It started with a vision.
On May 2nd, 2008, Marvel Studios and Jon Favreau launched Iron Man in the hope of transforming Tony Stark into a household name. And history tells us that they were pretty damn successful.
Fast forward to 2018, and after a record eight appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – with more to come, thanks to the back-to-back launch of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4 – Robert Downey Jr.’s costumed crusader has cemented his status as the beating heart of this most ambitious of superhero franchises.
And in a bid to honor that 10-year legacy, the Powers That Be have today rolled out a series of never-before-seen concept art for Jon Favreau’s Iron Man film, which illustrates the evolution of Stark’s impressive arsenal.
He’ll be sporting a shiny new suit by the time Infinity War rolls around, too – the Bleeding Edge armor, according to RDJ – which will no doubt come in handy for that climactic battle against Thanos on his homeworld of Titan.
In related news, Black Panther scribe Joe Robert Cole is of the belief that the first Iron Man hasn’t aged well, necessarily, as Tony Stark’s outward misogyny and snarky attitude would arguably be at odds with the current #MeToo movement.
Think about where we are now, with this very vapid, unintelligent president and our world is crackling on the edges because of that. Think back to Tony Stark, him being douchey and being okay. If that character, Stark, was created in a movie today, I wonder if the response would be like, ‘Oh, it’s cool that he’s douchey and disrespectful to women … That’s fine.’ I think we’re at a different place. I think it’s a better place.
Look for Tony Stark to soar onto the big screen once again when Avengers: Infinity War reaches theaters worldwide on April 27th.
