Robert Downey Jr"s 10 Best Improvised Lines As Iron Man In MCU Movies

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Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man is one of the most iconic movie castings of all time, thanks in no small part to the superstar actor's skill with improvisation. The flagship character of the Marvel Cinematic Universe before his retirement/death in Avengers: Endgame, the sheer force of personality behind Tony Stark was a huge part of what made the MCU movies so successful. Over the years, Robert Downey Jr. has come to truly embody the character, injecting plenty of his own personality and humor into the script.
Whether he's in an Avengers crossover movie or the self-contained Iron Man trilogy, Robert Downey Jr. is always quick with an ad-lib that was never on the script. Most of the time his improvisations are humorous jabs that are simply too good not to edit in, sometimes causing Marvel Studios to make big changes to the story just to accommodate them. Other times, his improvisations are the result of chemistry with his incredible co-stars, who could always keep up with Downey's quick wit.
10 "I Am Iron Man." Iron Man

By far the most famous and impactful of Robert Downey Jr.'s improvised lines is the closing line of the original Iron Man. During a press conference following the events of the film, Tony Stark looks over the various reporters eager to hear word from him, only to reveal "The truth is...I am Iron Man." It turns out this was never supposed to be part of the admittedly spartan script of Iron Man, but both director John Favreau and MCU president Kevin Feige loved the line too much to ignore it in the final edit.
With this spur-of-the-moment change, Robert Downey Jr. forever guided the course of the following MCU. The line largely did away with secret identities in the series, something the later movies have largely stuck with, barring a few key exceptions. Not only is this easily the greatest improvised line from Robert Downey Jr., but it's also one of Iron Man's best quotes in general.
9 "Just Getting The Door..." Spider-Man: Homecoming

Some of the best ad-libbed lines from Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man come from his interactions with his protégé, Peter Parker, as played by Tom Holland. Holland and Downey seem to have quite the chemistry on set, which instantly makes their student-mentor relationship all the more believable. One of their funniest interactions in Spider-Man: Homecoming was a totally unscripted beat.
After the two talk in a car, Tony Stark appears to lean in for a hug, something that Peter Parker is eager to reciprocate, even if it is slightly awkward. Clarifying is actions, Tony states "Just getting the door...", revealing that he was only reaching across the young hero to unlock his door for him and see him on his way. This hilarious and believably embarrassing misinterpretation of Tony Stark's actions was entirely improvised by the two performers, kept in the final edit of the film due to just how funny it was.
8 "Move The Leg." Captain America: Civil War

What makes Tony Stark and Peter Parker's relationship so endearing is the fact that it seems to mirror Robert Downey Jr.'s mentorship of Tom Holland as an actor. It's impressive enough that the young Tom Holland was able to keep up with the legendary actor in his earliest MCU appearances, but he was certainly fallible. Luckily, Robert Downey Jr. is good enough of a performer to turn teachable moments into believable beats that are worth keeping in the film.
When Tony Stark and Peter Parker meet for the first time in Captain America: Civil War, they have a private conversation about hero work, in which Tony Stark sits next to Peter Parker. During the filming of this scene, Tom Holland made a mistake with his blocking, forgetting to make room for Robert Downey Jr. to sit. Downey was able to point this out while in-character, sounding believable as Tony Stark while still instructing Holland by chiding "I'm gonna sit here, so move the leg."
7 "Blueberry?" The Avengers

Throughout the filming of The Avengers movies, Robert Downey Jr. became notorious for his ability to hide snacks on set and munch on them mid-scene. Eventually, the filmmakers had no choice but to allow for the food to remain in the final cut, reflecting Tony Stark's seemingly endless appetite throughout the movies. From the cheeseburgers in Iron Man to the donuts in Iron Man 2, Downey had already made sure Tony Stark had a ferocious history with food going into The Avengers.
HIs most audacious mid-scene snack break was on the Helicarrier in The Avengers, in which he hid a package of blueberries somewhere within the busy set. Robert Downey Jr. wasn't afraid to call attention to his food, offering his co-stars a taste with the simple line "Blueberry?" The end result is a hilariously memorable non-sequitur during an otherwise serious discussion, something Tony Stark would become known for.
6 "I Love You 3,000." Avengers: Endgame

Technically, this improvised line wasn't something Robert Downey Jr. himself said at first, but represents a more concerted effort on his part to personalize the script. When saying goodnight to his daughter, her reciprocating line was originally something more generic. Inspired by his own interactions with his real-life kids, Robert Downey Jr. suggested the line should be changed to "I love you 3,000", something which he then brings up to Pepper Potts in a joking gloat.
It's hard not to hand it to Robert Downey Jr. for making a positive impact on the script yet again here. The personality and specificity of "I love you 3,000" does sound like something a kid would actually say, it is all the more heartbreaking as a refrain prior to Tony Stark's untimely demise. With this suggestion to the script, Robert Downey Jr. helped create one of the MCU's biggest tearjerker moments.
5 "Please Be A Secret Door..." Avengers: Age of Ultron

For all the problems Avengers: Age of Ultron had, the simple opening sequence of the Avengers tearing through a HYDRA base was an amazing intro. One of the rare moments in which the team easily works together to take down a threat with little issue, the scene gave each Avenger the chance to show off their personality. That goes double for Tony Stark, who once again benefits from some Robert Downey Jr. improvisation when searching for a secret door in the HYDRA compound.
Peppering in his search with some humor, Iron Man mutters "Please be a secret door, please be a secret door..." while searching, which has the added benefit of letting the audience know what he's supposed to be doing. His conversation with himself makes it all the funnier when he actually does find a secret door, followed by a weak "Yay!" also improvised by Downey. Editors took the time to insert this final line as ADR, being hilarious enough to be worth an inclusion in the final edit.
4 "That Man Is Playing Galaga." The Avengers

Iron Man's narration in Avengers: Age of Ultron is far from the furthest MCU filmmakers were willing to go in order to include a last-minute joke by Robert Downey Jr. One of the biggest laughs in The Avengers came from a quip in the Helicarrier, in which Tony Stark accuses a random S.H.I.E.L.D. employee of playing the hit Namco arcade classic Galaga at his desk. After the gang leave, the camera pans over to reveal that he wasn't kidding, as one of the employees returns to his game.
This line was totally improvised by Robert Downey Jr., keeping up the levity throughout The Avengers. Producers loved the joke enough that they were willing to digitally alter footage to include gameplay of Galaga on one of the Helicarrier consoles, yet another example of Downey's ad-libbing altering the final product of the film. Funnily enough, Galaga is all about defending humanity from alien invaders, mirroring the plot of The Avengers quite well.
3 "Have You Ever Tried Shawarma?" The Avengers

It's one thing to alter existing footage for the sake of one of Robert Downey Jr.'s jokes, but The Avengers was willing to totally change its post-credits scene to literally cater to his unique brand of humor. The original post-credits scene of The Avengers was supposed to be far different, with Tony Stark making an impactful speech following the Battle of New York. However, Downey opted to forgo this soliloquy in favor of asking the rest of the Avengers if they wanted to try shawarma, a delicious middle eastern dish.
Sure enough, producers were ecstatic enough about the line to completely re-think the post-credits scene of the movie. Cutting it close to the wire of The Avengers' release date, the film added on another scene of the Avengers getting shawarma. The scene ended up paying off, showing off the more human side to the superhero team after such an exhausting battle.
2 "Mmm, The Smell Of Stale Beer And Defeat." The Incredible Hulk

The Avengers wasn't the only time that Robert Downey Jr.'s antics were allowed to run wild on a post-credits scene. In a seldom-remembered post-credits scene following The Incredible Hulk, Tony Stark visits General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross to discuss the titular rage monster. Here, both Robert Downey Jr. and William Hurt were given little in the way of pre-written lines, instead given a loose parameter of conversation to pursue in-character.
Downey brilliantly opens up the conversation by walking into the hazy bar Ross is drowning his sorrows in, commenting "Mmm, the smell of stale beer and defeat." He goes on to chastise the general for his attempts to revive the super-soldier program, which was mothballed for good reason, before ultimately expressing interest in The Hulk. Scenes like this truly demonstrate just how phenomenal Robert Downey Jr.'s acting skill is, able to carry entire scenes with his wit alone.
1 "Adults Are Talking." Avengers: Infinity War

As great as Spider-Man and Iron Man's banter is in Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming, Avengers: Infinity War is where the two's camaraderie truly gets the chance to talk. Here, Spider-Man draws the ire of Iron Man after he hitches a ride into space on Ebony Maw's ship, hoping to help the Avengers with the existential threat of Thanos. This infuriates Tony Stark, who doesn't wish to see Peter killed in the ensuing chaos.
Still angry at him during his conversation with Doctor Strange, Tony Stark snips at Peter Parker when he attempts to butt in, telling him to be quiet while the "adults" talk. This line was another total ad-lib by Robert Downey jr., who knew how to quickly and comically shut down his young impressionable mentee. This snarky line totally encompasses the personality of Iron Man as channeled through Robert Downey Jr.'s ability to think on his feet in a given scene.
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