"Took him damn near 15 years"- Fans defend Robert Downey Jr after comedian says White actors can get any role despite criminal past 

The Marvel Cinematic Universe announced at San Diego Comic-Con on July 27, that Robert Downey Jr was returning to the MCU as the iconic villain Dr. Doom. As fans were thrilled by the same, renowned stand-up comedian Godfrey opined that white actors have more privilege than people of color, which sparked a heated debate online.

Robert Downey Jr's Dr. Doom will be further seen in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. This comes after Jonathan Majors, whose character, Kang the Conqueror, was initially supposed to take on the biggest antagonist role.

He was set to star in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and, Avengers: Secret Wars, but was ousted by Marvel after his assault charges came to light. In March 2023, he was arrested for allegedly assaulting his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari.

After the recent MCU announcements, Godfrey took to his Instagram to state that Jonathan Majors should be excused for his behavior if Hollywood is showing support for Robert Downey Jr, despite the actor suffering from drug addiction in the past. Godfrey said:

“Robert Downey Jr who has a criminal record, yeah, drug possession, you know, all kinds of s**t… but Jonathan Majors is getting a raw deal man. Why can’t they forgive him?... White actors can be on heroin, be in rehab and all kinds of s**t and they get chances, they get other chances to redeem themselves and it’s always an amazing story.”

However, many netizens seemed to opine that Robert Downey Jr deserved redemption, unlike Jonathan Majors. A few reactions to Godfrey’s video read:

“FOH Godfrey, first of all, Robert Downey Jr. was banned in the wake of his crimes. Secondly, the studios treated Johhny Depp the same way they treated Jonathan Majors. Please save your outrage for the many cases of real injustice in this world,” another person said.

“Soooo Robert caught a dui and was found with drugs and a gun. 20 years ago and worked himself back to Hollywood. Johnathan Majors assaulted a woman. It’s not the same thing man,” another X user said.

Robert Downey Jr’s struggles with drug addiction are well-known in Hollywood. He was arrested in 2001 on drug charges and has been sober since 2003. Netizens said that his crime was not as serious as that of Majors.

“Tough to compare drugs addiction to domestic violence…,” one netizen said.

“RDJ was on crack and went to rehab and was considered an insurance risk to all studios. Feige gave him another chance several years later, make or break moment. This is a disingenuous take honestly and unrelated,” another X user said.

“RDJ was last in trouble over 23 years ago! Jonathan Majors was recently in trouble,” another person said.

Majors was arrested on two misdemeanor counts of assault and harassment. Other reactions read:

“Drug charges almost 30 years ago versus domestic violence charges a year ago,” one netizen pointed out.

“Robert Downey Jr. was self destructive. They got Johnathan Majors on abuse It’s different. Majors can’t come back Majors was handed the keys to the kingdom and f**ked it up for everybody,” another X user said.

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“His portrayal of Iron Man is so fascinating” - Jonathan Majors had praised Robert Downey Jr in the past

Jonathan Majors was seemingly a fan of RDJ. In an interview with Lifehacker Australia in 2023, when he was cast as Kang the Conqueror. Majors said:

“I would love to be across from him on screen to see how our philosophies, acting-wise and character-wise, just personally, match up. I find him to be such a fascinating artist."

He further said:

"His portrayal of Iron Man is so fascinating and he represents a very clear worldview and energy of the Avengers. And I think Kang represents a different era.”

RDJ will now be returning to the Marvel world following his character Iron Man’s death in Avengers: Endgame.