Almost every MCU hero got their moment in Avengers: Endgame, but with the possible exception of Captain America, the main player in the ensemble epic was undoubtedly Iron Man. And now that Robert Downey Jr. looks to have hung up the suit once and for all, many fans are arguing that it’s time for the star to get some Academy recognition for bringing Tony Stark to the big screen.
In his decades-spanning career, Downey has received two Oscar nominations – once for the 1992 film Chaplin, then again for his supporting turn in 2008’s Tropic Thunder. Funnily enough, in the latter case, Downey was beaten out by Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, in one of the rare instances of a comic book movie being nominated in an acting category. Even Black Panther – which received seven nominations, including Best Picture – saw none of its actors recognized at this year’s Academy Awards.
With that in mind, an Oscar nod for Downey feels like a long shot, but that hasn’t stopped fans from taking to Twitter to plead their case:
He deserves an #Oscar just because he's Robert Downey Jr.
It's about time! https://t.co/RqeClTu6FR— Fiorenza M. J. Panke🙈🙉🙊🎗️ (@FiorePanke) May 3, 2019
@RobertDowneyJr p.s lol I really don’t think there’s a more Oscar worthy performance as an actor as you hitting the best snap 👌 in the existence of film and my soul among 330 million others being ripped out in the last 20 minutes of #endgame
— jasontwitten (@BigBenXXX1987) May 3, 2019
Yesss! @TheAcademy award aka #Oscar must for the most deserving @RobertDowneyJr! 👍 #AvengersEndgame @Avengers @MarvelStudios
— Anju Chandel (@AnjuChandel) May 3, 2019
https://twitter.com/jkjak13/status/1124292201998106624
https://twitter.com/Marvelcomicman/status/1124161642403717120
robert downey jr. embodied iron man. he is iron man. he DESERVES an oscar. https://t.co/BKM6WZagq2
— • (@pirateyangel) May 3, 2019
https://twitter.com/iiamalkishorii/status/1124279424126410753
@RomyBoy2184 Hey, RomyBoy. I watched your review for Avengers: Endgame.
No. 1. It was absolutely awesome and I agree 100%.
No. 2. There needs to be some way the Oscars need to push Robert Downey, Jr for Best Actor.— Turbulent Cinema (@CinemaTurbulent) May 3, 2019
https://twitter.com/randall_scott/status/1124100525157429249
https://twitter.com/suupasam/status/1124119145493225472
@RobertDowneyJr you deserve an oscar on you performance in #AvengersEndgame .
— khalledz #IsYoursGOLD? (@afckhalledz) May 3, 2019
https://twitter.com/juliakakish/status/1124132340652019713
On a related note, Fandango managing editor Erik Davis recently reported that Endgame had a big screening for Academy members this week, suggesting that Marvel Studios just might be preparing for a big Oscar push. Honestly, given how fan-oriented the movie is, we wouldn’t bet on Endgame finding as much success as Black Panther, but hey, there’s no harm in trying.
Either way, an argument can be made that no other 2019 release is in less need of further exposure than Avengers: Endgame. With a global gross of $1.764 billion, the film currently sits as the fifth highest grossing movie of all time. In other words, we wouldn’t shed too many tears if Marvel Studios goes home from the next Academy Awards empty-handed.