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In a surprise superhero casting move that recalls Tim Burton's initially baffling, but ultimately inspired, hunch that Mr. Mom would make a fine bat-obsessed, caped vigilante, Variety reports that Paramount has chosen longtime character actor and part-time mugshot model Robert Downey Jr. to play the titular, metal-suited hero in their upcoming Iron Man movie. But as Var quickly points out, Downey has more in common with the character than we immediately realized:

In the comics, Stark was an alcoholic, a trait that will undoubtedly draw public comparisons with Downey's own struggles with substance abuse. However, Feige said the first pic won't deal with Stark's alcohol problems, though it would likely come up in potential sequels.

A gifted performer like Downey will surely be able to infuse the Iron Man role with the subtext of a burgeoning alcohol problem, suppressing the character's troubles until they organically arise in a sequel's storyline. And when the time finally comes for a scene in which the hero awakens in a stranger's backyard after a bender, brushes off some of the mud caked into his red-and-yellow exoskeleton, and valiantly fights off a head-splitting hangover long enough to find his misplaced helmet, everyone will finally understand the brilliance of his casting.