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Iron Man 3starring Robert Downey Jr. in the titular superhero role was an immense success for Marvel Studios. It even made its way to the Academy Awards by getting a nomination for Best Visual Effects. However, many might be surprised to know that the franchise chose to boot a female antagonist from the movie way before putting Brie Larson in the front with her own standalone movie.
Also Read:Jon Favreau Had to Turn to Primal Creator Genndy Tartakovsky to Save His ‘Messy’ Iron Man 2 Starring Robert Downey Jr. After Failing to Find the Right Climax
It follows after the events ofThe Avengers.In the movie, Tony Stark faces off against a mysterious terrorist known as the Mandarin, which leads to a series of devastating events. The movie greatly explores Stark’s persona and the consequences of his past actions. While the Mandarin was surely a great threat, movie director, Shane Black exposed Marvel’s sexism sharing how the studio allegedly scrapped the inclusion of a female villain in the movie.
Marvel Studios Scrapped a Female Villain forIron Man 3
Also Read:Christopher Nolan Can Help Robert Downey Jr. Land His First Ever Oscar After His 1 Movie Dashed Iron Man Star’s Hopes Many Years Ago
In Joanna Robinson and Gavin Edwards’s book,MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios,Robert Downey Jr.‘sIron Man 3filmmaker, Shane Black revealed his brainstorming process for villains in the movie. He revealed that he initially planned for Rebecca Hall’s character, Maya Hensen to become the antagonist. However, this idea didn’t sit well with Marvel Studios as they thought that the villain’s action figures would not sell much since it’s a female character.
The film director quoted (viaSlashFilm)
“We had a female character who was the villain. […] We had finished the script and we were given a no-holds-barred memo saying ‘That cannot stand and we’ve changed our minds because after consulting, we’ve decided that the toy won’t sell as well if it’s a female.’ […] So we had to change the entire script because of toymaking. Now, that’s not Feige. That’s Marvel corporate.”
Eventually, the movie received a gender swap as Guy Pearce’s Aldrich Killian, the real mastermind in theIron Man 3eventually became the antagonist.While the franchise earlier chose to boot a female character in the front due to toy sales, they eventually turned the gears completely with Captain Marvel!
Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel Led Her Solo MCU Movie!
Also Read:“The script changed so much”: Robert Downey Jr.’s Own ‘Batman’ Moment Was Almost Deleted From Iron Man That Would’ve Badly Affected the Movie
While the studios had not accepted a female pulling the strings as a mastermind, they surely had their share of intriguing female characters. When it comes to naming one..we surely can’t forget Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow. However, a woman was yet to lead her solo superhero movie at the time. That was when Brie Larson’s character, Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel made her entrance.
The release ofCaptain Marvelsignificantly pushed the franchise toward diversity in superhero movies. It also introduced other powerful female characters that the franchise further explored like Maria Rambeau’s daughter, Monica Rambeau, who shared the screen with Larson in the movie sequel,The Marvels.
Iron Man 3,andCaptain Marvelare available on Disney+.
Priya Sharma
Articles Published :1321
Priya Sharma, Senior Content Writer and Social Media Manager at FandomWire and Animated Times. Having graduated in Journalism and Mass Communication, she possesses extensive expertise in crafting engaging and informative content. She has written over 2000 articles across Animated Times and FandomWire on pop culture, showing her dedication to delivering diverse and trending content to readers across the world. Apart from pop culture, she is quite enthusiastic about the Hallyu culture and is exploring the world of anime, expanding the horizons of her knowledge.
