Was everything planned out, or did things roll out after the success of the first IronMan and the post credit scene with Nick Fury?
Meaning, did Marvel plan the whole MCU before IronMan, or did that Nick Fury/Avengers Initiative “easter egg” get the ball rolling?
I assume they were hoping to make at least one Avengers film
Iron Man 1 seems pretty low-budget by today's standards, especially with an actor like RDJ, who at the time probably had a low asking price. They probably hoped the idea of a shared universe would be enough to stir interest for Captain America and Thor movies
Of course, once the first Avengers film made a billion dollars, everyone realized that they had struck a platinum mine
It was not long after the Avengers came out that Disney bought Marvel, and some pundits wondered if there were enough worthy superheroes left for Disney to make its money back. That idea seems laughable in hindsight. The MCU proved that audiences don't care about the name of the superhero. They care more about a brand, and the MCU brand is a seal of quality
I've always assumed somebody at least sketched it out at the beginning. That's the only way they could keep the storylines woven together.
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