Robert Downey Jr Turns Down Cameo in ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’

Robert Downey Jr was offered a cameo role in the highly anticipated ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ crossover but ultimately declined the opportunity. The film’s writers, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, recently disclosed in an interview with IndieWire that they had hoped to bring Downey back into the Marvel fold, reprising his iconic role as Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man.

Reese and Wernick envisioned a scene near the beginning of the film where Deadpool, played by Ryan Reynolds, uses Cable’s time machine to jump into the Sacred Timeline in an attempt to join the Avengers. The sequence involves a meeting with Happy Hogan, portrayed by Jon Favreau, who turns Deadpool down, citing his self-centred nature. The writers had initially intended for Downey to be part of this scene, but the concept was still strong enough to work without him.

Also Read: Henry Cavill Was “Sick to His Stomach” After Smoking Cigars For ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Cameo

“Ryan Reynolds wrote the scene with both of them, so in the hopes we could get Downey,” said Reese. “But he also wanted Favreau, because they’re a great combo, and they were all in the scene together.”

However, unbeknownst to the writers at the time, Marvel had other plans in store for Downey. It was later announced that he would be making a surprising return to the franchise, not as Tony Stark, but as Dr Doom, one of Marvel’s most notorious villains, in the upcoming ‘Avengers: Doomsday.’ This twist made it impossible for Downey to assume the cameo role in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine.’

“Behind the scenes, we didn’t know about the Doctor Doom,” Wernick admitted. “And there’s no way he was going to do both.”

Reese echoed this sentiment, acknowledging that while they would have loved to have Downey in the film, Marvel’s decision to bring him back as Dr Doom made more sense in the grand scheme of things. The idea of Tony Stark returning, only to be reintroduced as Dr Doom, would have been a tricky narrative to navigate.

The writers also toyed with other ideas for the scene, including the possibility of having all the Avengers in the room, with Deadpool delivering his trademark irreverence by verbally attacking each one. Another humorous concept involved Rob Delaney’s character, Peter, effortlessly picking up Thor’s hammer, much to Deadpool’s frustration.