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Shang-Chi producer Kevin Feige on why casting Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man was the 'BIGGEST RISK' for MCU
Kevin Feige, Marvel Studios President, acknowledged during Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' Global Press Conference, which Pinkvilla was a part of, that casting Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man was "the most important thing in the founding of the Marvel Cinematic Universe."
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is all set for its theatrical release next week with Simu Liu as the new MCU superhero to be obsessed with. As MCU Phase 4 embarks on unchartered territories of the multiverse, one can't help but think back to how it all started with one man, Robert Downy Jr. as Iron Man.
Now, one can't imagine the MCU without RDJ but at its inception, there were obvious concerns. During Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' Global Press Conference, which Pinkvilla was a part of, Ronny Chieng as the MC, who also plays Jon Jon in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, asked Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige what he believed to be the biggest risk or bet he made in the MCU's early days when they were still building people's trust, which ultimately paid off. Kevin shared, "...we didn't build it from scratch. There was a thing called comics... that had existed for many, many decades. [Ronny chimed in, "Like on paper and stuff."] On paper. You could touch them. You could open them. You still can. And the dream was to bring that to the big screen. So, that is what we were doing and I was lucky to be involved in early Spiderman films and X-Men films, Iron Man movie."
"And I do think still the biggest risk, which seems outrageous to say now, was casting Robert Downey Jr. It was both the biggest risk and the biggest... the most important thing in the founding of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Without Robert, there'd be... We wouldn't be sitting here today. I really believe that," Kevin revealed.
While Chieng acknowledged the casting move was a risk at the time but hard to imagine why now, Kevin further elaborated, "He was an amazing actor. Everybody knew he was an amazing actor, but he hadn't been an action star. He wasn't a marquis star necessarily. And we quickly realized the risk, I've said this before, was not casting him. And Jon Favreau really had that vision for that movie and for Robert in that role and that decision and the success of that decision, I think, empowered us with further risks and further choices."
When Ronny theorised, "Sure. Sure. And so, you had tons of people saying, 'No,' but you were like, 'Nah, man. This is the one,'" to which Feige added, "There were some people saying, 'No,' and some people saying, 'Are you sure?'" Chieng joked, "Who said... They're listening in right now and they will... Okay. Okay," to which Kevin quipped back, "Well, let's go through the list."
MCU's "biggest risk" with casting RDJ as Iron Man proved to be their best decision and more than a decade later, MCU is a force of a franchise to be reckoned with! Thank you, Robert!
Meanwhile, do share your excitement with Pinkvilla for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in the comments section below.
Also starring Awkwafina, Meng'er Zhang and Sir Ben Kingsley and directed by Destin Daniel Cretton; who were all in attendance for the Global Press Conference, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings releases in India on September 3.
ALSO READ: Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Early Reviews: Critics PRAISE MCU film's explosive action
