Whenever any type of movie is being put together, it’s undoubtedly going to go through some changes – especially if there’s a lot riding on it. Today, we know Marvel Studios to be a juggernaut in the industry, but I won’t forget how crucial the first Iron Man movie was to them. Not only did it jump-start a cinematic universe, but it also kept the Marvel brand afloat. Basically, they sunk pretty much everything they had into at and, thankfully, it paid off.
Additionally, it could be said that 2008 was the year that truly kicked off what we now refer to as “the Golden Age of Superhero Movies.” Before then, films such as this did attract respectable audiences, but there was just something about flicks like Iron Man and The Dark Knight that took the genre to a new level. The Incredible Hulk also dropped that summer, but while I believe that movie is vastly underappreciated, it wasn’t quite the game-changer the other two were.
Anyway, it’s interesting to go back and see how things could’ve been different. As it turns out, Tony Stark’s first onscreen nemesis, Obadiah Stane, was originally slated to survive his rooftop encounter with Shellhead, something actor Jeff Bridges confessed in a recent discussion with Cinema Blend:
“In the original script they were supposed to open my suit after, and I was gone! But then, no. I read the scene we were shooting, and they said, ‘No, you’re dead.’ And I said, ‘Oh…’ Then they said, ‘Well, it’s a comic! Maybe you’ll come back!’ I don’t know.”
Considering that nine years have gone by, it’s doubtful Stane will make a triumphant return. But after reading this, I’d really like to get my hands on those earlier drafts of the screenplay. In one of the bonus features that complemented the first Iron Man movie, Bridges said the Mandarin was originally supposed to be included as well (I’m guessing he’d have been portrayed better than the one we eventually received). Also, the crew repeatedly referred to the Iron Monger rig as “Crimson Dynamo,” so one has to wonder how many changes were made throughout each phase of production.