This month marks the 15th anniversary of the release of “Iron Man,” the first official Marvel Studios feature and the beginning of the MCU – a mega-franchise encompassing more than thirty films and many TV series.
In a recently released retrospective video celebrating the milestone, the film’s director Jon Favreau and Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige look back at the movie in a 21-minute video discussing its genesis and its importance.
That includes the casting of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man, which was key to the whole thing. Turns out, Downey Jr. almost played another iconic Marvel bad guy.
First up, Feige indicates both Downey Jr. and Favreau were instrumental to the MCU’s success:
“That tone you and Robert discovered on that movie became the template for what the MCU became. On later movies […] there were dark days, and I would say to Robert, ‘We wouldn’t be in this mess if it wasn’t for you.’ Meaning, we wouldn’t have a studio if it wasn’t for him.”
Favreau then reminds Feige that Downey Jr. may have been out of contention had producer Avi Arad cast him as Victor von Doom/Doctor Doom in Fox’s 2005 Marvel comic adaptation “Fantastic Four”. Favreau says:
“I remember that Robert had come in for a general on it, and I remember you had all met with him already for like Doctor Doom or something on another project, I think he had come through on maybe ‘Fantastic Four’. So everybody sort of knew who he was, and I remember sitting down with the guy, and I was like, ‘Geez, he’s got that spark in him, in his eye, and he’s ready.”
Feige is visibly taken aback by the comment, seemingly having forgotten that and then recalling the memory. Julian McMahon from “Nip/Tuck” ultimately scored the Doctor Doom role for the two Tim Story-directed “Fantastic Four” films. That version boasted a look very similar to the comics.
Later Toby Kebbell played a reimagined version of the role in 2015’s poorly received reboot. The MCU’s version of the character has yet to be cast.
