Since its inception back in 2008, the MCU has ensured that it maintains its family-friendly fare until recent years, starting with James Gunn’s conclusion to the Guardians trilogy. While 2023 was a less-than-stellar year for most CBM releases, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was an exception, which also involved the MCU’s first F-bomb.
However, long before Guardians joined the cinematic giant, Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man, which started it all for the mega-franchise in the late 2000s, almost had the company’s first F-bomb.
Robert Downey Jr.’s F-Bomb Was Cut From Iron Man
Being the first project in Marvel’s attempt to build an interconnected universe, unlike post-Avengers releases, Jon Favreau and his crew had the liberty to incorporate a much more mature tone. Even though the film maintained its PG-13 rating, similar to Christopher Nolan’s reinvention of Batman on the big screen, Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. didn’t shy away from pushing the boundary.
Apart from having an implied s-x scene between Tony and reporter Christine Everhart, which would’ve been a big no-no in recent years, the film also comprised the studio’s first F-bomb (almost). In the ambush sequence, in which Tony gets ambushed by the terrorists from Ten Rings, RDJ drops an F-bomb, which never made it out of the editing room.
But it can’t be said for sure if the screenwriters originally intended for the F-bomb or if it was just an improvisation on RDJ’s part. And it wasn’t until 15 years after its release that the MCU finally loosened its leash and allowed James Gunn to incorporate the cinematic giant’s first F-bomb.
Marvel Was Cool With James Gunn’s Decision To Include Its First F-Bomb
Most of us can agree that the Superman director didn’t drop the ball with the company’s first F-bomb, which Peter Quill delivered impeccably. But when asked if he was surprised on being given the first F-bomb instead of Samuel L. Jackson, who is notable for his use of profanity, especially in his collaborations with Quentin Tarantino, Gunn said Marvel “didn’t give anyone the first f**k”.
Being his last MCU release, Gunn revealed that he took it, stressing that had Marvel pushed back, he’d have fought for its inclusion. Fortunately for the filmmaker, Kevin Feige and co. were cool.
Marvel didn’t give anyone the first f**k. I took it. If they had pushed back, I would have fought it tooth and nail, but they were cool and did not.
With the MCU recently diving into the rated-R territories with Deadpool & Wolverine, fans hope the studio will be open to more adult-centric stories in the future.
Iron Man and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 are available to stream on Disney Plus.
