Robert Downey Jr. talks ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ and ‘Captain America: Civil War’

You could, of course, call the Marvel Cinematic Universe the House That RDJ Built. Without Robert Downey Jr. blazing a trail as Tony Stark in the original Iron Man back in 2008, chances are the MCU would have spluttered and died long before Avengers: Age Of Ultron was a glint in Joss Whedon’s eye. So it makes sense that the second Avengers movie revolves around Stark, with Tony’s well-intentioned plan to ease the pressure on his super-friends by creating Ultron, a global AI police force, going somewhat awry. When the virtually unstoppable Ultron becomes self-aware and declares humanity personae non grata, it’s up to a guilt-ridden Tony to go toe-to-toe with his deranged creation. The effect this will have on the generally happy-go-lucky Stark will be fascinating, given that Downey is about to start work on Captain America: Civil War, which will pit the billionaire genius playboy philanthropist against Chris Evans’ walking flag, Steve Rogers. Is Tony about to become the villain?

We spoke to Downey on the phone in early January, and started off by asking about his working relationship with the man behind Ultron’s mo-cap mask, James Spader.