The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a well-oiled machine at this point, with moviegoers spending years watching the Marvel movies in order. But those longtime fans know that it all started with the OG Iron Man movie, which was a big risk at the time of its production. Pepper Potts actress Gwyneth Paltrow says Robert Downey Jr. threw out script pages while prepping for Iron Man, and it sounds like that was actually helpful.
Paltrow and RDJ formed a close bond throughout their time in the MCU, and some fans are hoping to see them back on the big screen in an upcoming Marvel movie. For now we can re-watch their movies with a Disney+ subscription, as Paltrow offers insider information on what it was like working on the 2008 original Iron Man. While speaking with Esquire about the Oppenheimer actor, she shared about how Downey influenced that movie's dialogue, offering:
There would be this process of [director] Jon Favreau and Robert and I going into Jon’s trailer in the morning and Robert being like, ‘I’m not fucking saying these lines’ and throwing them out. And then live improv-ing either in the trailer or on the set. I think in order for something to feel alive for Robert, it has to feel fresh, and he makes it fresh by making it feel like it was just invented. So many of those famous lines were written ten minutes before we said them.
Talk about a man with a vision. Despite the MCU still being in its earliest stages, it sounds like Robert Downey Jr. knew what he wanted to bring to the table as Tony Stark. And as such, he refused to utter a number of lines, and ultimately helped come up with new dialogue himself.
Paltrow's story helps to peel back the curtain on what it was like on the set of Iron Man, which basically kickstarted the superhero craze as we know it. While some might have been stressed by how dialogue was being scrapped, Gwyneth seemed to think that it elevated the proceedings. And given the movie's wild success, she was probably right.
In the end, Robert Downey Jr. played Iron Man to pitch perfection throughout a decade of movies. His story came to an emotional conclusion during Avengers: Endgame's ending, which saw Tony Stark sacrifice himself to defeat Thanos and his forces forever. And it's unclear if the shared universe would have ever gotten to that point without how RDJ contributed to it, especially during those early days.
Despite his death, fans are hoping to see Downey back in the MCU at some point in the future. There seemingly aren't any plans to make this happen, but moviegoers are likely still holding out hope. But if he were to reprise his role as Iron Man, smart money says that could convince Paltrow to return as Pepper.
The next MCU movie hitting theaters is Deadpool & Wolverine on July 26th. In the meantime, check out the 2024 movie release dates.
