Robert Downey Jr. won’t let AI recreate his likeness in Hollywood: ‘I intend to sue’

Robert Downey Jr. praised Jon Favreau for being ambitious in his filmmaking, shouting out many films he has directed, including ‘The Lion King’ and ‘The Jungle Book.’
Robert Downey Jr. might be devoid of iron, but he’s sure got some steel.
The Academy Award-winning actor, 59, is speaking out about rapid technological advancements and how he plans to fight back if his name and likeness are manipulated by artificial intelligence.
“I intend to sue,” he told the “On with Kara Swisher” podcast.
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Robert Downey Jr. says he plans to sue if someone manipulates his likeness through artificial intelligence.   (JC Olivera/Getty Images)
It all comes back to Downey Jr.’s alter ego, Tony Stark, whose own alter ego is Iron Man. For several years, Downey Jr. portrayed the superhero in nearly a dozen Marvel films, but things changed when [spoiler alert] his character died in the 2019 cinematic smash, “Avengers: Endgame.”
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In the past, Downey Jr. has spoken about his likelihood of returning as Iron Man. In 2020, he made a candid confession to Joe Rogan.
“To me, starting up again is off the table. I feel I’ve done all I could with that character. There would have to be a super compelling argument and a series of events that made it obvious. … But the other thing is, I wanna do other stuff,” Downey said. 
Downey Jr. has said he doesn’t think he’ll come back to play Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man, in another movie.  (Alberto E. Rodriguez/WireImage)
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The actor was asked by podcast host Swisher if he was worried someone might use AI to do this.
“There’s two tracks,” Downey Jr. said. “One is, how do I feel about everything that’s going on? And my answer is, I mean, I feel about it minimally because I have an actual emotional life that’s occurring that doesn’t have a lot of room for that,” he said of AI.
“And to go back to the [Marvel Cinematic Universe], I am not worried about them hijacking my character’s soul because there’s like three or four guys and gals who make all the decisions there anyway, and they would never do that to me, with or without me.” 
But Swisher pointed out that executives of future projects could change, which Downey Jr. didn’t argue.
Downey Jr. is confident executives at Marvel wouldn’t create an AI version of Iron Man based on his likeness. (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
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“Well, you’re right,” he said. “I would like to here state that I intend to sue all future executives just on spec.”
“You’ll be dead, Robert,” Swisher retorted.
“I know, but my law firm will still be very active” he quipped.
Representatives for Downey Jr. did not respond to Fox News Digital’s immediate request for comment.
Downey Jr. says, “I would like to, here, state that I intend to sue all future executives” if they use AI to recreate his likeness. (Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix)
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“I am not worried about them hijacking my character’s soul because there’s like three or four guys and gals who make all the decisions there anyway, and they would never do that to me, with or without me.”
Downey Jr. admitted AI piqued his interest years ago. 
“I’ve been very interested in [AI] since [Chat] GPT went live,” the actor shared. 
“What’s happening is truly, truly astonishing. And hard to believe actually, when you actually watch it.
“The problem is, when these individuals believe that they are the arbiters of managing this, meanwhile, wanting and or needing to be seen in a favorable light,” he added. “That is a massive f—ing error, and it turns me off and makes me not want to engage with them, because they’re not being truthful.”
Downey Jr. is slated to return to the Marvel Universe in the 2026 film “Avengers: Doomsday” as Dr. Doom.
Caroline Thayer is an entertainment writer. Follow Caroline Thayer on Twitter at @carolinejthayer and LinkedIn. Story tips can be sent to [email protected].