Marvel fans already know that 2023 marks a decade since the release of Iron Man 3. The film stirred up quite a controversy at the time of its premiere, but it was also the second MCU movie to break the billion-dollar mark at the box office. Among these contradictions, even today, some consider it the worst Marvel movie, while others argue it was unfairly judged by fans.
Regardless of personal opinion, this film is one of Marvel's works with behind-the-scenes filled with intriguing facts and surprising situations. So, to celebrate this decade "of life", we have selected ten interesting facts about the film for you. Check it out!
New Directions
Jon Favreau, beloved director of the trilogy, left it to focus on two different projects: the independent film Chef (2014), which he starred in and directed, and The Jungle Book (2016). The choice of a new director didn't take long, as there was a seemingly perfect name available: Shane Black. Having worked with Robert Downey Jr. previously and been one of the uncredited consultants on Iron Man 2 (2010), he already understood the franchise and was hired for a project that should have been smooth sailing. It should have been.
Providence Injury
Although production should have been smooth, it faced many problems. One of them was the bankruptcy of the company responsible for the CGI during filming. To make matters worse, the third act of the film, which was practically 80% computer graphics, was still unfinished. However, to the crew's fortune and the actor's misfortune, Robert Downey Jr. suffered an ankle injury during an action scene. The injury left him two months in recovery, enough time for a new producer to take over and work on the film's CGI more calmly.
Tony Senna
One of the most discussed scenes in the trailer shows Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) holding the Iron Man helmet against her face, crying profusely. According to director Shane Black, this scene was inspired by the Brazilian icon Ayrton Senna. Upon watching the documentary Senna: The Brazilian, The Hero, The Champion (2010), Black came across the scene of Ayrton's funeral, where his sister, Viviane, holds her brother's helmet and touches it to her face, looking into Ayrton's eyes for the last time. Shane was enchanted by the power of these images and decided to pay tribute to them in the film.
Friends' Money
The initial budget for Iron Man 3 was about 140 million dollars, a high figure for a blockbuster of the time. But the success of The Avengers (2012), which grossed over 1.5 billion dollars, exceeded investors' expectations, who released an additional 60 million dollars for the third Iron Man, resulting in a total budget of about 200 million dollars. A hefty investment!
Maya
One of the new characters introduced and farewelled in this film was scientist Maya Hansen. Despite not being a very well-known character in the comics, Maya was presented as a key element in the plot of this third Iron Man film. The first choice to play her was the talented Jessica Chastain. She accepted the role, but had to leave the project due to scheduling conflicts. So, the role went to Rebecca Hall, whose performance in the film didn't stand out.
Controversial Change
When he started working on Iron Man (2008), Favreau saw the project as the first part of a trilogy, even without confirmation that there would be sequels. He planned the films to culminate in an epic battle against the Mandarin, the hero's greatest enemy in the comics. The problem is that Jon left the project and Shane Black took over the creative direction, deciding to alter Favreau's vision out of fear of international backlash for portraying the comic book Mandarin, filled with Chinese racist stereotypes. So, he turned the villain into a puppet of an American terrorist, casting Ben Kingsley for the role of the fake Mandarin. Thus, the trilogy would end with the Arms Industry as the main villain, as shown in the first film.
Million Dollar CGI
With the additional budget, the new producer, and Robert injured, Shane Black was able to invest more in extravagant CGI. The first was on the fingers of the giant rabbit that Tony gives Pepper as a Christmas present. In tests in the Middle East, part of the audience thought the rabbit's paws were a pair of large breasts. To avoid confusion, he added CGI paws to the rabbit. But the most impressive was in the final scene when Tony returns to his destroyed mansion and picks up a screwdriver. As Robert was recovering from his ankle injury, Shane used a body double and created the actor's face using CGI. The work was so well done that many people don't even know about it.
Baby Wednesday
Before she stood out as Wednesday on Netflix, actress Jenna Ortega had some interesting roles in cinema. But did you know her debut was in Iron Man 3? At just ten years old, Jenna played the Vice President of the USA's daughter, a young girl in a wheelchair who lost a leg and motivated the politician to support the development and testing of the Extremis virus, the main threat of the film.
No Credit
Finally, the post-credits scene revealed that Iron Man 3 was a story narrated by Tony Stark himself to his new "lab partner", Bruce Banner, as if it were a big therapy session. The scene is quite funny, with Bruce clearly tired of Tony's chatter, even saying that he's not "that kind of doctor", clearly mocking his friend for treating him like a psychologist. This scene is so short that Mark Ruffalo – who appears wearing the same clothes as Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) in the first Avengers – didn't even have his participation officially credited.
Compartilhe sua opinião!
Seja a primeira pessoa a iniciar uma conversa.