Oppenheimer Is Robert Downey Jr.’s Best Performance Since The MCU Began 15 Years Ago

Robert Downey Jr. became one of Hollywood’s stars by playing Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but he pulled off his best performance since before the MCU began by playing Lewis Strauss in Oppenheimer. Playing Iron Man helped fuel Downey’s Hollywood comeback after his drug addiction practically destroyed his career. For over a decade, his performances as Tony Stark played a crucial role in how Marvel changed how studios approached filmmaking and made him a bigger star than ever before. However, the full extent of Downey’s acting abilities were on display from the start until Oppenheimer‘s ending.

The role in Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster has seen Downey receive praise for his work. It comes on the heels of ending a miraculous run as Iron Man in the MCU, which saw the A-list actor play Tony Stark in 10 Marvel movies over the course of 11 years. Robert Downey Jr.’s time as Iron Man officially came to a close with Avengers: Endgame, and his absence from the superhero genre left many excited to see what types of performances and characters he would deliver after. Now with Oppenheimer positioning him as a frontrunner for the 2024 Oscars Best Supporting Actor award, he’s delivered his best performance in over a decade.

Robert Downey Jr.’s Performance In Oppenheimer Is Better Than Any MCU Appearance

Yes, even better than Iron Man or Avengers: Endgame

Robert Downey Jr. consistently brought his A-game as Tony Stark/Iron Man, which helped the Marvel Cinematic Universe become the juggernaut it was from 2008 to 2019. While Downey will likely be remembered most for playing the quippy superhero, he outdid himself in Oppenheimer. His performance as Lewis Strauss is a stark contrast from Tony Stark. He’s reserved, jealous, and, most of all, vicious as he works in the shadows in his rivalry with J. Robert Oppenheimer. Downey gets to portray such a vindictive egotist without raising his voice in the slightest. That’s why his performance was so chilling.

Since Downey was still known for playing Iron Man, it came off as all the more shocking to see him in such an antagonistic role after being the hero for as many years as he was. What made Strauss so captivating as a villain is that it all stemmed from being outshined by Oppenheimer. Strauss was not trying to hurt Oppenheimer for the good of humanity, but to bring him down once and for all for the sin of being better than him. Downey works as one of Oppenheimer‘s realistic villains because he is not someone viewers typically see as the villain.

The greatness of Downey Jr.’s performance in Oppenheimer does not take away from any fantastic work he had in the MCU. There is a reason his portrayal of Iron Man became so popular, and it was directly tied to his charismatic and burdened realization of Tony Stark’s life. He might not have ever received any awards nominations for playing Iron Man, but he did exactly what was necessary to make the character work and connect with so many viewers. His debut in Iron Man and finale in Avengers: Endgame are particularly memorable performances, with the latter at one point at least raising questions about whether he should be nominated.

RDJ’s Recent Non-MCU Movies Leaned Into His Humor, Not Dramatic Ability

Downey’s other movies focused on his comedic timing

After making his comeback in 2008 with Iron Man, Downey wasn’t involved in many movies outside of Marvel, but the projects he was involved in tended to be comedies. That wasn’t necessarily for the worse, as Downey received an Oscar nomination for his arguably controversial role in Tropic Thunder. Following up Iron Man with the Sherlock Holmes movies, he continued to prove that he was a leading man. However, they overshadowed his efforts as a dramatic actor during that time.

Downey appeared in the occasional dramas, like The Soloist and The Judge, but they were certainly more rare. While Downey’s performances in those films were received well, they weren’t nearly the same commercial hits as Marvel movies, Tropic Thunder, Sherlock Holmes, and Chef. Since his more comedic movies often led to great box office success, Hollywood began to mostly covet Downey for those types of movies. While Downey certainly is funny, it’s a shame that he was not given or did not take the opportunity to showcase his dramatic chops more often between joining the MCU and Oppenheimer.

Oppenheimer Is A Turning Point For Robert Downey Jr.’s Career

His upcoming projects are more drama-focused

With Oppenheimer serving as a good reminder of how good of a dramatic actor he is, it appears Downey is pouncing on the opportunity to demonstrate further how versatile an actor he is. Downey will play multiple supporting antagonist roles in the upcoming HBO comedy-drama miniseries The Sympathizer. Despite Downey being the biggest name in the series, he is not the star of the show and instead plays at least four roles. Taking another major supporting role in a dramatic project proves the impact that Oppenheimer had on where he envisions his career going from here.

Even though Downey does not have any additional dramatic projects lined up after Oppenheimer and The Sympathizer, it seems these types of projects are what he’s most interested in now. Downey’s time in the MCU left him with a wealth of riches after successfully building up his star power again as Iron Man. Now that those days are behind him, the actor appears happy and willing to take a backseat to other actors for the right project and role that showcases the full range of his acting abilities.

Is Oppenheimer Robert Downey Jr.’s Best Career Performance?

There are some older performances worthy of that title

Even before he played Lewis Strauss, Sherlock Holmes, and Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. had quite an acting pedigree, making any discussion about his best performance worthy of debate. This includes the actor’s original Academy Award nomination in 1992 for Best Actor for his performance as Charlie Chaplin. There is also reason to recognize the work Downey did in movies like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Tropic Thunder, and Zodiac when talking about his best career performances. Oppenheimer firmly belongs in that conversation, with arguments also to be made for Avengers: Endgame.

Although Downey Jr.’s Chaplin performance was Oscar-worthy and he was also nominated for Tropic Thunder, it is more than fair to discuss Oppenheimer‘s claim to being the best the actor has ever been. The movie proved to be a brilliant reminder of Downey’s ability to be a dramatic actor capable of delivering awards-worthy performances, something that was easy to forget the longer his MCU tenure continued. While individuals can certainly continue debating what Robert Downey Jr.’s best performance is, Oppenheimer making him an Oscar winner would go a long way in ending the arguments.