From Asia to Africa and from Europe to America, Robert Downey Jr. is arguably the most popular superhero across age groups and regions. More people recognize Robert by his stage name- Tony Stark or Iron Man than his actual name. His iconic performances in the Iron Man Series and the Avenger series have earned millions of fans worldwide. But the beginning was not as smooth for Robert Downey as it was for the owner of the Stark tower. The popularity of Tony Stark’s character has overshadowed the struggles of Robert Downey Jr.
But outside his armor suit, Robert Downey is just a normal man like all of us. Standing tall at the height of 5 feet 8 inches and weighing 78 kg, Robert Downey walks with many diverse experiences in his personal life. The man who saves the planet from external forces has fought many challenges in his real life including drug addiction. He was arrested several times for possessing and abusing drugs throughout 1996 and 2001. He has been caught with cocaine, heroin, and marijuana in the past.
It’d be fair to say that Robert’s early life has been as controversial as his dating life. But Robert is not entirely blamed for his drug addiction as he got the habit from his father, who also used to abuse drugs. But the second inning of his life started after he dropped out of high school and decided to pursue full-time acting.
From being arrested in drug-related cases to featuring the top on Forbes’ list of the highest-paid actors, it has been quite a journey for the versatile actor. He has entertained us on several occasions that include the portrayal of genius detective Sherlock Holmes and the heart-winning performance of Iron Man.
The net worth of Robert Downey Jr is estimated at over $300 million
Since the most popular character portrayed by Robert Downey Jr to date is one of Tony Stark, let’s dive deep into it. Tony Stark, a prodigy of Ned Stark, a mechanical engineering genius, is a normal businessman and engineer who carries no special powers outside his suit. However, the AI-powered suit that Tony develops makes him qualify as one of the very few superheroes with extraordinary powers and, more importantly, makes him a part of what we know as The Avengers. But there are many flavors to Tony’s personality as he describes during a funny banter with Captain America- “Genius, Billionaire, Playboy, Philanthropist.” However, the tag playboy does not remain with him for long as he develops feelings for Pepper. Everyone, including the Avengers, thinks that Tony has only one suit, “Jarvis”. Still, not many know that the genius engineer has created an entire fleet of super-smart rockets, and Hulk Buster is one of them.
Tony appears to be a cocky guy who is overconfident about his powers. Still, this opinion of his teammates about him changes when he almost sacrifices himself while transporting a missile out of the planet.
From the terror hideouts in the caves of Afghanistan to the streets of India, Tony makes his presence felt everywhere. After 3 volumes of Iron Man, Tony plays a bigger role in the Avengers series. He leads the fight against Thanos, who wipes out half the earth’s population in a snap. Tony is rich, arrogant, never on time, and sometimes rude. Still, he is also someone who finds it hard to express his feelings and would never think twice before sacrificing his life to save the world.
There also comes a time when Avengers are split into two, and it becomes SHIELD vs. Hydra. Captain America and Iron Man lock horns over Bucky. Still, as with any other disaster, Nick Fury’s soldiers make it through together.
Tony Stark’s death earned him more fans than ever. The fanbase divided into two groups – Captain America and Iron Man got united when Tony once again put his life at stake to activate the gauntlet to destroy Thanos and his powers. But unfortunately, he couldn’t make it through this time. Iron Man succumbed to the fatal injuries he received, and it marked the end of the era for SHIELD and its superheroes.
