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Robert Downey Jr. Talks Tony Stark’s Role In Creating Ultron

By Nick Tylwalk

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In the pages of Marvel Comics, it’s Hank Pym who has to shoulder the blame for the creation of Ultron, as well as the hefty amount of guilt for creating a nearly indestructible robot who wants to eradicate all living beings. Tony Stark is going to be saddled with that burden in Avengers: Age of Ultron, but according to Robert Downey Jr. it’s something done with the best of intentions.

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In the latest issue of Empire magazine, the man who turned Stark into a household name talked extensively about Tony’s role in the birth of Ultron in the new movie. Describing it as a logical extension of how the character has grown throughout the overall Marvel Cinematic Universe arc, Downey says that Stark’s goal is to create a robotic defense system so that the Avengers don’t have to work so hard to keep the world safe — or maybe at all, at some point.

Instead, it all goes wrong, leading to a parallel between Dr. Frankenstein and his famous experiment.

"Except that, unlike Dr Frankenstein, Tony was never attempting to do this. I just love the idea that he can have an impulse to do good that finds its way back and becomes something else. Every time you roll the dice with your own best thinking, regardless of your intention, these things take on a life of their own. Tony’s Ultron defence system is supposed to let everybody retire and for a guy who’s still got a lot of piss and vinegar – in Iron Man 3, when we left him he was basically saying, “You know what, I don’t even need the suit. I’m just a badass.” Then what I feel happened is he went back east and he does the responsible thing for all these other people and puts a roof over their head and has an idea."

And after putting the very people he was trying to help, does Tony feel bad about it? You bet, suggesting he hasn’t gone quite as far to the Jerk Side as his comics counterpart.

"As far as Tony’s guilt, I think it’s always tougher when you had a pure heart going in. I think that’s the rough part. ‘I don’t operate like I used to. This is a really good idea, don’t you see?’ But he missed something. I think it’s the guilt of recognising that my best thinking can still bring me back to a place where I wish I’d just kept my mouth shut."

This is interesting stuff, and it makes me feel even more that Stark will continue to change his views on super hero oversight heading out of this movie. Downey says that the seeds for Captain America: Civil War are planted in Age of Ultron, and my guess continues to be that he’ll get his comeuppance from Ultron turning bad and feel like if even he can make a mistake like that, less intelligent heroes are going to need oversight as well.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves with that. See how Iron Man and the rest of the Avengers clean up Tony’s mistake in Avengers: Age of Ultron, which hits theaters on May 1.

Next: Ultron 101: 5 Things to Know

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