The premiere of Iron Man in 2008 was a landmark event in the history of cinema that dramatically altered the future of superhero movies. Releasing this movie was a gamble that could have gone wrong, but paid off in every way: it kicked off the MCU and consolidated shared universes in cinema, launched a franchise, propelled its actors and filmmakers to stardom and, of course, became an absolute box-office hit. This production, directed by Jon Favreau, follows Tony Stark, a billionaire inventor and CEO of Stark Industries who, after being kidnapped by a terrorist group, develops a mechanized armor and becomes Iron Man, a superhero fighting against those who threaten society.
Robert Downey Jr. was the actor chosen to bring Iron Man to life, in a role that helped him become a worldwide star worshipped by millions. The actor reprised this role in both sequels of this franchise, Iron Man 2 and Iron Man 3, as well as in many other films of the MCU. Besides becoming a box-office success and further increasing the popularity of superheroes, Iron Manearned rave reviews and became the third film of the genre to be included in the National Film Registry, and the first one from the MCU. Here’s a look at what Robert Downey Jr. and the rest of the Iron Man cast are up to today.
Robert Downey Jr.
Actor and producer Robert Downey Jr. has been in the industry for many, many years, and enjoyed great success from a very young age as part of the popular Brat Pack. However, as the years went by, his popularity was overshadowed by a few legal scandals and drinking problems. Fortunately, by the 2000s his career stabilized again, and Iron Man was just what he needed to become a worldwide star.
Over the years, Downey reprised his role as Tony Stark in films such as Avengers, Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming, but he also went on to star in other productions. Among the highlights, it is worth mentioning Dolittle and “Sr.”, the documentary that explores the life of Robert Downey Sr. and his relationship with his son. The actor is also involved in the shows Perry Mason and Sweet Tooth as executive producer. In 2023, Downey is expected to star in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer alongside Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, and Matt Damon.
Gwyneth Paltrow
Iron Man was also a very significant movie for Gwyneth Paltrow, as it marked an important boost in her career after a few years of devoting most of her time to her children. It also gave her one of her most popular characters, Pepper Potts, Tony Stark’s personal assistant and eventual wife. Over the years, Paltrow reprised her role in a few other MCU films, up until Avengers: Endgame in 2019. She also ventured into other projects beyond acting, such as her lifestyle company Goop and the development of a few cooking books. While she took another break from acting to concentrate on Goop, she still appeared in some productions in recent years, such as the Netflix series The Politician and the 2022 film She Said, starring as herself.
Terrence Howard
In the MCU, the character of Colonel James Rhodey Rhodes, also known as War Machine, is associated with Don Cheadle, the actor who played him in both Iron Man sequels and several other films in the cinematic universe. However, the first actor to play the U.S. Air Force officer and friend of Tony Stark was Terrence Howard, who did not reprise the role in Iron Man 2 and the rest of the films due to pay related disagreements.
Following his involvement in this production, Howard continued his career by appearing in TV shows such as Wayward Pines and Empire, a project he was part of from 2015 to 2020. After this show ended, he announced his retirement from acting, but over the last few years he remained in the industry and landed roles in films such as Triumph, The Walk, and The System. In the future, he is expected to star in a number of projects, such as the thriller film Afterward and the horror movie Skeletons in the Closet.
Jeff Bridges
Acclaimed actor Jeff Bridges plays Obadiah Stane, Tony Stark’s friend and business partner who ends up double-crossing him in order to take over the company. This popular artist has had an extensive and acclaimed career in the entertainment business, earning, among other accolades, seven Academy Award nominations for his different roles over the years.
Among Bridges’ most current projects are the films Bad Times at the El Royale and Living in the Future’s Past, a documentary that he both narrated and produced. In 2020, the actor announced that he was in treatment for lymphoma, and, one year later, he declared that his cancer was in remission. In 2022, he made headlines for returning to television after many years with a starring role in the FX show The Old Man, which has already been renewed for a second season.
Leslie Bibb
Leslie Bibb kicked off her career working as a model, then a few years later rose to fame thanks to her co-starring role in the 1999 series Popular alongside Carly Pope. Over the years, she took part in productions of all kinds, such as Confessions of a Shopaholic and Zookeeper, to name just a few. However, most recently she appeared largely in Netflix films and shows, such as the 2017 horror-comedy The Babysitter, its 2020 sequel and the shows Jupiter’s Legacy and God’s Favorite Idiot.
This year, she is expected to star in the upcoming movie About My Father, featuring Sebastian Maniscalco and Robert De Niro. In Iron Man, Bibb has a small role as Vanity Fair reporter Christine Everhart, and she later reprised that role in Iron Man 2 and What If…?
Shaun Toub
In Iron Man, Shaun Toub plays Ho Yinsen, a physicist and engineer who is held captive alongside Tony, and the one responsible for saving his life and helping him build Iron Man’s first suit. This role, which Toub reprised in Iron Man 3, is one of the most popular ones in this actor’s career, although over the years he has also been involved in other projects across different genres, progressively reducing his film credits.
His most relevant films in recent years are War Dogs, starring Jonah Hill and Miles Teller, and Ghosts of War, and in both he had supporting roles. Currently, he is part of the Israeli spy thriller show Tehran, a production created by Moshe Zonder that premiered in 2020.
Faran Tahir
Faran Tahir was cast to play Raza, head of the terrorist group that kidnapped Tony Stark, and to this day, this remains one of the most important roles in the actor’s career, as are his appearances in the 2009 movie Star Trek and Elysium.
While Tahir has not been as active in the industry in recent times, he did land guest star roles in some of TV’s most popular shows over the years, such as Grey’s Anatomy, Criminal Minds, and How to Get Away With Murder. One of his latest projects so far is the 2020 film I’ll Meet You There, an Iram Parveen Bilal drama in which he stars alongside Nikita Tewani and Qavi Khan.
Clark Gregg
Iron Man landed actor, director, and screenwriter Clark Gregg his most famous role to date: Agent Phil Coulson, one of the key members of S.H.I.E.L.D. Gregg reprised this role across several MCU productions, including Thor, The Avengers, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and What If…? However, this is not the only popular role Clark has played in recent years. Among his most famous projects outside the MCU are Amy Poehler’s comedy-drama Moxie and the biographical drama Being the Ricardos, co-starring Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem.
This year, Gregg is expected to appear in Donald Todd’s upcoming TV series Florida Man and as a cast member of the fourth and final season of Snowpiercer, which has yet to determine which platform it will air on.
Jon Favreau
Besides directing Iron Man and contributing immensely to shape Marvel’s future with the MCU, Jon Favreau played the role of Happy Hogan, Tony Stark’s bodyguard and confidant. The actor and director reprised this role in several MCU films, including The Avengers and the Spider-Man trilogy starring Tom Holland. Although his career in the industry started as an actor, over the last few years he only played Happy Hogan, and concentrated his efforts on pursuing a path as director, producer and writer, spearheading the live-action films The Jungle Book and The Lion King.
Additionally, in 2019 Favreau joined Netflix’s The Chef Show, in which he cooks and interviews different celebrities along with chef Roy Choi. In addition to working in the MCU, Favreau is also a key player in the Star Wars universe, as he is the creator of the Disney+ series The Mandalorian and an executive producer and writer of its spin-off, The Book of Boba Fett.
Paul Bettany
Although we don’t get to see Paul Bettany in Iron Man, we do hear him: he’s the voice behind J.A.R.V.I.S., Tony Stark’s personal AI system. However, the actor gained popularity within the MCU for playing the role of Vision from the 2015 film Avengers: Age of Ultron onward. Bettany has reprised this role in several MCU productions, including the miniseries WandaVision, a project he co-starred in alongside Elizabeth Olsen that was widely acclaimed and became a ratings hit.
He is expected to reprise the role once again in Vision Quest, the upcoming spin-off of the miniseries. In recent years, Bettany was also involved in some other relevant projects beyond the MCU, such as the miniseries A Very British Scandal and the movie, Solo: A Star Wars Story.
