Robert Downey Jr Celebrates 17 Years of MCU With Special Call To Marvel’s Next Star

To celebrate the 17 years of MCU history and the franchise's latest release, OG star Robert Downey Jr. (RDJ) shared a special call with Marvel Studios' newest leading star. Downey is showing no signs of slowing down with Marvel Studios, now taking on a role as Doctor Doom after leading the way as Tony Stark for over a decade. Always one to propel the next generation forward, he is taking a moment to hype up what the MCU has to offer next.

Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. posted a video call between himself and Ironheart star Dominique Thorne to celebrate the release of Thorne's solo Ironheart series. RDJ has put forth a great effort in promoting the MCU's final Phase 5 project, even while being busy with his work as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday. As Ironheart preps for its own debut, the show's spiritual predecessor continues to celebrate new releases with fans and cast members alike.

Shared on Downey and Marvel Studios' Instagram accounts, Downey and Thorne appear on a video call with each other, in which Thorne mentions Downey's late father's birthday to him. He then turns the conversation to Ironheart's debut on Disney+, which is only hours away from becoming official:

Downey: "Good morning. Guess why I'm calling? It’s June 24th, which is…"

Thorne: "It's dad's birthday. Happy birthday, yeah."

Downey: "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: "Oh, my God. Thank you, thank you for the call."

He then looked at the bigger picture for the MCU, noting how it has been "17 years from the birth of the MCU" until now and commenting on how fond he is of Thorne. Smiling with her throughout, he congratulated the Ironheart actress for her accomplishment and confirmed he will be watching her show "with the world:"

Downey: "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."

Thorne: "Oh my god, ok, yes, we will."

Downey: "'Ironheart,' let’s go!"

Downey and Thorne's full video can be seen below:

While Downey is not expected to appear in Ironheart, Tony Stark is an unquestioned influence for Riri Williams' work in the MCU, which started in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The characters are inevitably linked to one another, and Downey has shared his support for the show's stars on numerous occasions over the years ahead of the show's debut.

Behind Dominique Thorne, Ironheart will highlight Riri Williams' solo story as a superhero following her MCU debut in Black Panther 2. Alongside Anthony Ramos and Alden Ehrenreich, and produced by Ryan Coogler, Riri will continue her studies at MIT before returning to her hometown roots in Chicago as she develops her technology to new heights. Ironheart's first three episodes will stream on Disney+ on Tuesday, June 24.

Will Ironheart Be the Next Hit on Disney+ for the MCU?

While Dominique Thorne is certainly hoping to have Ironheart stand on her own apart from Iron Man, seeing this level of support from Downey can only help her solo series as it gets ready to debut. Considering Downey is still an active player in the MCU courtesy of his own epic comeback in the next Avengers movie, his publicly proping up Thorne and her castmates is nothing to sneeze at.

While Thorne is already teasing a potential interaction with Downey's Doom in Doomsday, the main focus is on her MCU return in Ironheart as she tackles her own solo story. Seeing her develop her Iron Man-esque tech while still finding herself alongside her family and friends, this series will add yet another exciting young superhero into MCU lore as youngsters take over the spotlight.

Ironheart will also give Riri Williams a chance to do something Tony never quite did, as she will fight enemies who use magic as their primary weapon rather than advanced tech or anything alien. While the show will also use legacy characters (one tied back to Iron Man villain Obadiah Stane), Riri will have no shortage of challenges ahead of her as she pushes forward in her MCU journey.

Considering the mixed reviews Ironheart has received from critics ahead of its debut, the show should draw a huge crowd to see how it compares to the rest of MCU history.