Yet before its release, Iron Man was a gamble. The character was not a household name like Fantastic Four or Spider-Man. Jon Favreau as a director was not known for blockbuster movies, and star Robert Downey Jr. was known more for his public life than his film work.
Iron Man's popularity was such that fans flocked to any MCU movie that featured the character, making him a household name and an integral part of the franchise's success.
Iron Man premiered in Sydney on April 14, 2008, and was released in the United States on May 2, being the first film in Phase One of the MCU. It grossed over $585 million, becoming the eighth-highest grossing film of 2008.
Who were the most popular Marvel heroes before the MCU started? Definitely Spider-Man. Since there were already Raimi's Spider-Man before the MCU, plus Spider-Man was the most liked character even before Raimi, so I think it is and is still, Spider-Man.
By the mid-2000s, the Marvel brand had already enjoyed stellar success on the big screen thanks to the likes of the Spider-Man and X-Men franchises under Sony and Fox, respectively.
2019 was the perfect year for Marvel Studios, continuing the massive success of 2018. They kicked off the year at the Academy Awards where Black Panther was the first superhero movie to be nominated for Best Picture.
The overwhelming winner was Iron Man. Iron Man's superpower is his amor suit, and the character has a group of different color armor from the comics that could easily be adapted into a toy line. This is how Iron Man became the first film of the MCU.
The first MCU film, Iron Man (2008), began Phase One, which culminated in the 2012 crossover film The Avengers.
#1 Iron Man
Played by Robert Downey Jr., Iron Man consistently ranks as one of the most popular characters, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe—and for a good reason.
Iron Man has to be credited with being one of the first movies to grow a comprehensive cinematic universe with characters crossing over freely and organically from movie to movie with a clearly defined line of continuity. That, in itself, is a crucial contribution to American cinema.
Iron Man was a box office hit, grossing over $585 million worldwide. Its success can be attributed to several factors, including the strong performance by Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, the film's witty humor, and the exciting action sequences.
At the end of the war, Tony Stark falls into a coma while fighting Captain Marvel, spurring Riri into continuing his legacy as a hero. With the help of an AI duplicate of Stark, Riri designs an improved suit of armor and takes on the name of Ironheart.
“Iron Man” sits at the top of the list of most popular Marvel movies, and incidentally, the character played by Robert Downey Jr. is also the most popular.
Thanks to the work of Feige, director Jon Favreau, and others, the team found the perfect choice, “an actor who checked all of those boxes and who we were confident would be a huge hit.” That actor? English star Clive Owen.
Is Iron Man more popular than Captain America? Yes, Iron Man is more popular than Captain America mainly because he started the whole MCU franchise, which catapulted Marvel through the roof. If it weren't for Robert Downey Jr.'s wonderful portrayal of the billionaire playboy, the MCU wouldn't even exist.
Marvel star Jonathan Majors has been dropped by his long-time management company Entertainment 360. The firm reportedly opted to sever ties with Majors due to his arrest in New York City following a domestic dispute in March. Majors' publicists at the Lede Company have also stepped away from representing the actor.
This was ultimately removed as Marvel didn't own the film rights to the X-Men or Spider-Man at the time. But this leads one to believe there were initial plans to include both properties as early as Phase One in the MCU.
Fortunately, it's unlikely that Disney will drop any of Marvel Studios' shows and films. As data has shown, MCU Disney+ series are some of the highest-viewed content on the streamer and are a massive contributor to its success.
While talking at length about his post-Iron Man ventures with Daniel Roth (via LinkedIn), Downey said he wanted to focus on his philanthropic work and didn't have the time while working long hours on MCU sets.
Spiderman said he thought Tony was testing him. Spiderman declined because he believed it was a test and also this decision would be the best for him. He probably thought he was not prepared to join the avengers yet.
While no official plans are out there for Iron Fist, the original Marvel TV era is factoring into new MCU projects. Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio made their return as Daredevil and Kingpin in 2021. They are both set to appear in Echo and will also headline Daredevil: Born Again.
Not only is The Incredible Hulk the lowest-grossing film of Marvel's Phase One, but it is the lowest-grossing film in the entirety of the MCU. Released in June 2008, only a month after the first Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk was only the second film from the new Marvel franchise to hit theaters.