Before ‘Iron Man’: Robert Downey Jr. & His Eclectic Early Career

Robert Downey Jr in Iron Man — Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection; 20th Century Fox Licensing/Merchandising / Everett Collection

For the better part of two decades, Robert Downey Jr.’s name, face and distinct charm have been associated with one character: Tony Stark. As the man who helped launch (and stay atop) the billion-dollar Marvel Cinematic Universe, his career-defining portrayal of the man who would be Iron Man has left an indelible mark on an entire generation of fans.

Since his departure from the franchise five years ago, Downey’s efforts have ranged from incredible (he won an Oscar for Oppenheimer, after all) to dismal (box office poison Doolittle went from the big screen to free streaming in what felt like the blink of an eye).

THE PICK-UP ARTIST, Robert Downey Jr., 1987.

The Pick-Up Artist (1987) 20th Century Fox Film Corp./Courtesy Everett Collection

With the recent earth-shattering announcement that Robert Downey Jr. is headed back to the Marvel Universe (to play A-list villain Dr. Doom, no less), it certainly appears he is heading back to the familiar territory where he made his name. However, longtime fans remember that there was a whole lotta Downey before there was a Tony Stark. From battling personal demons on and off screen to breaking out in multiple standout roles, it doesn’t take his old character Sherlock Holmes to discover the fascinating body of work he’s built, even without a super-powered suit of armor.

Take a stroll down memory lane as we highlight a handful of Robert Downey Jr.’s early career highlights that many have forgotten.

Saturday Night Live (1985-86)

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, (l-r): Nora Dunn, Danitra Vance, Randy Quaid, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Michael Hall, Terry Sweeney, Joan Cusack, Jon Lovitz, 1975-present, (c)NBC/courtesy Everett Collection. .

NBC/courtesy Everett Collection. .

Robert Downey Jr., Randy Quaid, Anthony Michael Hall, Joan Cusack, Nora Dunn, Jon Lovitz, Dennis Miller, and Damon Wayans. The list of Saturday Night Live’s new hires for Season 11 sounds like an all-star success story, doesn’t it? Not so much, as writers struggled to collaborate with the new crew, resulting in poor material, low ratings and the eventual canning of almost the entire cast. “I learned so much in that year in what I wasn’t,” Downey said on Off Camera Show With Sam Jones. “I was not somebody who was going to come up with a catchphrase. I was not somebody who was going to do impressions. … I was not of the ilk of the Groundlings. I’ve never been part of any improv group. … But I would still say to this day [interview was in 2019] that there’s not a more exciting 90 minutes you can have.”

Weird Science (1985)

WEIRD SCIENCE, from left: Anthony Michael Hall, Robert Rusler, Robert Downey Jr., Ilan Mitchell-Smith, 1985. © Universal Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection

Universal Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection

Robert Downey was a Brat Packer? His often-forgotten role as a bully in Weird Science (and a subsequent part alongside Molly Ringwald in The Pick-up Artist) placed him in that category for a lot of media outlets, even as his career began to veer in wildly different directions. Here he’s pictured with Anthony Michael Hall (far left), Robert Rusler, and Ilan Mitchell-Smith.

Less Than Zero (1987)

LESS THAN ZERO, Jami Gertz, Robert Downey, Jr., Andrew McCarthy, 1987, TM and Copyright (c) 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. All Rights Reserved

20th Century-Fox Film Corp./Everett Collection

Downey’s terrifying turn alongside Andrew McCarthy as the wealthy, drug-addicted Julian Wells was not only a wake-up call for those who failed to see his powerful acting chops, but also a too-close-to-home glimpse into his future battles with his own addictions, leading to his highly publicized arrest in 1996.

Chaplin (1992)

TriStar/Courtesy Everett Collection

Taking his acting street cred to even loftier heights, Downey’s depiction of one the most iconic performers of all time was fueled by his intense desire for accuracy, even learning how to play violin and play tennis left-handed prior to filming the role. Chaplin earned Downey his first Academy Award nomination, losing out to Al Pacino for his role in Scent of a Woman.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)

Warner Brothers/courtesy Everett Collection

Years before collaborating on the super-slick Iron Man 3, Downey and director Shane Black worked together on this equally cool dark comedy alongside heavyweights like Val Kilmer and Corbin Bernsen. Downey proved to be the perfect leading man for this entertaining mix of sardonic humor and thrilling action, a sign of plenty of “Marvel”-lous things to come.