When filming a scene in the 2019 MCU blockbuster Avengers: Endgame, Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr. took a moment to commend Thor actor Chris Hemsworth, a moment Hemsworth remembered fondly in a recent interview.
Endgame marked the presumed end of Tony Stark's character arc in the MCU, and thus Downey's active role in the casts of Marvel movies — though that isn't to say his impact and closeness with the cast is no longer present.
While the movie also served as an end for Chris Evans' Steve Rogers, who along with Downey and Hemsworth starred in the full trilogies of the MCU's Infinity Saga Hemsworth has continued playing Thor into the current Multiverse Saga. Most recently, audiences saw Thor in his fourth solo movie, Thor: Love and Thunder, this past summer.
Chris Hemsworth's Praise-Worthy Endgame Performance
In a recent interview with Josh Horowitz for "Happy Sad Confused," Chris Hemsworth (Thor) shared a story of how after filming the scene in Avengers: Endgame during which Thor laid out his life story and discuss all he had lost, Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man) took a moment to applaud his co-star.
Hemsworth delivered his monologue in character as the depression-ridden "dad bod" Thor when Downey told him that "a few times in your career, you have little moments where you hit the bullseye and it’s like… you’re in the sweet spot ... enjoy it:'"
Horowtiz: “Have you ever felt like really, I don’t know when with that character, but like I would imagine like ironically some of the most dramatic stuff you did was like as that [version of] Thor. And being in that and having to deliver these really dramatic emotional moments, I’m sure on set, you’re like, ’Wait, is this gonna work?’”
Hemsworth: “Yeah, you’re always like, ‘Is this gonna work, you know?’ I mean, I remember that scene [in Avengers: Endgame] where I sort of start breaking down, pitching everyone the mission, and talking about my family, and who died, and so on… just little moments like that in your career where just everything lines up, and there was a bit of improv, and so on. And I think it ended with me saying, ‘I want a Bloody Mary,’ to Downey, and he said to me, ‘How do you feel?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I forgot, it’s pretty special.’ He goes, ‘Every now and then, a little like… a few times in your career, you have little moments where you hit the bullseye and it’s like… you’re in the sweet spot.’ And he said, ‘Oh, enjoy it.’ And… I really appreciated that, because I definitely felt something special about that moment… but who am I to judge, you know? And so, to have the godfather lean over and say, ’Well done, son…’”
When jokingly asked whether he was the type of actor that acts confident after a take, Hemsworth jested that he tells the crew to "pack it up:"
Horowitz: “You’re not the type that at the end of a take that you feel like nailed it and be like, ’We got it guys. Moving on. We did it.’”
Hemsworth: “Yeah, big fist pump. Woo. 'Why are we still filming? Pack it up. We got it.’”
RDJ's Impact on Marvel's Current Stars
Iron Man's role in shaping the modern MCU is profound and important. And as this interaction between Downey and Hemsworth shows, Downey's impact extends far beyond how successful a specific movie ends up being.
As Hemsworth said in the interview, it was meaningful "to have the godfather [Downey] lean over and say, ’Well done, son…’”
Downey's nickname as "the godfather" is representative of this large-scale impact he has had on the stars of the Multiverse Saga. Spider-Man actor Tom Holland has said in past interviews that Downey is in his phone under this nickname. It is a fitting name, given that Downey both started the family that is the cast of the modern MCU, and has acted as a mentor and a Godfather-figure to the current stars.
With the introduction of Ironheart in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Iron Man's legacy continues to be secured in-universe, while Downey's legacy and continued impact are felt among the movies' casts.
Avengers: Endgame is now streaming on Disney+.
Gillian Blum has been a writer at The Direct since 2022, reporting primarily from New York City. Though she covers news from across the entertainment industry, Gillian has a particular focus on Marvel and DC, including comics, movies, and television shows. She also commonly reports on Percy Jackson, Invincible, and other similar franchises.
