For Iron Man 2, the filmmakers were looking for a villain who would be able to force Tony Stark (played by Robert Downey Jr.) to confront the infamous aspects of his family, rather than someone who just blows up things. As a result, they roped in Mickey Rourke to play Ivan Vanko, a former collaborator of Howard Stark (Tony Stark’s father) who was written out of history.
The role finally went to Rourke, a former golden boy of the industry who was away from Hollywood for years. However, the actor almost left Marvel over his compensation.
Also Read: Major MCU Villain Actor in Iron Man 2 Was Original Choice for Tony Stark, Not Robert Downey Jr
Mickey Rourke Almost Walked Out Of Iron Man 2
Both Robert Downey Jr. and Mickey Rourke were nominated for Academy Awards in 2009 for Tropic Thunder and The Wrestler, respectively. And during the awards-circuit banquet, Downey Jr. Convinced Rourke to join the cast of Iron Man 2.
Negotiations between Rourke and Marvel did not go as expected, as the studio offered him only $250,000 despite the success of the first installment. Marvel Entertainment was closely observing and offering the salaries to the actors at the time. When Rourke nearly turned down the opportunity, Marvel increased his salary.
Mickey Rourke was fully committed to playing a comic-book supervillain wielding electric whips, fully immersing himself in the role. The actor adopted a thick Russian accent and shared scenes with a white cockatoo in many scenes.
Favreau said (via MCU: The Reigns of Marvel Studios):
“The cockatoo that he has, that wasn’t in the original script.”
Favreau agreed to the actor’s request to have an on-screen pet, not only to keep the actor content but also to add a pirate-like quality to Vanko’s character. After the cockatoo was brought into the script, additional dialogues were added to accommodate its presence. The makers even shot a scene where Vanko’s bird meets its end, as the villain himself breaks its neck. However, the scene was removed, considering the movie will have several young viewers.
Marvel Announced Iron Man 2 Without Signing Robert Downey Jr.
When the negotiations for the second film were still ongoing, Marvel announced that Iron Man 2 would be released in April 2010. Marvel was eager to convert the first movie’s success into a franchise and lay the groundwork for Avengers. This prompted the studio to announce the release date even before officially finalizing the deals with Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr.
Favreau said (via MCU: The Reigns of Marvel Studios):
“Fortunately, I’d had the experience of things connecting with audiences before, and I know how wonderful, but also disorienting, it is. Everything changes a bit. It’s like the band that puts out a hit single: you go from playing in a garage to figuring out how you follow it up.”
After two months of discussion, both Downey Jr. And Favreau agreed to join the film. Downey Jr. acted in the first film for a reduced fee, earning only around $500,000. However, his salary was significantly increased for the second installment, earning $10 million, and even more for the third film.
