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 to find the delivery man. Holmes, having concealed himself in Watson's office by using one of his urban camouflage suits, reads Watson's memoirs on the typewriter and adds a question mark after the words "The End". After the success of the 2009 film "Sherlock Holmes", a sequel was fast-tracked by Warner Bros. with director Guy Ritchie dropping out of an adaptation of "Lobo" and Robert Downey Jr. leaving "Cowboys & Aliens". It was unclear if Rachel McAdams would appear in the film. McAdams said, "If I do, it won't be a very big thing. It's not a lead part". Warner