Robert Downey Jr. has already shown the world his acting prowess however his comeback in Hollywood is all thanks to his Iron Man role. He not only brought the comic superhero to life but also boosted the Marvel franchise into what it is today. Having attained great success with the first two Iron Man movies, he joined other Marvel superheroes in the 2012 film, The Avengers. However, he made quite a non-negotiable demand involving his on-screen partner, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow).
Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man
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Gwyneth Paltrow has played the role of Tony Stark’s personal secretary in MCU movies. However, many might be surprised to know that Paltrow’s appearance in the 2012 movie was a special demand of the former.
Robert Downey Jr. Demanded Gwyneth Paltrow to Be in The Avengers
Iron Man star Gwyneth Paltrow
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Back in 2012, The Avengers director, Joss Whedon spilled the beans on how Gwyneth Paltrow ended up joining the superheroes’ party. Given the massive project, it was at the time, not much information was revealed until the teasers were released. During the film junket, the director initially had plans to not involve any supporting characters of the standalone superhero movies to create the isolation needed to bring the main heroes together. However, Robert Downey Jr. demanded Gwyneth Paltrow to appear in the movie. The director shared via The Los Angeles Times,
“But Pepper, this was really Robert’s thing. He pushed hard …,” adding, “He really thought Gwyneth would bring something great to the table, and we all thought so as well, but he was the one who convinced her to come and do it.”
Whedon explained that the reasoning behind adding Paltrow to the movie was quite reasonable- Stark’s character development.
“He didn’t want to be sort of, crazy alone guy, he wanted to be crazy in-a-relationship guy.”
Paltrow’s Potts and Iron Man can share a healthy relationship in the movie which would help in evolving his character. Downey Jr.’s demands were eventually fulfilled and why not, after all, he has contributed to elevating the superhero genre to the next level. But, Paltrow seemed to be not much interested in the Avengers arc as she later spilled a major tea that might have shocked many fans.
Gwyneth Paltrow Had Not Watched The Avengers Movie!
A still from The Avengers
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On the red carpet of Avengers: Infinity War world premiere, Gwyneth Paltrow revealed that she had not watched the first installment of the Avengers arc. She stated via Marvel Entertainment,
“To be honest, I’ve never seen an Avengers movie. I know … my son is a huge fan, so I’m here with my son. I’m most excited to watch him watch the movie.”
She would have watched the Avengers: Infinity War which followed the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy trying to prevent Thanos from collecting the six Infinity Stones. Both movies surged past $1 billion, becoming one of the golden movies of the MCU. All the Avengers movies are available on Disney+.
