Robert Downey Jr. gain more than 20 pounds of muscle in five months to look like he "had the power to forge iron". "Iron Man" was globally released between April 30 and May 3, 2008, grossing over $585 million worldwide and receiving rave reviews which cited Downey's performance as a highlight of the film. By October 2008, Downey had agreed to appear as Iron Man in two "Iron Man" sequels, as part of the Iron Man franchise, as well as "The Avengers", featuring the superhero team that Stark joins, based on Marvel's comic book series "The Avengers". He first reprised the role in
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is a 2011 period action mystery film directed by Guy Ritchie and produced by Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram, Susan Downey, and Dan Lin. It is the sequel to the 2009 film "Sherlock Holmes", and features the Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The film's screenplay was written by Michele Mulroney and Kieran Mulroney. Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law reprise their roles as Holmes and Watson, and were joined by Noomi Rapace as Simza, Stephen Fry as Mycroft Holmes, and Jared