Robert Downey Jr. Welcomes MCU’s New Hero in Heartfelt Call Celebrating 17 Years of the MCU
Robert Downey Jr. recently marked a major moment in Marvel history by calling Dominique Thorne, the lead star of Ironheart, ahead of the show’s premiere. The Marvel Cinematic Universe just hit its 17-year anniversary, and Downey made it special by passing the torch to the franchise’s next big hero.
Downey, known for playing Tony Stark for over a decade, has taken on a new role as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday. Still, he remains a major part of the Marvel family. To support the launch of Ironheart, he got on a video call with Thorne, which was shared on his and Marvel Studios’ Instagram accounts.
During the call, Downey started by pointing out the date.
“Good morning. Guess why I’m calling? It’s June 24th, which is…”
Thorne quickly responded with a smile,
“It’s dad’s birthday. Happy birthday, yeah.”
Downey then laughed and added,
“My dad’s birthday, thanks for your consideration. Also, God, you’ve been doing too much press. ‘Ironheart’ premieres today! It’s all been leading to this, isn’t that exciting?”
Thorne seemed touched by the gesture.
“Oh, my God. Thank you, thank you for the call.”
Downey took a moment to reflect on the MCU’s long journey and praised Thorne.
“17 years from the birth of the MCU to the premiere of ‘Ironheart,’ and we’re in this love together. So psyched. I’ve grown so fond of you, it’s bananas. Congratulations, I’ll be watching it with the world, and we’ll keep each other posted, yeah.”
To wrap up, he added,
“‘Ironheart,’ let’s go!”
Although Downey doesn’t appear in Ironheart, his legacy as Tony Stark continues to influence the story. Thorne’s character, Riri Williams, is a young inventor who follows in Stark’s footsteps. Her debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever set the stage for this solo series.
Now, Ironheart dives into Riri’s journey as a rising superhero. She’s shown developing her tech skills at MIT before returning home to Chicago. The series also features Anthony Ramos and Alden Ehrenreich and is produced by Ryan Coogler. The first three episodes are now available to stream on Disney+.
It’s great to see Robert Downey Jr. still involved with the MCU in such a meaningful way. His support for new stars like Dominique Thorne shows how much he cares about the future of the franchise. Moments like this keep the Marvel universe feeling like one big family.
What do you think of RDJ’s call to Dominique Thorne? Are you excited for Ironheart? Let us know in the comments!