Hope you all brought a bag lunch.
This is a miracle, Downey told the crowd.
And if any one of us took credit it would be heresy.
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It would be blasphemy.
Screw it …youre welcome!
I want to talk about the past, present, and future, Downey said.
After another round of cheers, he went on: The present is this moment of glory forallof us.
And the future…?
That is always uncertain.
He called the Marvel Cinematic Universe an isolated incident in the history of Hollywood.
None of us are in competition with each other.
We are all competingforeach other and for you.
As the clock ticked and Downey flipped through his notes, he said he might begin improvising.
I might go Miles Davis on you, right, Don?
And it … is …meaningless.
Unless, he added, you use that to achieve something higher.
You have to take direction from peers, and your family, and occasionally even anactualdirector.
Downey said directing a Marvel movie is extremely dangerous.
Its like a crucible.
You either come out steel or dust.
Now at leasthalfa directing team is female, Downey said, before calling for more women behind the camera.
Making these movies is so taxing that it is clearly a womans job.
But we dont know how to do that, he said, waving awkwardly toward other men on stage.
By the way, Wakanda forever!
Downey said, making the crossed-arm salute toBlack Pantherstar Chadwick Boseman.
I can do that as an honorary black man:Tropic Thunder, 2008!
This is the MCU, right in front of you, he said.
Its all about fighting for equality.
The whole idea is to make space for others to succeed, and exceed our expectations.
The theater got even quieter.
[The movies] are inviting us to surrender and love and be of service, Downey said.
They are metaphors for how our world should be orcouldbe one day, if we fight for it.
He looked down at his notecards again.
Downey called her the very first First Lady of Marvel, and now there are many.
He also shouted out to Jon Favreau, director of that original film and its sequel.
When they say the man who started it all, that is you, Jon.
You brought it to life, Downey said, after findingThe Lion KingandThe Jungle Bookdirector in the audience.
They have not turned to dust yet, the actor said.
It was getting late.
The movie was long and hadnt even started yet.
I was up late.
I got a tattoo I dont want to talk about it!
Its none of your business!
he said to laughs from the crowd.
I was up late and wrote this, and … Then he brandished the joke ego again, more bulletproof than Iron Mans armor.
I think this might be the greatest speech ever written!
Or maybe Im just emo and exhausted.
The smile widened, and he hung his head before handing off the mic.
