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
Robert Maillet who was part of the enemy's imperial guard. In November 2008, during a fight scene for the 2009 film "Sherlock Holmes", he accidentally punched Robert Downey Jr. in the face, bloodying Downey and knocking him down. Downey later stated on an episode of the "Late Show with David Letterman" that Maillet was "10 times more upset about it" than he was. Maillet played a Russian professional boxer who took a dive in the 2011 film "The Big Bang". Later that year, he appeared in the film "Monster Brawl" as Frankenstein in a wrestling tournament of eight classic monsters that fight