Iron Man in other media Iron Man in other media The Marvel Comics character Iron Man has appeared in various other media since his debut in "Tales of Suspense" #39 (March 1963). Iron Man has been the focus of three animated series and a direct-to-DVD animated feature. An "Iron Man" live-action feature film starring Robert Downey Jr. as the character and directed by Jon Favreau was released in 2008, with Downey also appearing as the character in a cameo in "The Incredible Hulk", and as a main character in several other Marvel Studios films including "The Avengers", "", "", "", "", and "". Iron Man
Robert Downey Jr. required Downey to wear dark makeup and a wig. Both Stiller and Downey feared Downey's portrayal of the character could become controversial: When asked by Harry Smith on CBS's "The Early Show" who his model was for Lazarus, Downey laughed before responding, "Sadly, my sorry-ass self". Released in the United States on August 13, 2008, "Tropic Thunder" received good reviews with 83% of reviews positive and an average normalized score of 71, according to the review aggregator websites Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic, respectively. It earned US$26 million in its North American opening weekend and retained the number one position for