Robert Downey Jr. once gave a blunt two-word assessment of what he’d be doing if he wasn’t a Hollywood superstar.

You can probably already tell that this story relates to RDJ’s days before he was a Marvel superstar, when he struggled with addiction and almost fell into a life of crime.

Robert Downey Jr. has a checkered past

Before he was the star of the Avengers series as Iron Man, starring in critically acclaimed films like Oppenheimer, or even in his controversial role in Tropic Thunder, RDJ was quite a tearaway.

He struggled with substance misuse in the past and was even arrested on a number of occasions in relation to that.

It isn’t a secret that Downey Jr. was involved in drugs during the 1990s and 2000s, and he’s completed several treatment programs to get clean, which he thankfully now is.

In fact, he’s even at the stage where he has spoken openly about it.

The brutal two-word assessment of what his life could be came during a roundtable interview for The Hollywood Reporter in which he sat with Mark Ruffalo, Andrew Scott, and Colman Domingo.

The discussion turned to what their careers could have been, and while the others might have managed to hold down normal jobs, RDJ said something different.

He simply said he’d be doing ‘hard time’.

Of course, everyone laughed, but it’s not exactly a joke.

Domingo asked him: "I want to know what crimes you would have committed though."

RDJ responded: "A trumped up felony - possession again.”

Credit: Al Seib/A.M.P.A.S./Getty

RDJ has been behind bars, so he knows what he’s talking about

The 60-year-old spent a year or so in prison back in 1999 after he was arrested for possession of heroin, cocaine, and an unloaded Magnum firearm.

He was given three years, but ended up doing 15 months.

Still, that would be enough for most people to realize they don’t want to go back.

Downey Jr. has admitted that time was the ‘worst thing that happened to me’.

He said it was like ‘being sent to a distant planet where there is no way home until the planets align’.

He explained: "You could just feel the evil in the air, and that was no trouble at all because it was kind of like just being in a really bad neighborhood,

"There was no opportunity there. There was only threats."

In the end, this story has a happy ending, and Downey Jr. thanks his wife Susan for her support during some seriously dark times.

In a joke during his acceptance speech for his Oppenheimer Oscar - Best Supporting Actor - he said: "I'd like to thank my veterinarian - I meant wife - Susan Downey over there. She found me, a snarling rescue pet, and loved me back to life. That's why I am here. Thank you."

If you or someone you know is battling addiction, please reach out for help and contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA's) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (1-800-662-4357) or go to https://findtreatment.gov/

Featured image credit: Jesse Grant/Getty

Robert Downey Jr. has sent his fans into a frenzy after reportedly unfollowing his Marvel co-stars on Instagram.

The actor, 56, recently unfollowed Marvel actors including Tom Holland, 25, and his apparent good friend Chris Evans, 40, which has caused many fans to speculate about what's going on.

He last reprised his role as the superhero Iron Man in the 2019 movie Avengers: Endgame, concluding the Infinity Saga.

The unfollowing comes just days before the release of Scarlett Johansson's first standalone Marvel movie, Black Widow, which is hitting theatres on July 9, per the New York Post.

Reacting to the unfollowing on Twitter, one Marvel fan tweeted Downey Jr., writing: "I don't know what's happening Mr Stark... WHYYY DID YOUU UNFOLLOW THE MARVEL CAST ON INSTAGRAM? [sic]"

A second added: "rdj why did u unfollow the whole marvel cast OPEN UP I JUST WANNA TALK."

A third wrote: "I was curious about Downey's profile on Instagram and I saw that he unfollowed about 20 people and those people were Marvel actors! Robert Downey Jr are you ok?"

However, while Downey Jr.'s actions on Instagram might have sent his fans into meltdown, he still follows his former co-stars on Twitter, where he has since been active.

Now, some have speculated that the unfollowing wasn't the result of a behind-the-scenes Marvel fallout, but the actions of a new social media manager.

One fan tweeted alongside a broken heart emoji: "I think it's a new social manager or something. And it's turning more into a business thing now. He even changed his header on here."

A second agreed, noting that Downey Jr. no longer followers any other actors, writing: "What is wrong with Robert Downey Jr changing his instagram into business account and unfollowing all his friends [sic]."

Then there was this Twitter user who thinks people should have better things to do than monitor who celebrities are following on social media.

They wrote: "The fact that people are publicly freaking out about Robert Downey Jr. unfollowing MCU people on Instagram, as if that is the end-all be-all determinant of someone's friendship with someone else, is why I don't take humanity seriously, by and large. Come on, people."

What do you think?

Featured image credit: Everett Collection Inc / Alamy Stock Photo

A former retail worker has gone viral on social media this week after speaking about the positive experience they had while meeting actor Robert Downey Jr.

The story began when TikTok user @missbeifong took the platform earlier this week to ask her fellow TikToker to share some pleasant experiences they've had with celebrities in the past.

Her post quickly picked up a lot of traction, accruing over 62,000 likes and a further 2,000 comments from other TikTok users.

However, a man named Zak Hayden responded to the request for positive celebrity encounters by recounting an anecdote of his own, in a video which he captioned: "This story will be on my tombstone."

In the video in question, Hayden claims that the Iron Man actor visited the high-end fashion store he was working in to buy Christmas gifts prior to the pandemic.

As Downey Jr. entered the store, a polite Hayden complemented the actor's jacket.

Then, upon leaving the store, the 55-year-old star kindly took off his coat and gifted it to Hayden - completely free of charge.

Hayden even held up the article of clothing to the camera and stated proudly: "And this is it, and I have Robert Daddy Jr.’s jacket. I have Iron Man’s jacket, I feel like Peter Parker!"

Suffice it to say, but a number of other TikTok users were suitably (pun unintended) impressed by Hayden's story, and his video now boasts over one million views and more than 5,000 comments as of the time of writing.

For instance, one person wrote: "I want a gift from Robert Daddy JR. i'm so jealous. [sic]"

A second person wrote: "The best thing is that one simple thing someone else did made your day. What you don't know is that it probably made his too. [sic]"

Meanwhile, someone else wrote: "He does indeed have the best celebrity story you'll ever hear in your entire life. [sic]"

Another person chimed in: "I didn't think I could love RDJ more [...] this is amazing. [sic]"

Meanwhile, another person wrote: "I would be sooo torn between never taking it off and putting it in a shadow box shrine to display to the world. [sic]"

Finally, someone else wrote: "Quick question... can you 'iron' that jacket?" in a reference to the actor's role as Marvel character, "Iron Man" Tony Stark.

I guess it's moments like this that prove that sometimes the people cast as superheroes can be every bit as heroic as the people they play, huh?

The whopping amount of cash that Robert Downey Jr's return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going to earn him has just been reported - and let's just say, people are not happy about it at all.

Robert Downey Jr. speaks onstage at the Marvel Studios Panel during 2024 Comic-Con International at San Diego Convention Center. Credit: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty

Now, when we first heard that the actor, who is best known for his role as Iron Man in the iconic Marvel franchise, was set to make a return to the MCU, we were all left brimming with excitement.

Despite being known as one of the "good guys" in the superhero world, his new role sees him take on an entirely separate character who has more villainous tones than the character we're used to seeing him play.

Downey announced his return alongside the Russo brothers by unmasking himself as Doctor Doom onstage at Comic-Con, much to the delight of the fans in attendance.

Downey announced he would be returning to the MCU, much to the delight of some Marvel fans. Credit: Jesse Grant/Getty/Disney

However, the online reception was slightly crueler, with many pointing out that his return deal allegedly included a private jet, a private security team, and a “trailer encampment,” as per a new report published by Variety.

Sources also stated that the 59-year-old is set to make more than $100 million for this new venture, a fact that other fans aren't pleased about.

Sources revealed that the actor would be getting approximately 80 million dollars for his new role. Credit: Jesse Grant/Getty/Disney

"On one hand, good on RDJ for securing the bag of the century. On the other hand, this makes Bob Iger and co proclaiming poverty last year during the strikes more laughable/indefensible. If you can shell out $80M+ for one person, why couldn't you meet SAG's reasonable demands?" wrote one user on X, while another added: "Something stupid like half of all regular TV and Film workers are unemployed right now, and those of us who are working have had our rates cut and our hours increased to even more unsafe levels, but RDJ gets $80mil plus whatever else he wants lmao, this industry is so f*****."

Tyler Scruggs, a costume production assistant who worked on projects such as Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, also chimed in on the conversation and recently went viral on the platform after he opened up about the rates he was paid for working in Marvel jobs.

However, he received a lot of backlash, with many pointing out that he's not famous enough to be asking for more.

Speaking to Yahoo! Entertainment, he said that he’s been keeping track of the backlash he’s received for the post stating that he knows he’s “not Robert Downey Jr.”

“I know he gets butts in seats,” Scruggs told the outlet. "Even a low-paying job brought some level of prestige. It looks good on a resume, but I can't eat or pay for my health care. I've never been at such a rock bottom in my life."

As a self-proclaimed "Marvel fanboy," Scruggs said that the role was “an honor and a dream” at first, but a few parts of the job make some days extremely difficult to get through.

"Walking around the offices was like [being part of] a DVD special feature — I’m walking by all these iconic costumes every day with the greatest people in the world to ever do it," he said. "But it’s hard to get berated over getting a Sweetgreen order wrong... when you’re making $800 per week when [someone else] is making $10,000."

The costume design assistant also opened up about the fact that some people forget how much work goes into making a vision come to life.

“There's a deeply held belief by so many that there’s just one visionary or genius behind things, and they're unwilling to recognize or respect all the fingerprints that are actually on what we consume every day,” Scruggs continued before going on to note that "[the experience] ended up being a nightmare because the people making decisions at the top don’t consider how they affect the people at the bottom."

Featured Image Credit: Michael Buckner/Variety/Getty

Robert Downey Jr is back in the Marvel Cinematic Universe... but probably not in the way you'd expect!

If for whatever reason you haven't watched Avengers: Endgame, this article will contain spoilers... though it did come out in 2019.

Downey Jr first hit screens in the MCU as Iron Man (Tony Stark) all the way back in 2008, and went on to appear in a further eight movies.

Quickly becoming a fan favorite, the actor called time on his MCU career in 2019 after Iron Man sacrificed his own life to kill Thanos and his army.

His funeral scene was incredibly tear jerking and it seemed like Downey Jr's days in the MCU were over.

Or so we thought...

Downey Jr has now revealed he is set to portray the iconic Fantastic Four villain Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, slated for release in May 2026, and Avengers: Secret Wars, expected in May 2027.

Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige also confirmed that the Russo brothers will direct these highly anticipated films.

The announcement was made in a dramatic ceremony, where two dozen olive-robed men wearing Doctor Doom-like masks joined Feige and the Russo brothers on stage.

"If we’re going to bring Victor Von Doom to the screen — he is one of the more complex characters in all of comics… this is potentially one of the more entertaining characters in all of fiction," said Joe Russo. "If we’re going to do this… then we are going to need the greatest actor in the world."

The audience was on edge as Joe continued: "As proof of the unimaginable possibilities of the Marvel Universe, we give you the one person who could play Victor von Doom..."

A masked man in a green suit then stepped forward and revealed himself to be Downey, receiving immediate and overwhelming applause from the 6,500-plus audience members.

The Russos were earlier introduced as the directors and producers of these new Avengers films. "That four-movie run was incredible," Anthony Russo said, reflecting on their previous Marvel projects, as a montage of their films played on screen.

"And it left us really spent, with all of our emotions on the floor. In the time since, through a very special story, Joe and I have come to potentially see a road forward with you all."

Joe added: "It’s the biggest story that Marvel Comics ever told, it’s the first comic book run that I read as a kid that made me fall in love with comics. It’s the reason why Ant and I are standing up here. And I think you all know the name of it." 

"New mask, same task," Downey Jr quipped to the audience from the stage.

Stephen McFeely, who co-wrote the Russos’ previous Marvel movies with Christopher Markus, will pen the new Avengers movies. 

The reaction to the announcement has been mixed, with some very happy that the actor is returning.

One fan wrote on Instagram: "I’m hyped! Iron man always had this bigger plot to the story and we saw as he took the stones into his power for that brief moment he truly was capable of doing the most! Stan Lee talked about this story line prior and there’s references in comics about it!"

"Today has been good day for us nerds," another remarked.

However, the decision to bring Downey Jr back as a new character isn't sitting well with others.

"Horrible casting. Doom is one of the premier marvel villains, to sideline a mainstream doom for a variant doom is absolutely absurd," one fan said.

Antoher added: "I love RDJ, but I don’t want him as Doom. I don’t know who could portray him, but RDJ will always be Iron Man to me."

Whatever your thoughts, having Downey Jr back with the Russo Brothers is a mixture that has worked very well before!

Featured image credit: Jesse Grant/Getty