Marvels Kevin Feige Reflects on the Surprising Reaction to First Iron Man Movie & Use of the ‘C Team’

While Iron Man (played by Robert Downey Jr.) has become one of the most popular superheroes on screen, the character was a minor player in Marvel Comics’ back catalog when Kevin Feige and Jon Favreau were promoting his cinematic debut in 2008. Favreau’s Iron Man changed the landscape of cinema, ushering in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which resulted in the superhero boom that dominated the 2010s. While it’s hard to imagine audiences not being excited by seeing Iron Man on the big screen, many fans didn’t care before the film came out.