The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a massive franchise, which has released a whopping 23 movies since Iron Man debuted and changed the film world. Gwyneth Paltrow has been there since the very beginning, playing Pepper Potts in all three Iron Man movies, as well as a few appearances in Avengers movies, and a quick cameo in Spider-Man: Homecoming. But despite her long tenure in the MCU, Paltrow has been shown to be rather disconnected, even mixing up which movies she'd appeared in. And now the Oscar-winning actress has explained herself.
Gwyneth Paltrow's performance as Pepper Potts have been consistently strong, regardless of how big her role was in each movie. But she's caught being confused about the MCU's timeline, as well as its residents like Tom Holland and Sebastian Stan. The Goop visionary recently opened up behind the reasoning for this, saying:
I never read stuff. But it is confusing because there are so many Marvel movies, and to be honest, I haven’t seen very many of them. It’s really stupid and I’m sorry, but I’m a 47-year-old mother.
Well, that's pretty cut and dry. Despite appearing in an impressive seven Marvel blockbusters in her tenure as Pepper Potts, Gwyneth Paltrow admittedly doesn't follow the goings on of the massive franchise. Catching each new blockbuster and following the timeline is simply not her priority at this time in her life.
Gwyneth Paltrow's comments to Elle put some perspective in the actress' seemingly clueless approach to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as of late. While Paltrow always puts her all into her performances, that doesn't mean she's been following the events of the MCU. So while cinephiles and comic book fans run to each new release coming from Marvel Studios, Paltrow doesn't feel as passionately. Smart money says she didn't take the time to read up on Pepper's latest comic book adventures, including Civil War II.
This conversation about Gwyneth Paltrow's knowledge of the MCU was started over the past year or so, as The Politician actress was caught on camera being confused about her own role in the shared universe. Paltrow had no idea she appeared in Spider-Man: Homecoming, believing her brief cameo was filmed for an Avengers flick. That moment quickly went viral, especially as hype and excitement over the shared universe was at a fever pitch over Avengers: Endgame.
Related: Gwyneth Paltrow Admits She’s Never Watched Spider-Man: Homecoming
But it's not just the events of the MCU that Gwyneth Paltrow has a penchant for confusing. She's also been known to forget some of the shared universe's biggest stars. She famously forgot who Tom Holland was, before they shared scenes in Endgame. What's more, she's "met" Bucky actor Sebastian Stan multiple times, with the actor joking about it on social media.
It should be interesting to see if we ever see Pepper again on the big screen. Her story was intrinsically connected to Tony Stark. But with Robert Downey Jr. officially retired from his role as Iron Man, there might not be an organic reason for Pepper Potts to return to the narrative. We'll just have to wait and see as details about Phase Three and Four become public.
The next installment in the MCU is Black Widow in May 1st, 2020, and you can watch Gwyneth Paltrow in The Politician on Netflix. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
