Robert Downey Jr. paid tribute to Bob Iger as the longtime Disney executive was officially named a Disney Legend at the D23 Legends Ceremony. The honor marked a fitting recognition for an executive whose time at Disney has been defined by ambitious decisions, enormous risks, and a lasting influence on the company’s place in the entertainment industry. With Iger’s latest chapter as Disney CEO now behind him, the ceremony brought together colleagues and stars who had witnessed that impact firsthand.

And among those tributes, Downey Jr. found a simple way to explain what he believes has always set Iger apart.

Bob Iger’s induction into the Disney Legends Hall of Fame brought together several stars and longtime Disney collaborators, with his successor, Josh D’Amaro, introducing him before Robert Downey Jr., Harrison Ford, Ellen Pompeo, and Diane Sawyer also took the stage to reflect on his impact. For Downey, however, Iger’s legacy was defined by something deeper than the enormous list of accomplishments attached to his name.

“Fortune favors the brave. To me, those four words explain Mr. Iger’s primary quality: it’s courage...That is, Bob, why you truly are the legend in every sense of the word,” Downey Jr. said during the ceremony. He pointed to Iger’s willingness to make bold decisions despite enormous risks, to trust his instincts, and to empower others to reach beyond what they thought possible.

That idea became the heart of Robert Downey Jr.’s tribute at the D23 Disney Legends Ceremony (via Variety), particularly as Iger closes his latest chapter at Disney. After stepping down as CEO in 2021 and returning following Bob Chapek’s departure in 2022, Iger officially left the role again in early 2026, with D’Amaro succeeding him. Yet Downey suggested that stepping away from the top job hardly feels like the end of Iger’s story.

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What makes the praise especially fitting is the extraordinary series of decisions that turned Iger’s vision for Disney into one of the world's most powerful entertainment empires.

Bob Iger did more than expand Disney’s business; he dramatically broadened what the Disney name could mean. Under his leadership, the company acquired Pixar in 2006, Marvel in 2009, Lucasfilm in 2012, and 21st Century Fox in 2019, bringing some of the most recognizable characters, stories, and franchises in modern entertainment under one roof. Marvel alone gave Disney access to an enormous catalogue of iconic characters created by generations of comic-book talent, including the characters shaped by Stan Lee.

The impact of those acquisitions is difficult to overstate. Disney began as an animation company built around Mickey Mouse and beloved fairy tales, but Iger helped turn it into a sprawling entertainment empire encompassing Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar, Disney Animation, and the vast Fox library. Few studios can match the breadth of characters and stories now sitting within Disney’s catalog.

Iger also pushed Disney into streaming with the launch of Disney+, while overseeing the company’s continued expansion across its film, television, and theme-park businesses. His strategy was not simply about owning more properties; it was about creating an ecosystem where those stories could travel across virtually every corner of Disney’s business.

That is ultimately what makes his Disney Legends induction feel so significant. Iger did not merely inherit one of Hollywood’s most recognizable studios — he helped redefine the scale of what that studio could become.

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