ROBERT Downey Jr. wants to throw his mates Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster a bone.

According to Radar Online, the Iron Man star is raising eyebrows with his campaign to get his friends a role in one of his upcoming films.

"He wants to bring Mel and Jodie into the Marvel universe, preferably in one of the Avengers films," a source told Radar Online.

"It's been a long-time dream of Robert's to help Mel and Jodie reach similar big box office heights like the ones he's achieved in recent years."

48-year-old Downey Jr. has reportedly signed a deal with Marvel studios to make two more Avengers movies over the next five years, and while it's conceivable that Foster might be able to land a role in one of the films, Mel Gibson has almost no chance thanks to his anti-Semitic rants in the past.

"Marvel is run by one of the richest and most prominent Israeli businessmen in Hollywood, and you can be sure even if Robert got down on his knees and begged, there's no place for Mel in the Marvel films," the source said.

Downey Jr's Iron Man 3 was the highest grossing movie in 2013 and he's set to appear in The Avengers: Age of Ultron which is due to be released in 2015.