Robert Downey Jr. takes the mantle from his mixed martial arts guru

The Avengers: Endgame actor may have said goodbye to his action-packed role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it hasn’t prevented him from continuing the MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) training into his regimen. Robert Downey Jr. gave a peek into his MMA training with his fans on instagram a few weeks ago.

One lesser known fact about Robert Downey Jr. is that he is a highly accomplished martial artist. He has been training in Wing Chun for nearly 20 years. Robert Downey Jr. began practising the ‘martial art of the mind’ as a way to channelise his energies after overcoming his well-publicized personal troubles. And he’s remained with it ever since.

Ready to take the mantle?

Despite the fact that the 56-year-old has been dabbling in the sport for nearly two decades, his recent post on social media is interesting. Robert Downey Jr. recently posted a monochromatic video in which he was seen receiving the torch of honour from his master Sifu Eric Oram in a traditional unofficial ceremony. Robert Downey Jr. has been learning Kung Fu from Oram since 2003. ‘I have learned from the best and will happily carry the mantle,’ the Iron man actor expressed his gratitude.

Eric Anthony Oram, an American Wing Chun Kung Fu practitioner and fight choreographer has coached well-known actors in Wing Chun. The list includes Christian Bale for Batman Begins, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Robert Downey Jr. for Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes.

Will Robert Downey Jr. teach martial arts?

Fans were left curious as they shared their views on the achievement of their beloved star. “Much respect Robert… This looks like a very important moment. Request you provide some context so we can better understand the significance.”, one commented. “Looks like he’s taking over as head instructor of a class. Just a guess. That’s an ornate broadsword (might be 2 in there), so it’s symbolic.”, another tried to connect the dots. It is not clear from the post whether Robert Downey Jr. is taking over the mantle to teach or it was symbolic.

In 2021, Robert Downey Jr. will appear in two films, including Jamie Foxx’s All-Star Weekend and Dexter Fletcher’s Sherlock Holmes 3. The All-Star Weekend’s star cast includes Jessica Szohr, Eva Longoria, Robert Downey Jr, Ken Jeong, and Gerard Butler. Sherlock Holmes 3 will be released later in the year.