RDJ’s Batman Begins Casting Would Have Hurt Both DC & The MCU

Robert Downey Jr. has revealed that he tried out for a role in Batman Begins, but his casting in the 2005 movie might have had a detrimental impact on the future MCU and DC Universe superhero franchises. Robert Downey Jr. debuted as Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man, back in the first project in Marvel Studios’ MCU, 2008’s Iron Man. Tony Stark went on to become a key figure in the MCU, becoming a founding member of the Avengers, and eventually saving the universe by sacrificing his own life. However, things almost went very differently in Robert Downey Jr.’s superhero career.

As Marvel Studios’ Tony Stark, Robert Downey Jr. set himself up for the perfect comeback story in Hollywood, following several years of controversy surrounding the actor. It’s possible that this redemption wasn’t specifically thanks to Tony Stark’s Iron Man, but the hero’s likability, charisma and sarcastic wit gave Downey Jr. the opportunity to really show his full range, which is perhaps something that he wouldn’t have been able to accomplish in a different superhero franchise. Interestingly, however, Downey Jr. has recently revealed that he was almost cast in a role that would have made his adventures as Iron Man impossible.

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RDJ’s Batman Begins Casting Would Have Hurt Both DC & The MCU

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Robert Downey Jr Was Almost Cast In Batman Begins

Tony Stark with his Iron Man hand in 2008's Iron Man

Following a lengthy period of turmoil in Robert Downey Jr.’s personal and professional life, the actor began his resurgence in the early-2000s, appearing in projects such as The Singing Detective, Gothika, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and Good Night, and Good Luck. This coincided with the emergence of major superhero franchises, as 20th Century Fox, Sony and Warner Bros. had already been producing live-action adaptations of stories and characters from Marvel and DC Comics. In 2006, Robert Downey Jr. was cast as Tony Stark’s Iron Man for Marvel Studios’ first project, which solidified his comeback, but this almost went very differently.

In a clip shared by Griffin Schiller from the @am_cinematheque conversation on February 4, 2024, Robert Downey Jr. revealed that Tony Stark wasn’t the first superhero comic character he had intended to portray. Instead, Downey Jr. revealed that he met with acclaimed director Christopher Nolan for the role of Dr. Jonathan Crane, a.k.a. Scarecrow, in 2005’s Batman Begins, the first installment of Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. Downey Jr. was beaten to the role by Cillian Murphy, his Oppenheimer co-star and fellow Academy Award nominee, which ultimately was the best choice for the character, and for Robert Downey Jr.

RDJ as Tony Stark looking sideways in Iron Man and Christian Bale's Batman walking amid bats in Batman Begins

Robert Downey Jr Reveals He Lost Major Role In Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy

Robert Downey Jr. has revealed that he lost a major role in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy before becoming Iron Man for Marvel Studios.

RDJ Was Never Right For Batman Begins’ Scarecrow

While there’s no doubt that Robert Downey Jr. would have pulled off an impressive performance as Jonathan Crane’s Scarecrow in Batman Begins, this casting would have removed the brilliant talent of Cillian Murphy from the role. Murphy’s Scarecrow has been widely recognized as one of the most sinister and psychological villains in modern-day superhero cinema, as Murphy brought a level of otherworldliness to the character that Robert Downey Jr. would have found hard to replicate. Downey Jr. may have been able to deliver an interesting performance, but it’s hard to imagine anyone doing a better job than Murphy.

Even as the straight-laced Jonathan Crane, Cillian Murphy mastered a sense of screen presence and quiet charisma that made it difficult to watch anyone else. A master of manipulation, and perhaps one of superhero cinema’s first intelligent, scheming villains, rather than being an imposing and physically challenging threat, Murphy’s Crane struck the perfect balance between terror and reasoning. In the same way that it would perhaps be difficult to imagine Cillain Murphy portraying the MCU’s Tony Stark, Robert Downey Jr. likely wouldn’t have been able to capture the right level of subtlety necessary for Batman Begins’ Jonathan Crane.

Batman Begins

PG-13

Release Date: June 10, 2005
Director: Christopher Nolan
Runtime: 2h 20m

RDJ’s Scarecrow Would Have Hurt His Perfect Iron Man Casting

In the same way that having Robert Downey Jr. portray Jonathan Crane in the Dark Knight trilogy would have eliminated Cillian Murphy’s brilliant performance as the villain, this role also would have made it difficult – or impossible – for Downey Jr. to star as Tony Stark’s Iron Man in the MCU. Murphy’s Scarecrow appeared in all three movies in the Dark Knight trilogy: 2005’s Batman Begins, 2008’s The Dark Knight and 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises. Had Downey Jr. assumed this role, this would’ve made committing to portraying Iron Man from his 2006 casting until 2019’s Avengers: Endgame impractical.

This means that it’s likely Marvel Studios and Iron Man director Jon Favreau would have cast someone else in the role of Tony Stark, and there were several potential candidates for Iron Man back in the day, including Sam Rockwell, Timothy Olyphant and Jim Caviezel. This would have stripped the MCU of Robert Downey Jr.’s charisma, which is arguably something that kept many audience members interested in the franchise’s early days. Downey Jr. became synonymous with the character of Tony Stark’s Iron Man, but this could have been lost had he taken the role of Scarecrow in Batman Begins.