Robert Downey Jr. wants Elon Musk to tone down his behavior when it comes to how he conducts himself in public.
During his On with Kara Swisher podcast appearance, the actor was asked his thoughts about Musk "cosplaying" Tony Stark in real life. Musk and Stark share several similarities, and Downey Jr. played the comic book character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The similarities were intentional as Iron Man screenwriter Mark Fergus once said during an interview with New York Magazine that Musk inspired the MCU's version of Stark with his technological prowess and occasional hot temper.
According to Downey Jr., Musk should "control" himself a little bit more, and his lofty futuristic aspirations aren't enough to completely ignore some of his controversial actions.
"I've only met him a few times," Downey said during the podcast. "As an almost 60-year-old recovering white American male, I just wish that he would control his behavior a little more, but that's not on me."
He continued, "I know that this idea of 'It's all okay 'cause we've gotta get to Mars' doesn't really hold water with me. But again, you know, you have to look at all that he's done that demonstrates why he's valuable."
Musk made a cameo appearance in the 2010 MCU film Iron Man 2, in which Downey's Stark met him at the Monaco Grand Prix. In addition to being inspired by Musk, Iron Man screenwriter Mark Fergus claimed in 2022 that the character was also a mix of Donald Trump and Steve Jobs. According to Fergus, the MCU version of Tony Stark was if "Musk took the brilliance of Jobs with the showmanship of Trump."