Robert Downey Jr. is perhaps best known for his role as Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, despite being the originator of the universe, it seems he’s not the biggest fan of every entry, calling Avengers: Age of Ultron “content.”
The meaning of art vs corporate profit motives has been a debate as old as capitalism itself, with the newest incarnation being the question of if superhero films are “art.” It seems as though Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr. has finally thrown his hat into the debate, saying that while Sr., the documentary about his father’s final days, is just “content” to everyone that isn’t him, along with films like Avengers: Age of Ultron.
“It’s a way for me to let myself know that just because this may be the most important thing that I ever commit to a data card on a camera, it doesn’t mean it isn’t [expletive] content to everyone else,” Downey Jr. told Variety, adding that Avengers: Age of Ultron was included in this label but other films he’s done like Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows isn’t.
“The stress it put on my missus as she rolled her sleeves up to her armpits to make it even serviceable enough to bring to market was shocking,” Robert Downey Jr. said of Doolittle. “After that point – what’s that phrase? Never let a good crisis go to waste? – we had this reset of priorities and made some changes in who our closest business advisers were.”
It seems as though Robert Downey Jr.’s threshold for if something is “content” or not primarily relates to the meaning an audience derives from it. While Sr. holds immense emotional meaning for him, he seems to think that it doesn’t hold much for general audiences. This idea seems to extend to Avengers: Age of Ultron, where he seems to view it as having less meaning than Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. This doesn’t mean that Age of Ultron is without worth, of course, or that RDJ even thinks the rest of his Marvel Cinematic Universe catalog shares this descriptor. However, there are definitely critics who would apply the “content” label across the board.
The future of the Avengers franchise
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is the first movie in a two-part finale to Marvel’s Multiverse Saga. It will be followed by Avengers: Secret Wars, rounding out Marvel Studios’ Phase 6. Both films are scheduled to arrive in theaters in 2025.
Destin Daniel Cretton is set to direct Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, with Jeff Loveness attached to write. Michael Waldron will write Avengers: Secret Wars, though there is no director attached to the project.
With the expansive Multiverse Saga and its star-studded cast at the helm, Marvel fans are undoubtedly on edge for the next two Avengers movies. Regardless of how fans interpret Robert Downey Jr.’s comments, one thing is certain: Marvel Studios has a grand vision in mind.
