It goes without saying that the triumph of the Marvel Cinematic Universe can be attributed to the success of the original Iron Man film starring Robert Downey Jr. The decision to start the franchise with him was initially considered a massive gamble on Kevin Feige's part, especially considering how Iron Man was always seen as a B-list character. On top of that, RDJ had a bad reputation in Hollywood but still, the film went on to exceed expectations and launched arguably the biggest franchise in film and television.
Now, most of you are probably unaware of this interesting piece of trivia but it turns out that Tony Stark nearly made his debut in the mid-2000s, three years before becoming an integral part of the MCU. However, the project didn't take flight because a certain production company deemed the now-iconic Marvel superhero a little too unrealistic.
According to a new report from The Hollywood Reporter, New Line Cinema was actually developing an Iron Man film but ultimately pulled the plug on the project for one specific reason — they thought the idea of Tony Stark being able to fly while wearing a suit made of metal didn't make sense as he would be "too heavy to fly".
Also Read: Iron Man Actor Robert Downey Jr. Reportedly 'Thankful' Johnny Depp Won Defamation Trial
Well, New Line Cinema's loss is Marvel Studios' gain and they pretty much proved that Iron Man could defy the laws of physics. Thankfully, the production company sold the film rights back to Marvel because clearly, they didn't know what to do with the character.
The original Iron Man film is available to stream on Disney+.
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