Robert Downey Jr. Asked To Be Left Out Of Oscar Campaigns For Iron Man

Robert Downey Jr. used his superpowers to stop Oscar campaigns for his Tony Stark/Iron Man character.

In an interview on “The Howard Stern Show” Monday (see the video below), the 54-year-old actor made the surprising revelation when Stern complimented his performance in the Marvel franchise as “excellent” and “totally believable.” The host suggested the reason Downey had been deprived of an Oscar nomination for his Iron Man role was because of the movies’ superhero genre.

Downey suggested the push for an Oscar nomination stopped with him.

“I’m so glad you brought this up because there was some talk about it, and I said, ‘Let’s not,’” Downey said in the clip.

“Doing [the Marvel movies] was their own reward,” the actor said. “I don’t know that it’s time or if I am the guy … to have the Academy recognize.”

Downey made the comments after the two dissected director Martin Scorsese’s recent remark that Marvel movies are “not cinema.”

Downey downplayed the criticism, saying that different perspectives were welcome. “I was happy to be part of the problem if there is one,” he said.

“Iron Man,” “Avengers” movies and other spinoffs that Downey has appeared in have reaped billions of dollars since he made his “Iron Man” debut in 2008.

“It is this very large, multiheaded Hydra at this point,” he said.

Downey’s character was killed off in “Avengers: Endgame” but is reportedly returning to Marvel in a “Black Widow” prequel movie.

At least he’ll always have his Oscar nominations for “Chaplin” and “Tropic Thunder.”