Robert Downey Jr. recently shared his views on his MCU character Tony Stark being compared to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. Introduced in 2008, Downey’s character quickly became a fan-favorite for his brilliance, cockiness, and savage personality. While his character is based on the Marvel comics, Iron Man authors gave it a bit of Musk touch, leading fans to call Musk the real-life iteration of Tony Stark. And now, RDJ has weighed in on Stark and Musk comparisons, seemingly expressing mixed feelings.
Downey Jr. recently appeared on the On with Kara Swisher podcast, where he discussed Tesla CEO “cosplaying” Tony Stark in real life upon being asked by the host. Responding to it, he revealed about meeting Musk a few times. However, he gave him some advice, concerning his behavior.
“I just wish that he would control his behavior a little more, but that’s not on me. I know that this idea of ‘It’s all okay ’cause we’ve gotta get to Mars’ doesn’t really hold water with me,” he said. However, he also acknowledged Musk’s overall accomplishments and contributions and described him as “valuable.” (via Variety)
Notably, Musk made a cameo appearance in RJD-led Iron Man 2, released in 2010. The scene showcases Stark meeting Musk at the Monaco Grand Prix. Firstly, he congratulates Pepper Potts on her promotion at Stark Industries. Then, Stark comes into the frame, greeting him and appreciating his Merlin engines. Musk thanks him and teases having an electric jet idea, to which Stark replies “We’ll make it work.” Iron Man 2 was reportedly also filmed at SpaceX for free.
Despite his brief appearance, Musk’s personality played a part in influencing Stark’s part-persona. In a past interview with Recode Decode, Iron Man 2 director Jon Favreau revealed how they sat down with Musk to prepare for Iron Man.
He said, “But Robert Downey, when we were prepping ‘Iron Man,’ said, ‘There’s somebody we should sit down and talk with.’ [He] said, ‘This is a guy who can give us some insight into what it’d really be like to be Tony Stark’” (via The Vox). Additionally, he also mentioned Musk being a “good friend” to the Marvel family.