:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(726x409:728x411)/robert-downey-jr-susan-2024-emmy-awards-091524-2334ea40ad6d41ddb1aa1abedd927256.jpg)
Robert Downey Jr. had a year. Honestly, calling it a "good year" feels like a massive understatement. If 2023 was the setup, Robert Downey Jr. 2024 was the absolute payoff. It was the moment he finally stopped being "the guy who played Iron Man" and reminded everyone he’s actually one of the greatest actors of his generation.
He won the Oscar. Finally.
After forty years in the business, the Academy handed him the Best Supporting Actor trophy for his role as Lewis Strauss in Oppenheimer. It wasn't just a win; it was a sweep. He took home the Golden Globe, the SAG Award, the BAFTA, and the Critics Choice Award. Basically every trophy that wasn't nailed down.
📖 Related: Net worth Phil McGraw: Why the TV Doctor is Still Richer Than You Think
The Oscar Win and That "Terrible Childhood" Speech
When he walked onto that stage in March, people expected a standard speech. Instead, we got pure Downey. He thanked his "terrible childhood" and his wife, Susan, whom he called his "veterinarian" for rescuing a "snarling pet" and loving him back to life. It was vintage RDJ—self-deprecating, sharp, and surprisingly vulnerable.
Most people think this win was just for Oppenheimer. It wasn't.
It was a career achievement award in disguise. It felt like the industry finally forgiving his messy 90s and acknowledging that he’s stayed sober and professional for over two decades. He even joked later on The View that he was glad he didn't win back in 1993 for Chaplin because he was "young and crazy" and it would have made him think he was on the right track when he definitely wasn't.
Why the Lewis Strauss Role Mattered
For years, RDJ was Tony Stark. The fast-talking, charismatic, "genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist." In Oppenheimer, he did the opposite. He was petty. He was quiet. He was a bureaucrat with a grudge.
👉 See also: What Really Happened With Lisa Askey: Why the Truth Matters
- He lost weight for the role.
- He shaved his head to look older and balder.
- He changed his entire physical gait to match a man in his 60s.
It worked because it stripped away the Marvel gloss. You forgot you were watching the guy who flew around in a metal suit.
The Sympathizer: Four Characters, One Actor
Just weeks after the Oscars, Downey pivoted to HBO’s The Sympathizer. If you haven't seen it, it's a wild spy thriller based on Viet Thanh Nguyen's Pulitzer-winning novel.
Here’s the kicker: he didn't just play one part. He played four different white antagonists representing different facets of the American establishment. A CIA agent, a professor, a congressman, and a movie director (basically a parody of Francis Ford Coppola).
Some critics loved it. Others found it a bit much. The Guardian called it "electric," while IGN was a bit more skeptical, feeling like the multiple roles occasionally distracted from the main story about the Vietnamese experience. But that’s the thing about Robert Downey Jr. 2024—he wasn't playing it safe. He was taking massive swings. He even landed an Emmy nomination for it later in the year.
The Shocking Return: From Iron Man to Doctor Doom
Then came July. San Diego Comic-Con. Hall H.
💡 You might also like: Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus Explained: What Really Happened With Billy Joel
The Russo Brothers stood on stage and announced a new villain for the next Avengers movies. A figure in a green cloak and a metal mask stepped forward. He took off the mask, and the room basically exploded.
"New mask, same task," he said.
Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the MCU, but not as Tony Stark. He’s playing Victor von Doom.
What This Means for Marvel
This is the part that has fans divided. Some see it as a desperate move by Disney to save a struggling franchise. Others think it’s a brilliant meta-twist. If Doom is a "variant" of Stark, the emotional weight of the Avengers having to fight someone who looks like their fallen mentor is huge.
But honestly? It's a huge risk.
He’s replacing the "perfect" ending he had in Endgame. If Avengers: Doomsday flops, it tarnishes that legacy. But Downey likes "complicated characters," and Victor von Doom is about as complicated as they get.
Beyond the Screen: Books and Broadway
You might have missed it, but he also co-authored a book called Cool Food: Erasing Your Carbon Footprint One Bite at a Time. It’s not a preachy vegan manifesto. It’s a practical look at how what we eat affects the planet. It’s part of his work with the FootPrint Coalition, his venture capital firm that invests in green tech.
And because he clearly doesn't sleep, he also made his Broadway debut.
He starred in McNeal, a play by Ayad Akhtar. He played a famous writer obsessed with AI and legacy. It was a limited run at Lincoln Center, but it proved he still has the "stage muscles" that most movie stars lose after years on a film set.
Actionable Takeaways from RDJ's 2024
If there’s anything to learn from his year, it’s about reinvention.
- Don't get stuck in your brand. He could have done Sherlock Holmes 3 or another action flick. Instead, he chose a period drama and a weird HBO miniseries.
- Acknowledge the past. His Oscar speech didn't hide his history; it used it. Authenticity wins.
- Take the risk, even if it’s weird. Returning to Marvel as a villain is a gamble. But playing it safe is how careers die.
Keep an eye on the production news for Avengers: Doomsday through 2025. The shift from "hero of the decade" to "villain of the decade" is going to be the biggest narrative in Hollywood for the next few years. If you're looking to catch his 2024 peak, Oppenheimer is currently streaming on Peacock, and The Sympathizer is on Max.