Robert Downey Jr reveals why he left the MCU

Robert Downey Jr’s departure from the Marvel Cinematic Universe was hard for all movie fans to watch.

Not only because the Oscar nominated actor has excelled in his role as Tony Stark/Iron Man ever since he debuted as the superhero back in 2008, but because his casting and performances laid the foundations from which the MCU has been able to dominate the movie landscape.

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All good things must come to an end, though, and now Robert Downey Jr has opened up about why he and Chris Evans finally decided to exit the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Avengers: Endgame.

“We had to get off,” he told the recent edition of the D23 magazine, via Uproxx. “We opted to, and knew it was part of the job to get off the bus while it rolled on to other destinations. There’s something very sobering about it. I’m glad he and I will be there to welcome others as they retire their jerseys.”

Downey Jr was “loathe” to talk about his “legacy” following his success in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and instead decided to focus on the efforts and extra-curricular work of his co-stars Mark Ruffalo and Chris Evans, who are focused on saving the Earth in real-life rather than just on-screen.

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"I really don't need to look any farther than my co-stars. Mark Ruffalo is an activist, Chris Evans is a diehard American and proponent of true democracy. I don't really have the gumption, the skill set, the drive, or the humility either of those guys do."

We’ll finally get to see Robert Downey Jr as a character other than Tony Stark/Iron Man, for the first time since 2014’s The Judge, when Dolittle is released on January 17, 2020.