MCU: 10 Fascinating Facts Behind Iron Man (2008)

3. The Script Wasn't Even Finished When They Started

Some of the most entertaining films in history have struggled with their scripts and it often helps when a director is forced to work on the fly. But for a film like Iron Man, which is the keystone to a franchise lasting more than a decade to have been filmed without a finished script is remarkable.

According to Jeff Bridges, it wasn't ideal having neither a completed script or rehearsals as it clashed with his usual preparation, but he did enjoy the experience of basically filming a "two hundred million dollar student film." It also allowed Favreau to encourage ad-libbing, with two cameras set up to capture improvised lines.

That played into Downey Jr's hands as it meant he could experiment with his takes, which led to one of the film's defining moments. Originally, Tony admitting that he was Iron Man wasn't in the script and that gave Kevin Feige the licence he needed to adapt Marvel comics loosely and create new moments for the MCU, as he told Deadline:

“That success inspired us to go further in the trusting ourselves to find balance of staying true to the comics and the spirit of the comics but not being afraid to adapt and evolve and to change things. It’s a fine line. If you’re changing something for no reason, that’s one thing, but if you’re changing something because you want to double-down on the spirit of who the character is? That’s a change we’ll make. Tony Stark not reading off the card and not sticking with the fixed story? Him just blurting out ‘I am Iron Man?’ That seems very much in keeping with who that character is. It just hadn’t been done in the comics before, but it was something very much in keeping with the comics character and what he could have done. I think it did inspire us on all the movies. What I love now — 20 movies in — is how fans expect the MCU to change and adapt. They expect us to be inspired by the comics as opposed to being slavishly devoted to them.”