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As the inaugural film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the creative process behind “Iron Man” was notably more flexible compared to the more structured approaches seen in later franchise entries. This dynamic, while beneficial for MCU director Jon Favreau and the film’s leading man, Robert Downey Jr., proved to be a source of frustration for Jeff Bridges.
According to a revealing account in the tell-all book chronicling the history of the MCU, Bridges harbored significant discontent towards the dynamic duo of Downey and Favreau, who were constantly reworking the script for what has now become the cornerstone of any Marvel movie marathon.
During a discussion on The Watch podcast with one of the book’s authors, Joanna Robinson, Andy Greenwald referenced a story from the book that highlighted Bridges’ sentiments. He noted, “As your book illustrates so dramatically, Jeff Bridges was sitting there furious because Downey and [Jon] Favreau were locked in a room writing a script.” Robinson then chimed in to emphasize, “there was no script.”
Despite Bridges’ frustration with the situation, “Iron Man” remains a benchmark that subsequent films in the franchise strive to match. It’s a tale rooted in character, offering a quintessential example of an origin story and standing as one of the standout movies in the entire series.
However, Bridges did find one silver lining in the situation, as co-host Chris Ryan of The Watch pointed out. “He was playing dice games with the crew while those guys were in a room for five hours making up [the script].” So, at least he had the opportunity to hone his… dice-playing skills?
Ironically, while the “Iron Man” script ultimately turned out to be quite impressive, Bridges’ portrayal of Marvel villain Obadiah Stane is often considered one of the weaker aspects. The MCU has faced challenges in creating memorable antagonists, and Stane exemplifies this trend: a character driven by revenge and power, mirroring many of the franchise’s villains.
Yet, Bridges delivers a commendable performance as the character. Playing Obadiah likely wasn’t too demanding for Bridges, considering that while his character harbored resentment towards Tony Stark, Bridges himself experienced a degree of frustration with Robert Downey Jr. Life indeed has a tendency to imitate art.
Reflecting on the experience in a 2022 interview with Vanity Fair, Bridges confessed that the ever-changing script “drove me absolutely crazy,” while diplomatically praising Downey Jr. and Favreau as “terrific improvisers.”
Since then, with the increasing need for each film to fit into an overarching plan and structure, the level of flexibility that Downey and Favreau enjoyed would be almost unimaginable. Perhaps this could even entice Bridges back for a cameo; in the multiverse, even stranger things have occurred.