Robert Downey Jr. was in the running for 'Fantastic Four' before he was cast in 'Iron Man,' Marvel director Jon Favreau says

• Robert Downey Jr. was nearly cast in "Fantastic Four," Marvel director and star Jon Favreau says.

• Favreau made the revelation during a conversation with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige.

• He also credited Downey Jr. with helping others, such as Gwyneth Paltrow, sign onto the project.

The director of "Iron Man" says that Robert Downey Jr. was initially auditioning for a role in "Fantastic Four" prior to being cast as Tony Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

Jon Favreau, who also played the role of Stark's chauffeur and personal assistant Happy Hogan, made the revelation during a recent sit-down conversation with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige. In a video posted to Marvel Entertainment's YouTube channel, the pair reminisced on the "Iron Man" film's origin story in honor of its 15th anniversary.

The first "Iron Man" was released in 2008, kicking of the start of the MCU as fans know it today.

Around the four-minute mark of the 21-minute conversation, Favreau and Feige ruminate on how casting Downey Jr. for the role changed everything about production — and for the better, they say.

Feige said that they were considering "some other people," but that Downey Jr. was the clear choice, to which Favreau said he knew the actor was being considered for another superhero role prior to "Iron Man."

"I remember that Robert had come in for a general on it and I remember you had all met with him already for like Doctor Doom or something, on another project," Favreau said.

"I think he had come through on 'Fantastic Four,' so everybody sort of knew who he was," he added. "I remember sitting down with the guy and I was like 'Jeez, he's just got it in him, he's got that spark in him in his eye and he's ready.'"

After their initial meeting, Favreau said he recalled discussing the actors who'd auditioned with Feige in his office — and both knew there was something special about Downey Jr..

"We were pointing to his headshot and saying 'We gotta try and figure this out,'" he said.

Once they locked in Downey Jr., everything else fit into place, Favreau continued. "That's when my life got a lot easier because A, he understood the voice of the character and then one by one people were just signing onboard because now it became something interesting."

He went on to say that castmembers such as Gwyneth Paltrow, who played Stark's love interest Pepper Potts, and Jeff Bridges, who played the film's villain Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger, signed on.

"It all galvanized at that point," he added.

From there, Feige said he remembers Favreau being able to breathe a sigh of relief and saying he could now "just make the movie."

When it came down to it, Feige credited Downey Jr. with the subsequent success of Marvel Studios, which has gone on to produce 42 films.

"We wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for you," Feige said, recalling what he would say to Downey Jr. on "dark days" while working movies later on. "We wouldn't have a studio if it wasn't for him."

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