Robert Downey Jr. Picks the Action Movie He Says Is the Worst of All Time

Robert Downey Jr. became a major part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe starting in 2008. His role as a brilliant but arrogant genius helped turn the franchise into a global phenomenon.

As the central figure of the Avengers, he shared the screen with Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, and Scarlett Johansson. Many fans see his character as the heart of the entire superhero series.

But Downey Jr. has been in Hollywood for decades, beginning as a child actor in the 1970s. Before becoming a major action star, he worked with big-name directors like John Hughes, Oliver Stone, Richard Attenborough, and Robert Altman.

His early roles were all over the place, and it took some time before he found a love for action films. He has been very open about projects he didn’t enjoy. One movie he didn’t like at all was the 1998 thriller U.S. Marshals.

He worked with Tommy Lee Jones and Wesley Snipes, but later called the film “possibly the worst action movie of all time.” In the book The Fall and Rise of the Comeback Kid by Ben Falk, Downey Jr. explained how that role affected him personally.

He said, “You’ve had a traumatic year, you’ve been practically suicidal — what do you think would be really healing for you? How about like twelve weeks of running around as Johnny Handgun?

I think that if you talk to a spirit guide, they would say, ‘That’ll kill you.’” He also talked about wanting more meaningful work, saying, “I thought maybe there was something I was missing, and what I really needed to do was to be in one of those films that I love taking my kid to. It would end up being really depressing.”

Financially, U.S. Marshals did okay, making $102 million on a $45 million budget, but compared to his later Marvel hits, it’s barely remembered. Now, Downey Jr. is returning to the MCU in a surprising role. He won’t play Iron Man again.

Instead, he will be the famous villain Doctor Doom in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, the film is set to release on December 18. He will also appear in the follow-up, Avengers: Secret Wars, planned for December 2027.

Besides his movie projects, Downey Jr. remains a big name in Hollywood. He has been chosen as one of the presenters for the 98th Academy Awards this March, and fans can’t wait to see what he has in store.

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