The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been going strong since 2008's Iron Man, and Jon Favreau has been there through it all. Favreau has worn a ton of hats within the shared universe, directing the first two Iron Man movies, acting onscreen as Happy Hogan, and serving as a producer on a variety of projects. This includes Avengers: Endgame and the rest of the Avengers movies.
But while Jon Favreau was an executive producer on Avengers: Endgame, that didn't mean he was privy to all of the movie's various twists and turns. After all, The Russo Brothers ran a notoriously secretive set. Favreau recently explained the unique challenge of being an Endgame EP, saying:
With the Marvel things, they have so many films happening at the same time and all of them interweave with one another. Oftentimes you’re not exactly sure what’s happening, even me. I’m an executive producer on Endgame, I didn’t always know what was going on.
Well, that's is interesting. Because while the Iron Man director is intimately involved in the MCU machine, even he was partly in the dark regarding Avengers: Endgame. The movie was just that massive, secretive, and complex.
Jon Favreau's comments to Variety may surprise moviegoers, but they do make sense given the massive scale of Endgame. The blockbuster included every major character in the MCU, traveled through the timeline of the shared universe, and covered a ton of ground narratively. As such, The Russo Brothers were probably some of the only people who knew exactly what was going on as the movie was assembled.
It's also noteworthy that Jon Favreau was an executive producer on Avengers: Endgame, and therefore wasn't necessarily intimately involved in the movie's filming. While producers have a say in the story and running of the set, EP's typically have less of a role in the day-to-day operations. As such, Favreau probably didn't have his finger on the pulse of Endgame the way he would with other projects.
Related: Why Jon Favreau Kept Wanting The Lion King To Be 'Uglier'
The Russo Brothers did the impossible with their pair of Avengers movies, filming Infinity War and Endgame back to back. It's a decision that the co-directors have since admitted was a misstep, but both blockbusters were critical and box office darlings. But given the insane shooting schedule and all-star cast, it makes sense of Jon Favreau didn't always know what was going on. Plus, there's Endgame's super complicated story.
The Time Heist was no doubt an especially challenging aspect of the film, as the surviving Avengers traveled through the MCU to accrue the Infinity Stones. It's a sequence that included tons of surprise cameos, as well as costumes from the Marvel vaults. Act 2 of Avengers: Endgame was better for it, but there's obviously room for some confusion.
You can catch Jon Favreau in Avengers: Endgame's re-release, or the newest arrival, Spider-Man: Far From Home. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
