Why Robert Downey Jr. turned down a Deadpool & Wolverine cameo as Iron Man - even after Ryan Reynolds 'gave him the hard press'
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Robert Downey Jr. surprised Ryan Reynolds and the screenwriters for Deadpool & Wolverine when turning down a cameo as Iron Man in the summer blockbuster.
His decision, however, became more clear once it was recently revealed the Oscar winner, 59, would be taking on a new character in the Marvelverse.
Before he turned down the offer, screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick had planned to open Deadpool & Wolverine with a scene featuring Downey's Iron Man/ Tony Stark and Jon Favreau's Happy Hogan.
'We had wanted him to do a cameo. We had written that scene [to start] with Happy and Downey,' Wernick told People.
Reese added that Reynolds, 47, had 'read the scene with both of them, so in the hopes we could get Downey.'
Robert Downey, Jr.'s decision to decline a cameo in Deadpool and Wolverine was surprise to Ryan Reynolds and the movie's screenwriters, until they discovered the reason behind the decision one day after the blockbuster opened in theaters on July 26
After it was announced the former superhero would star as Victor von Doom (also known as Doctor Doom) in two upcoming Avengers movies at Comic-Con in San Diego July 27, the reason became clear.
'Ryan gave him the hard press. We wrote scenes, and Downey read the scenes, but what we didn’t know behind the scenes was this Doctor Doom thing' Wernick said.
Favreau ended up doing the scene with Reynolds' Wade Wilson at the top of the film, which was similar to what the writers originally envisioned.
'Jon was, graciously, connected to it from the start. It worked out great,' they said.
'I mean, look, we would’ve loved to have Downey. But, at the same time, I think Marvel had this ace in their hole, which is he’s about to come back in this different character,' Rheese said.
'So, to have him be Tony Stark? Knowing that Doctor Doom was coming on the heels of that? It just didn’t make sense.'
The actor will play the supervillain in the 5th and 6th Avengers films, titled Avengers: Doomsday, and Avengers: Secret Wars.
Both will be directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, the brothers who directed Avengers: Endgame in 2019, in which Downey's Iron Man was killed off in order to save the universe.
Reynolds expressed his thanks to Favreau in an enthusiastic post Thursday on social media.
The actor announced he would star as Victor von Doom in two upcoming Marvel movies; Avengers: Doomsday, and Avengers: Secret Wars, at Comic-Con in San Diego July 27
Reynolds gave Downey the 'hard press' according to screenwriters Rhett Rheese and Paul Wernick. We wrote scenes, and Downey read the scenes, but what we didn’t know behind the scenes was this Doctor Doom thing' Wernick said
Jon Favreau appeared in a cameo as Happy Hogan. 'The movie benefitted from his incredible performance, but we got something more important: his generosity of time and energy to talk story and brainstorm larger themes and ideas' Reynolds wrote on Instagram (Pictured in London in April 2023)
'Jon is one of the greats. Yeah, the movie benefitted from his incredible performance, but we got something more important: his generosity of time and energy to talk story and brainstorm larger themes and ideas.
As of August 8, the action adventure had earned more than $440 million domestically and another $484 million internationally, for a global box office of nearly $1 billion, according to Box Office Mojo.
If the current enthusiasm for the film continues, it could easy cross the billion dollar mark at the end of the August 9-11 weekend.
