If there’s a defining blockbuster performance of the 21st century, it’s Robert Downey Jr.’s snarky, nimble turn in the 2008 blockbuster “Iron Man.” As Tony Stark, the arrogant tech billionaire turned selfish hero, Downey improbably regained A-list, household name fame in his 40s, following highly publicized setbacks with addiction throughout his career. More broadly, his sarcastic, self-aware take on the superhero genre became a lynchpin and touchstone for the broader Marvel Cinematic Universe and its sitcom-esque, unserious tone, defining the tone of superhero films for a solid decade to come. It’s a development that you either liked or hated, although it’s hard to deny that Downey himself proved eminently charismatic and watchable in that mode.

After playing Stark in many “Iron Man” movies across the MCU — he appeared as the character 10 times between 2008 and 2019 — Downey Jr. firmly exited the cinematic universe with “Avengers: Endgame,” which killed his character off permanently.