“Sometimes you gotta run before you can walk.”
– Tony Stark (Iron Man)
I don’t consider myself a huge Marvel fan, but I have watched most of the movies over the years. I remember not being the biggest fan of Iron Man at first, but the movie eventually started to grow on me. The movie itself was good, the special effects were better, and the plot was acceptable, but it is the making of the movie where I draw my inspiration.
There are several sources that have confirmed, including Robert Downey Jr. and the director Jon Favreau, that Robert Downey Jr. was not initially wanted for the part. It actually took a lot of effort and ended up being a huge risk to have him take part in the project. With such a toxic past, there were those who believed that he was not worth the risk, and had that belief continued, Iron Man would not have been what it became.
Iron Man wasn’t just the start of one of the most successful franchises in cinematic history. It was a beautiful and real-life redemption story for a man whose future was uncertain. Uncertainty can be scary. You can live a life in a certain way for so long that the thought of any other way to live is frightening. There is no social class that is exempt from this hardship and it was inspirational to watch this movie and see Robert turn things around.
Just because you are smart, talented, good-looking, or come from “good stock,” doesn’t mean everything is always going to work out for you all the time. Sometimes, the path to success isn’t just upward. There are certainly times when it is more complicated than it seems. The existence of the movie Iron Man with Robert Downey Jr. is proof that failure doesn’t have to be permanent. Not if you are willing to try again.
Journeyman's Legacy 