Musk Was Robert Downey Jr’s Inspiration For Tony Stark

For those who are unaware, Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr., is said to be modeled after Elon Musk. Elon made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut with a cameo in Iron Man 2, which fueled the parallels. Iron Man director Jon Favreau talked about how Elon Musk contributed to the film while fans continued to debate if Tony Stark and Elon Musk are similar.

In 2016, the director admitted it was RDJ's idea to get in touch with Elon to better grasp what it's like to be Tony Stark in reality. But before going on to say, "But Robert Downey mentioned while we were prepping Iron Man, he said, 'There's somebody we should sit down and talk with,'" Jon clarified, "It's not based on him, it's based on the comic book." He claimed that this man may actually give us some insight into what it would be like to be Tony Stark because of his connection to Elon.

The director also mentioned that SpaceX was the location for the sequence starring Elon Musk and Tony Stark. "He gave us permission to film there without charge." The Marvel family has regarded him as a close friend.