After Robert Downey Jr. was left off the Oscar nominations list for his iconic Iron Man role in Avengers: Endgame, almost 5,000 fans took to Change.org to sign a fast-growing petition calling for the Academy to acknowledge him. That’s just one of several petitions calling for the actor to receive the honor, and it’s become the fastest-growing pop culture related petition on the site this week.
According to Diana Whatley, who started the viral petition, she started the petition because “We, the undersigned, were so moved by Mr. Robert Downey Jr.’s performance as Tony Stark in Avengers: Endgame that we believe he is unquestionably deserving of the Academy’s Award for Best Actor. The creative choices he made and immense depth of emotional energy he infused in Tony Stark forged an unforgettable experience for the viewers.” She goes on to say, “Though we acknowledge that our efforts can in no way directly influence the Academy’s election process, we do hope that this document will serve as a reminder to Academy members that Mr. Downey’s powerful performance has indeed directly influenced innumerable lives across the world.”
Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo also expressed interest in seeing Downey nominated for the award, although he did not end up on Disney’s “For Your Consideration” list.
For real-time signature updates, please visit the petition here.