MCU superheroes created by Stan Lee, are often adored by fans for their captivating presence and brilliant backdrop. But no one could create a vibrant legacy better than Iron Man. Turning into a larger-than-life complex character, Tony Stark became the most appreciated Marvel superhero.
However, to everyone’s surprise, the character of Iron Man was one of Marvel’s greatest gamble that built a $30B empire. Starting with the smallest details including habits, armor, and even the references, creating Iron Man was one of the biggest challenges faced by Stan Lee and his team.
Stan Lee Called Iron Man as Marvel’s Greatest Gamble
There is no doubt that Iron Man is that legendary superhero whose fandom has catapulted since its reincarnation on the silver screen. But there are certain small details and aspects of this character that initially got misinterpreted during screenwriting. Thereafter, Stan Lee was right to call Iron Man as Marvel’s greatest gamble.
Initially, it was difficult to connect audiences with Iron Man as people weren’t familiar with the character’s backstory or mythology. The character was severely neglected and eventually, according to Demon in a Bottle, Tony Stark succumbed to alcoholism. Thus, giving that character a superhero arc was not only difficult but confusing for Hollywood screenwriters.
Turning Iron Man Into a Superhero Was a Challenge
This entire situation was a mess and it seemed impossible to turn Iron Man into a silver-screen superhero. According to MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, Stan Lee believed it was challenging to turn Iron Man into a hero. Given the Cold War situation and young reader’s hate for war and the military, Lee claimed people would never appreciate a character as a hero, who was a weapons manufacturer and dealer.
However, Stan Lee turned the challenge into a real-life dare and ended up creating Tony Stark as one of the most loved and appreciated superheroes in the MCU. Played by Robert Downey Jr. the character not only helmed praises but also made $30B, three decades later after its release in theatres.
“I think I gave myself a dare. It was the height of the Cold War. The readers, the young readers, if there was one thing they hated, it was war, it was military. So I got a hero who represented that to the hundredth degree.”
“I thought it would be fun to take the kind of character that nobody would like, none of our readers would like, and shove him down their throats and make them like him.”
The entire team was excited with the challenge and thus engaged in turning the character with these huge flaws into one of the most loved superheroes. Although Marvel Studios and Stan Lee briefly considered Iron Man might end up being political, Tony Stark proved to be an interesting superhero character.
