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MCU Rewind: ‘Iron Man’ Set the Stage for a Big Universe by Focusing on Individual Characters
The first official Marvel Studios film, 2008’s Iron Man directed by Jon Favreau, was almost a disaster. The studio didn’t want Robert Downey Jr. to take on the role, mostly because of his tumultuous private life. The character wasn’t all that well-known, and of the “gods” in the Marvel pantheon he wasn’t the most impressive. When they started shooting the movie, the script wasn’t a script but rather a “skeleton” and “an outline” as Terrance Howard and Jeff Bridges said, respectively. Finally, even if every person in the cast and crew did their part perfectly, the success of the movie depended on how realistic a computer-generated cartoon of the hero would look on the screen. People were very skeptical about this film’s chances, but it proved to be a classic in the genre that gave birth to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Before the film’s release, people were hopeful about Marvel’s chances in self-financing films, but skeptical. The casting announcement seemed less a celebration and more an anticipatory response to critics. Trade publications paid close attention to the executives in charge (and those who left) for signs of whether this would be a hit or a flop. Seemingly in spite of the odds, the ultimate result was a surprisingly impressive film that made a boatload of money. (Though…
