Robert Downey Jr makes boy’s dream come true with bionic surprise

A seven-year-old boy has been given an experience straight out of a superhero film – hanging out with Iron Man and then getting fitted out with a brand new bionic arm.

Alex, like most boys his age, loves caped crusaders of all kinds and riding his bike, but unlike most boys his age was born with a partially-developed right arm.

University student Albert Manero recently came to the rescue of both Alex and his family by building and donating a low-cost bionic limb.

Through his organisation Limbitless, Mr Manero engineers the bionic limbs with the help of a 3D printer and donates the finished product to children all over the world.

If it was not already exciting enough to be getting the bionic arm, when Alex met up with Mr Manero to try it on for size, he was greeted by Hollywood actor Robert Downey Jr.

Downey famously plays bionics expert Tony Stark, who fights crime under the guise of Iron Man in the Marvel comic book film franchise of the same name.

In the video which has already recorded 301,000 views in 24 hours, Alex sits next to his hero as the pair examine their bionic arms in matching colour schemes.

"Each one looks the same," Alex remarks.

"Actually, I think yours might be better than mine," Downey replies.

When someone off camera asks Alex if he knows who the man sitting next to him is, he smiles to himself and replies "Iron Man" as Downey breaks out into a smile and punches the air.

The video ends in the best way possible, with a very happy boy giving a bionic fist-bump to his new superhero friend.