The actor Robert Downey Jr. improvised a line in Iron Man that became a significant milestone for the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In 2008, the first phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) began with Iron Man. The main role of billionaire Tony Stark was played by Robert Downey Jr.
The actor was given the freedom to improvise some of his lines as Tony Stark. This led to one of the most famous lines in the MCU, which also influenced the upcoming superhero films of the franchise.
Here you can see a trailer for Iron Man featuring Robert Downey Jr.:
“I am Iron Man”
At the end of the film Iron Man, a press conference takes place where Tony Stark is actually supposed to keep his identity as a superhero a secret. Instead of reading the provided alibi story, the character looks up and says: “I am Iron Man.” (in German: Ich bin Iron Man)
This line was not in the script and was improvised by actor Robert Downey Jr.
As the president of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige, explained to Deadline on July 19, 2018, the quote in the film was a key moment in the development of the MCU:
This success inspired us to move forward and trust ourselves to find a balance where we stay true to the comics and the spirit of the comics, but also are not afraid to adapt, evolve, and change things.
Kevin Feige via deadline.com
However, it is a balancing act where one has to distinguish whether one is straying from the comic source without reason or if this can show the character even better.
Only in the latter aspect would one be diverging from the comics. In the case of Iron Man, it was a good decision to integrate the improvisation into the film, even if the revelation did not happen this way in the comic source.
Kevin Feige further explained:
What I find great now – after 20 films – is that fans expect the MCU to change and adapt. They expect us to be inspired by the comics rather than adhering to them scrupulously.
Kevin Feige via deadline.com
Although many superhero fans celebrate Robert Downey Jr. for his role in Iron Man, the actor named two completely different titles as the most important films of his career, as you can read here from our colleagues at Filmstarts.
Thus, the MCU also broke with the known hiding game of superheroes from the public, as previously seen in the genre.
While Clark Kent disguises himself as a journalist with glasses in his “normal life” and Bruce Wayne keeps his nighttime identity as Batman a secret, Tony Stark told the entire world who is inside the Iron Man suit.
Inspired by the success of the film, the Marvel Studios later no longer hid the hero Thor behind his secret comic identity as Dr. Donald Blake, but showed his true existence as the God of Thunder.
Therefore, many Marvel heroes were no longer unknown, mysterious saviors, but rather public figures who, like film or pop stars, are celebrated by fans.
Here you can find a survey where we want to know from you which MCU film from Phase 1-3 you think is the best:
From Iron Man to Spider-Man: Far From Home – Which is the best film in the MCU Phase 1-3?
