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Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark is synonymous with genius, swagger, and tech wizardry, designing Iron Man suits, AI companions, and holding court in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the Avengers’ resident futurist. But long before J.A.R.V.I.S., his first onscreen brush with artificial intelligence came in a wildly different form.
In the 1985 teen comedy Weird Science, Downey played a high school bully who mocked two nerds for being virgins — until they outdid him by creating a voluptuous, hyper-intelligent android woman. A far cry from Stark’s lab-grown armor, this woman wasn’t built for battle but for pleasure, dominance, and teenage wish-fulfillment. The result? One of the most bizarre and oddly charming teen fantasies of the ’80s!
Like the MCU, Weird Science is also based on a comic story, Al Feldstein’s Made of the Future, though its screen translation is far more eccentric than Iron Man. The film follows two awkward teens, Gary and Wyatt, who, in a bid to experience “the ultimate woman,” literally build one. With hacked government hardware and a Barbie doll as blueprints, they generate Lisa — a sultry, 5’10” robot who flirts and commands with immaculate confidence. She also happens to have superpowers and turns their house party into a stormy fantasy.
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Robert Downey Jr. plays Ian, one half of the cocky jock duo who ridicule the nerds for lusting after their girlfriends. Alongside his crony Max, Ian sneers, pranks, and bullies the leads — until Lisa flips the tables and humiliates them with magical precision. While not a lead, teenage Downey’s smug charm and feathered hair cement him as the pre-Stark antagonist who once got dominated by AI, not created it.
Robert Downey Jr. en Weird Science (1985) pic.twitter.com/vyCmxYvFIv
— jose callejas (@josecal61324860) July 29, 2024
Written and directed by John Hughes, Weird Science fits right into the filmmaker’s Brat Pack streak — a streak that had already produced Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club by the time this film hit theaters. Hughes, known for his teen-centric tales, took a detour here into pure teen fantasy, laced with B-movie logic and hormonal absurdity.
British actress Kelly LeBrock was just 25 and already a supermodel when she played Lisa, and the camera didn’t waste a second of her presence. Hughes amplified her curves with deliberate angles, sultry lighting, and strategically skimpy costumes. From shower scenes to her skin-tight club dress, LeBrock’s availability was not merely a creation, but a provocation.
Anthony Michael Hall and Ilan Mitchell-Smith played the geeky creators Gary and Wyatt, bringing both awkward sincerity and unfiltered teen desire. And last but not least, Robert Downey Jr. brought flair and teenage swagger to Ian, a smirking jock.
Anthony Michael Hall, Sarah Jessica Parker, Robert Downey Jr and Bill Paxton at the premiere of “Weird Science” – 1985 #oldisgold pic.twitter.com/R6RbSUz0oW
— fuchsia (@mysticalodds) April 14, 2023
While Weird Science is not streaming anywhere, the Robert Downey Jr. starrer is available to rent on digital at the Amazon Prime Video store for ₹99.
Watch the official trailer of Weird Science below:
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