Avengers actor Robert Downey Jr. reveals his Instagram has been hacked and warns fans to steer clear of it until it’s been sorted out. Downey has been a mainstay of Marvel Studios’ Marvel Cinematic Universe ever since the release of 2008’s Iron Man. In the decade since, Downey has played Tony Stark aka. Iron Man in three standalone movies, four Avengers team-ups, Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming. His turn as the Marvel superhero has garnered Downey a worldwide fan base.
However, the actor concluded his run as Iron Man in Avengers: Endgame earlier this year, which saw Tony Stark sacrifice himself to defeat Thanos and his army once and for all. The death of Iron Man was felt around the world as characters in the MCU and real world fans mourned the loss of Downey’s superhero. As seen in Endgame followup, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Iron Man tributes sprang up all around the world in the MCU. And in the real world, an artist constructed an Iron Man statue and put it on display in Italy. No matter that Iron Man in the MCU may be dead, Downey and the his character’s fans remain invested in the actor - and he uses social media to keep in touch with those fans.
Today, Downey revealed on Twitter that his Instagram has been hacked. The actor warned fans to stay away from the Instagram account until it’s been sorted out. See his tweet below.
UPDATE: Downey confirms his Instagram is back up and running, appropriately using a reference to Avengers: Age of Ultron. Check it out below.
With the proliferation of social media, actors and other celebrities use sites like Twitter and Instagram to offer fans a view into their lives. Instagram especially, with its various features from photo sharing to Snapchat-like Instagram Stories, gives actors a chance for their followers to peek into their private lives. Or, in the case of fellow MCU actor Tom Holland, accidentally leak Marvel movie spoilers - for which Downey has teased the Spider-Man star. Similarly, Captain America actor Chris Evans has built a reputation on Twitter for being just as political as his Marvel superhero would be, if Steve Rogers were real of course.
Like his co-stars Evans and Holland, Downey uses both Twitter and Instagram to communicate with fans, but today’s warning about being hacked offers a glimpse of the darker side to social media. Still, Downey and his team seem to be on top of the situation and will no doubt sort it out soon enough so that fans can get back to following the Iron Man actor’s life on his various social channels. Certainly, given his fame as the founding father of the MCU, it’s incredibly appropriate that Downey has taken to using Tony Stark’s words - “I love you 3000” - to address his fans, even (or perhaps especially) when sharing the news of his Instagram being hacked.
Next: Predicting Iron Man’s Future In The MCU After Avengers: Endgame
Source: Robert Downey Jr./Twitter
