

How Robert Downey Jr.’s Return Will Change MCU

When Marvel brought back Downey again, it was well established among fans that they were in desperate need of someone who could hold the seemingly falling apart MCU and possibly take it one level above.

Since Jonathan Majors’ legal case happened, now the entire plan for the next Avengers movie has changed, as it is no longer a Kang story, it will be about Doctor Doom. Probably by the time the Doctor Doom saga ends, Marvel might decide to bring back Kang as the supervillain again.

Moreover, since Downey himself has played Tony Stark as well, the similarity in his appearance as Doom might also be used as a plot device. Marvel might decide to introduce Kang as a variant of Iron Man, who turned out evil for not controlling his ego. This will give rise to an interesting aspect, as both characters would have similar histories and experiences.

Doctor Doom in comics played a major role in Secret Wars, where he believed he could save the cosmos by saving one reality only, thereby destroying every alternate universe. If this happens in the MCU, it will further change the future storylines drastically.

Anyway, Downey’s return has already brought back the excitement among Marvel fans for sure, which was somewhat affected by the lackluster performances of its movies since Endgame.

The Iron Man trilogy is available to stream on Disney+.

Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars will be released in theaters on May 1, 2026, and May 7, 2027, respectively.