Iron Man film series is undoubtedly one of the most crucial parts of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After the big comic collapse of the late ’90s, Marvel sold the movie rights to more heroes to keep the lights on. Enter Iron Man. By the mid-2000s superhero movies were doing good business. Spider-Man had then broken almost every theatrical record at that time. But this was for Sony Pictures. On the other hand, X-men was winning the game for Fox. So how could Marvel not join in? They decided to rally the heroes they had left and do something no one had ever done before: build a shared superhero universe onscreen. Iron Man was the first Marvel Studios movie, the one it was all riding on.
So here we go, diving a little deeper into Iron Man and its easter eggs, here is a list that you will love for sure. Check it out:
Favreau Wanted Downey Jr. as Iron Man BECAUSE of His Tumultuous Past
Though other filmmakers wouldn’t work with Robert Downey Jr. at the time, Jon Favreau actually saw RDJ’s past as an asset to the character. He said, “The best and worst moments of Robert’s life have been in the public eye. He had to find an inner balance to overcome obstacles that went far beyond his career. That’s Tony Stark. Robert brings a depth that goes beyond a comic book character having trouble in high school, or can’t get the girl.” Favreau also admitted Downey could make Stark “a likable a**hole.”
Howard Hughes Inspired Tony Stark
Stan Lee credits Howard Hughes as his inspiration for billionaire-playboy-philanthropist Tony Stark. Stan Lee described Hughes as “one of the most colorful men of our time. He was an inventor, an adventurer, a multi-billionaire, a ladies’ man and finally a nutcase.” Sounds about right.
Robert Downey Jr. Looks Out For His Friends
It was a rocky road getting RDJ cast in Iron Man, but after that insane success, he didn’t forget who helped get him there. He recommended his friend Justin Theroux to write Iron Man 2 after working together on Tropic Thunder. He helped Shane Black secure the director’s chair on Iron Man 3 after working together on Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.
The Avengers Led to a Much Larger Budget for Iron Man 3
Iron man 3 was originally budgeted at an in-no-means-meager $140 million. After the insane success of The Avengers, Marvel knew that had to up the ante on Tony Stark’s next adventure, so the studio increased the budget to a cool $200 million. It went on to make over $1.2 billion. Guess it paid off.
Paul Bettany Stumbled Into the Role as JARVIS
In the comics, Jarvis is Tony Stark’s faithful butler, but to avoid the inevitable Batman comparisons (and to modernize) they made him a sentient robot assistant whose name actually stands for “Just A Rather Very Intelligent System.” Not only did Paul Bettany take the role as a simple favor to Favreau, with whom he starred in the romantic comedy Wimbledon, but he also recorded all of his lines in about two hours. Now, he’s the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Vision and his makeup alone takes longer than that.
Agent Coulson Was Initially a Much Smaller Part
Clark Gregg’s Agent Phil Coulson was originally a much smaller part. In fact, the character was only called ‘Agent’ at first. But as filming went on and it became more and more apparent that due to Clark Gregg’s chemistry with all the other actors they should add more scenes. Now he stars on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
An Easter Egg Connects the Mandarin to the First Iron Man
The pinkie ring Trevor Slattery/Mandarin wears throughout Iron Man 3 is the very same one Raza (the terrorist from the first film) wears, Originally, Mandarin was meant to be the big bad not the more conceptual villain he eventually became in the third film.
Extras Were Told That the “I Am Iron Man” Line Was Part of a Dream Sequence
In the age of the Internet, how did the filmmakers get away with the iconic “I am Iron Man” press conference scene with all those extras, all of whom could have spilled the beans? Simple, they told everyone involved it was a dream sequence.
The First Movie Was Shot Without a Complete Script
The Iron Man script wasn’t completely done by the time they started rolling. With the filmmakers more focused on the story and the action set pieces, the dialogue was mostly largely workshopped and ad-libbed throughout filming. Director Jon Favreau has said that this contributed to the film feel’s more natural sensibilities.
Ivan Vanko’s tattoos Were Painstakingly Chosen
Mickey Rourke, himself carried out a lot of research in Russia choosing what tattoos should adorn Iron Man 2 villain Ivan Vanko’s body. He wanted truly authentic Russian tattoos, which would represent Vanko’s heritage, as well as his prison experiences.
Now really, tell us how much you love Iron Man and direct us towards some of the easter eggs that we might have missed. Lovely details, from the record-breaking character.
