Robert Downey Jr. says he wishes Elon Musk ‘would control his behavior a little more’
Robert Downey Jr. says he wishes Elon Musk ‘would control his behavior a little more’
Robert Downey Jr. said Elon Musk should “control his behavior a little more,” jabbing the billionaire CEO who has often prompted comparisons with Tony Stark.
It came in a conversation with the podcaster Kara Swisher, who joked that Musk had “cosplaying” as Tony Stark, the Marvel superhero played by Downey Jr. in the “Iron Man” and “Avengers” movies.
The two briefly shared the screen: Musk made a cameo appearance in 2008’s “Iron Man 2,” where he met Stark at the Monaco Grand Prix.
Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, and Elon Musk in “Iron Man 2.”
During the podcast — “On with Kara Swisher” which released on October 21 — Swisher asked Downey Jr. what he thought of Musk “cosplaying Tony Stark.”
She appeared to be referring to Musk’s outspoken style, which overlaps with Stark.
He said: “I’ve only met him a few times. As an almost 60-year-old recovering white American male, I just wish that he would control his behavior a little more, but that’s not on me.
“I know that this idea of ‘It’s all okay ’cause we’ve gotta get to Mars’ doesn’t really hold water with me. But again, you know, you have to look at all that he’s done that demonstrates why he’s valuable.”
In 2022, “Iron Man” writer Mark Fergus told New York Magazine that the film’s interpretation of Stark, who originally debuted in the comics in 1962, had elements of Musk, Donald Trump, and the Apple cofounder, Steve Jobs.
Fergus said: “Musk took the brilliance of Jobs with the showmanship of Trump. He was the only one who had the fun factor and the celebrity vibe and actual business substance.”
Musk went through a period of heightened popularity in pop culture, highlighted by his idea of colonizing Mars, his role as CEO of Tesla, and headline-grabbing products like the Boring Company’s flamethrowers.
He also made cameos in other Hollywood movies during the 2010s, including “Machete Kills,” “Transcendence,” “Why Him?” and “Men in Black: International.”
Since Musk started being a more vocal political force as the owner of X, he has made fewer pop-culture appearances.
More recently Musk has been championing Trump’s reelection campaign.