Iron Man was chosen as the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe by group discussions of school children. It’s hard to believe now, but until 2008, Iron Man was considered one of Marvel’s second-tier, if not third-tier, characters. Indeed, following the Civil war event, the comics had relegated Tony Stark to a pseudo-villain role, and the creators were gradually looking to redeem him.
Despite this, Marvel chose Iron Man to launch the MCU. It was a wise decision, because Iron Man grossed over $500 million worldwide, putting Marvel Studios on the list. However, how did Marvel Studios acquire the rights to Iron Man? This is something we need to find out.
Also Read: ‘DC Is So Fragmented’: Industry Expert Claims Zack Snyder and His ‘Toxic’ Fanbase Are Dividing DCEU, Says Snyder Fans Have a ‘Huge Ego’
Iron Man belonged to New Line Cinema before
As a child, movie studio co-president Michael De Luca was a comic book collector and at New Line he made Blade and even had an Iron Man movie in the works. (According to a source, Bob Shaye, the president of New Line at the time, let the option expire because it didn’t make sense because Iron Man was too heavy to fly.) “Mike was championing and scratching the surface of this comic book universe long before it became the only thing everyone was interested in seeing,” says a longtime associate.
New Line Cinema let the rights to develop an Iron Man movie go to Marvel because they felt the character “didn’t make sense because Iron Man was too heavy to fly”
(Going through @THR) pic.twitter.com/mJmMOydzua
—CultureCrave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) September 18, 2022
Also Read: Marvel Theory: Kang Lets Iron Man Discover Time Travel Because He Needs The Avengers Alive To Kill All His Variants In The Kang Dynasty
Iron Man and the actor Robert Downey Jr. have gained wide recognition over the past decade. The Iron Man is now considered one of Marvel’s most valuable, and Tony Stark’s sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame is considered one of the defining moments of cinema.
Such realism in the comics costs New Line a lot of money, and the question now is whether Michael De Luca has learned his lesson or will end up making another Iron Man mistake if he controls the DC characters.
Why did Marvel Studios decide to start with Iron Man?
According to film historian Ben Fritz, Marvel planned to start with Captain America, who would have been the “First Avenger”. However, as Fritz describes in his book TThe big picture: the fight for the future of cinemaplans have changed.
You Might Also Like: ‘Rhodey’s His Own Man’: Don Cheadle Denies Rumors He’s Replacing Iron Man, Says RDJ Did It So Well War Machine Needs To Find Its Own Way
Marvel held focus groups to decide which movie to make first. They weren’t brought in to interview a random sample of people about what storylines and characters they’d like to see on screen. Instead, Marvel gathered groups of kids and showed them pictures of superheroes while explaining their abilities and weapons. After which, they asked the children with whom they wanted to play as toys. To the surprise of many at Marvel, the overwhelming response was Iron Man.
“That’s what brought Iron Man to the front of the line,” said one of those responsible for deciding which Marvel movie would self-produce first.
Source: Longing for culture
