Robert Downey Jr reveals he was ‘absolutely blinded’ by Iron Man suit in first film

Both actor Robert Downey Jr and Marvel Studios are significantly richer than they were back in 2008, when the first film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe -- Iron Man -- was released. Over the years, Iron Man's suit became more complex and more reliant on computer generated imagery (CGI).

In a clip from David Letterman's talk show, My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, Downey recalled working with heavy physical suits in the first Iron Man movie.

"Initially, everything was really there," Downey told Letterman. "They wanted to spend as little as they could on CG replacement, so I remember this helmet went on, and there'd be a shot, and I'd be in this whole suit, and they'd say: 'All right, Robert, it's like you landed on the roof, so when we say action, just go like that, like you just landed, and then start moving forward.' So I put this helmet on, and it slammed closed, and I couldn't see anything, and then these LED lights went on and it was like The Manchurian Candidate… I was absolutely blinded."

He continued, "By the time we were doing the last Avengers, they'd just be like, 'Hey, Robert, would you mind putting on—' 'Helmet?! No! Yes, no. Put two dots here, and then you can paint it in later.'"

My Next Guest Needs No Introduction will return for a new set of episodes on October 21. Other guests include Kim Kardashian West, Dave Chappelle, and Lizzo. The Netflix series recently featured Shah Rukh Khan as a guest.

Meanwhile, Downey retired from the Marvel films after last year's Avengers: Endgame, but has been playing coy about a possible return. He was asked about a rumoured cameo in the upcoming Black Widow movie at the premiere of Dolittle, and he neither confirmed nor denied the rumour. Instead, he said, "It'd be nice if they'd notified me... they can do anything now. This could be a deepfake interview for all we know!"