Robert Downey Jr.

Robert Downey Jr. in Avengers: Endgame

Robert Downey Jr. (1965 - )

Film Deaths

• Greaser's Palace (1972) [Boy]: Throat slit (off-screen), along with that of his father, by an unknown assailant (it's implied that he was killed by Woody Chambliss' divine powers). His body is shown afterwards when his mother (Elsie Downey) discovers him, and again when she buries him. He is later brought back to life after Allan Arbus is crucified.

• Less Than Zero (1987) [Julian Wells]: Dies after a drug overdose while in a car with Andrew McCarthy and Jami Gertz. (Thanks to Sophia)

• Chaplin (1992) [Charles Spencer Chaplin]: Dies (off-screen) of old age/natural causes, some time after the final scene; his death is mentioned in the on-screen text at the end of the movie. (Thanks to Tommy)

• Natural Born Killers (1994) [Wayne Gale]: Shot to death by Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis in the woods.

• Richard III (1995) [Anthony, Earl of Rivers]: Stabbed in the back by one of Ian McKellen's assassins, from underneath the bed in his hotel room.

• Danger Zone (1996) [Jim Scott]: Neck snapped by Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa on top of being shot repeatedly by Cary-Hiroyuki, as Billy Zane looks on. His body is shown afterwards lying on the ground. (Thanks to Rachel and ND)

• One Night Stand (1997) [Charlie]: Dies (off-screen) of AIDS-related illness. (Thanks to Britta and Rachel)

• The Gingerbread Man (1998) [Clyde Pell]: Killed (off-screen) by Tom Berenger; his body is shown afterwards when Kenneth Branagh discovers him. (Thanks to Fred)

• U.S. Marshals (1998) [Special Agent John Royce]: Shot by Tommy Lee Jones when Robert tries to pull a gun after being caught trying to kill Wesley Snipes. (Thanks to Eric)

• The Singing Detective (2003) [Dan Dark]: Shot in the head by his alter-ego (also played by Robert) in a symbolic hallucination sequence; we see the bullet's point-of-view as it rushes towards Robert.

• Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006) [Lionel Sweeney]: Commits suicide by drowning himself, rather than endure a long death from lung disease. (Thanks to Rachel)

• Zodiac (2007) [Paul Avery]: Dies (off-screen) of emphysema, some time after the story ends; his death is mentioned in the on-screen text at the end of the movie. (Thanks to Thomas, Mathew, Arben, and Tommy)

• Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011) [Sherlock Holmes]: Pushed off a balcony and into the waterfall below at the end of a fist-fight with Jared Harris; however, this only occurs in Robert and Jared's mutual prediction of how the fight would play out, and Robert survives the film in reality.

• The Nice Guys (2016) [Sid Shattuck]: Shot to death/burned by Keith David (off-screen); we only see his body after Ryan Gosling stumbles upon it.

• Avengers: Endgame (2019) [Tony Stark/Iron Man]: Dies of radiation poisoning and from burn wounds after using the Infinity Gauntlet to turn Josh Brolin and his army into dust. Robert passes away from his wounds with Don Cheadle, Gwyneth Paltrow and Tom Holland by his side. His funeral is later shown.

TV Death

• Saturday Night Live (May 24, 1986) [Himself]: Burned to death, alongside most of the cast and crew, when Billy Martin douses the room with gasoline and lights it on fire before the good-nights. Everyone can be seen running and screaming around the smoky room as the credits roll in a cliff-hanger parody. They don't die on-screen, but their fates are clear. This lampoons the season 11's (1985-86) cast which was not well-received and criticized for not gelling together into a comedic ensemble. Only Jon Lovitz, Nora Dunn and Dennis Miller would make it back to the next season. (Played for comic effect.)

Gallery

Robert Downey Jr. in U.S. Marshals

Robert Downey Jr. (middle) in Less Than Zero

Robert Downey Jr. in Richard III

Notable Connections

• Son of Robert Downey Sr. and Elsie Downey.
• Ex-Mr. Deborah Falconer.
• Mr. Susan Downey (producer).