Marvel Studios: The First Ten Years

How essential is the chemistry between actors when casting for the Marvel films? We always cast for the movie we’re making, but we also have an eye on the future. So when we were casting Chris Pratt, we needed the best Star-Lord, but at the same time, we said, “We need somebody who one day might go toe to toe with Robert Downey Jr.” On the very first day of Avengers: Infinity War there was Robert, Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, and it was pretty amazing! There have been a handful of times in our ten years here at Marvel Studios where we have had to just stop for a second and pinch ourselves. That was one of those moments. How do you know if a character is going to connect…

Why was the casting of Iron Man such an important step in establishing the Marvel Cinematic Universe? I think casting Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark was probably our most important casting decision because it informed everything else. Having Robert Downey Jr. has been absolutely fantastic, not only for the Iron Man franchise but for the whole Marvel Cinematic Universe. Has it been fun watching the character evolve? It’s been interesting watching Tony Stark and Robert Downey Jr. evolve. They’re one and the same. It’s really incredible watching an actor of that caliber develop and change from film to film. A lot of Tony Stark might have been just glib one-liners but there’s an emotional resonance. His relationship with the other Avengers, Pepper Potts, and most importantly with himself and…

Following a successful weapons demonstration in Afghanistan, Tony Stark is kidnapped by a terrorist group, the Ten Rings. Mortally wounded, Stark is held captive along with another prisoner, Ho Yinsen. Yinsen has managed to save Tony’s life via a powerful electromagnet that keeps pieces of deadly shrapnel from entering his heart. But Tony will need a permanent solution to prevent his death. Stark is offered his freedom in exchange for building a Jericho missile, but he knows his captors won’t keep their word. With Yinsen’s help, Stark builds a miniature Arc Reactor – an energy source based on his father’s design – which he uses to power a suit of armor. The armored Stark breaks free, destroying the Ten Rings’ weapons stockpile. Back in the USA, he announces that Stark…

What was it like working together on Iron Man? Robert Downey Jr.: Paltrow? Gwyneth Paltrow: Well, these two guys, out of all the people that I’ve had the good fortune to work with, the triumvirate that we’ve formed together is very special. There’s true love and real friendship over a decade. Jon Favreau: We traveled around the world together. Gwyneth was my first Sherpa through Rome. And I brought my family there since then. We have really good memories. We were in Paris together with our spouses on the first trip around the world. RDJ: We were in a shot-out bungalow at Hughes Aircraft off Jefferson when Jon found out that Paltrow had agreed to play Pepper Potts, and we both got really choked up for some reason because Jon…

On the run from the US Army and General Ross, Bruce Banner hides out in Rocinha, Brazil. He has taught himself meditation techniques in an attempt to control his transformations, and hasn’t “Hulked out” in months. Ross discovers Banner’s whereabouts, and sends a strike team led by Emil Blonsky to bring Banner back. The mission goes awry, with Banner eventually changing into his green-skinned alter ego. Hulk decimates Blonsky’s team, and injures Blonsky himself before escaping Banner makes his way back to the US, where he finds his former girlfriend, Betty Ross, working at Culver University. Meanwhile, General Ross offers Blonsky another chance to subdue Hulk. The experiment that turned Banner into Hulk was a failed attempt to duplicate the Super-Soldier Serum that created Captain America. Blonsky is given an…

Thaddeus Ross made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in The Incredible Hulk. Did you enjoy playing a foil to the hero? I did. It was amazing. I didn’t have to bear the whole weight of the movie. General Ross is a perfect character to me. I felt very liberated playing him. I think all of the actors in these movies feel the same way. There’s more life in imagination and that imagination is released through the characterization. I was watching Scarlett Johansson play a scene in Captain America: Civil War and she was really delving into that character. She was playing that role with scalpel-like precision. She was carefully dividing Natasha Romanoff’s psyche into sections. What is the biggest challenge of appearing in a Marvel Studios movie? Acting in film…