Kevin Feige says Marvel didn't want Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man

Just try and imagine the MCU without the actor as Tony Stark. We'll wait.

Warning: Possible Marvel Universe spoilers ahead.

It's tough now to imagine any other actor in the role of Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But in a Reddit Ask Me Anything question-and-answer session online Wednesday night, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said he had to fight hard for the casting.

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Feige actually answered that question twice.

First, Reddit user JokerFaces2 asked Feige, what his hardest sell to executives was, the one thing "that you fought for most, that others tried to shut down?"

And the second time, Reddit user WhoDey42 just flat-out asked, "What casting did you have to fight the hardest for?"

Downey was the answer both times. Feige said he also had to battle to make Captain America: The First Avenger a World War II period film.

Feige also answered a variety of other questions about the Marvel movies. For some, he kept a little mystery alive. Reddit user GentlemanGearGrinder asked, "Are there any plans to incorporate the Ten Rings from the first Iron Man, or the 'real' Mandarin teased in 'All Hail the King' in the future?"

Feige simply said, "yes." But that sent some readers spiraling, as user Infinity-Gauntlet pointed out in spoiler text that there have been rumors the Mandarin will appear in the upcoming Shang-Chi movie.

Feige also revealed that the late Marvel Comics leader, Stan Lee, did not see Avengers: Endgame before his death in November 2018.

"Stan loved to wait to see the final movie at the premiere, so unfortunately he did not get to see the finished movie," Feige said. "Stan got a download of the full story the day he came and shot his cameo."

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'Captain Marvel' Fan Theory Says Carol Sent Back In Time By Thanos' Snap

Many fans are still trying to figure out several mysterious aspects of Marvel Studios' upcoming Captain Marvel, and one fan is saying he has it worked out.

Twitter user @JoepRijsman stumbled upon a theory from Joshua Munn came up with, and while it is definitely complicated...it's actually pretty compelling. There are a lot of moving parts, but much of it is predicated on Thanos' actions in Endgame, and if true Marvel is pulling a big swerve on us having to do with Carol's memories.

"Carol's memories are supposed to be from the future, not the past," Munn writes. "Marvel is marketing the film as a simple origin film with her memories appearing to appear from the past, but Carol and her friend from the recent trailer, the other pilot, were actually victims of the snap, but instead of dusting, Carol and Talon (Ben Mendelsohn's Skrull character) are actually sent back to the '90s, but Carol doesn't remember. Fury, Coulson, and her try to figure this all out and her past, and it's revealed by Talon that Carol was sent back in time through the snap so she's not remembering the 70s-80s she's remembering the 90's all the way until she got dusted."

Joep Rijsman@JoepRijsman

@MulStu found this guy online claiming a theory about captain marvel that actually sounds pretty legit. Don't know if it's useful to you or if you see thus, but there you go:)

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2:51 AM - Feb 6, 2019

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So the theory has the decimation affecting Carol, but not in the way you would expect. Instead of fading away she is sent back in time along with Talos. Talos doesn't seem to be struggling with the memory issues she is, so he has been working on initiating the Kree Skrull war while she's preoccupied. He's also trying to get ahold of the Tesseract before Thanos does, but Carol stops that ambition.

"Talon's plan was to cause the Kree-Skrull war and semi-Secret Invasion to get the cosmic cube/Tesseract before Thanos does to prevent the snap 25 years before it ever happens. But Carol kills him and Jude Law's character (Mar-Vell/Yon Rogg) and prevents them from getting the Tesseract," Munn writes.

The further this theory goes, the more we see that this is all part of the path Doctor Strange saw in his visions, and that's the reason why she leaves Earth so that she avoids the decimation and can put the plan in place to ultimately defeat Thanos. That's why Fury waits to call on her until he starts fading away, and that's also the reason why he isn't so shocked when it happens but is more rushed to get the job of paging her completed.

"Carol and Fury find out that Carol is actually a little girl during the '90s and she leaves Earth because she would be jeopardizing her own existence and Dr. Strange's plan to have them win which he tells Ancient One (he also goes back in time to make sure he becomes Dr. Strange by causing his car accident) and Carol gives Fury the pager telling him to call her only when Thanos does the snap, not sooner. Ancient One appears in the post-credits scene of Captain Marveltelling Nick Fury that Carol was telling the truth about Thanos and the snap but if he deviates from her and Strange's plan they can't defeat Thanos. She then gives him a folder called the Avengers Initiative featuring pictures of Tony, Bruce Cap, and Thor," Munn writes.

Now, this is just a theory, but even if parts of this make it into the movie, that would certainly explain part of the reason why the trailers have been slow to reveal new footage and new information. It would also explain why Fury is always one step ahead of the other heroes since he knows the overall gameplan.

So, what do you think Captain Marvel fans? Let us know in the comments.

Captain Marvel hits theaters on March 8th.

Marvel Giving Away Free Black Panther Comics to Celebrate Black History Month

Marvel Comics is now distributing a free digital bundle of five Black Panther comics in honor of Black History Month.

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Marvel Entertainment

✔@Marvel

Long live the king! Use redeem code 'FOREVER' at http://www.marvel.com/redeem  to get a FREE digital bundle of five #BlackPanther comics and celebrate Wakanda Forever all month long. http://Marvel.com  account required to redeem.

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The bundle download is redeemed via the official Marvel website with code “forever.”Included in the bundle are Black Panther Vol. 4 #1 (Reginald Hudlin, John Romita Jr.), Black Panther Vol. 7 #1 (Ta-Nehisi Coates, Daniel Acuña), Shuri Vol. 1 #1 (Nnedi Okorafor, Leonardo Romero), Black Panther: World of Wakanda Vol. 1 #1 (Roxane Gay, Yona Harvey, Ta-Nehisi Coates) and Black Panther Prelude (Will Corona Pilgrim, Annapaola Martello).

Last week, Disney returned Marvel Studios’ Black Panther to more than 250 AMC theaters for free screenings in celebration of Black History Month. The company also made a $1.5 million donation the United Negro College Fund (UNCF).

“Black Panther is groundbreaking for many reasons, including the rich diversity of voices behind its success,” Disney CEO Bob Iger said in a statement.

“The story also showcases the power of knowledge to change the world for the better, and the importance of ensuring everyone has access to it. We’re proud to provide thousands of free screenings of Black Panther in hopes it will continue to inspire audiences, and to support UNCF with a $1.5 million grant to make the dream of higher education a reality for more students.”

The Ryan Coogler-directed blockbuster was the first Marvel Studios film to be helmed by a black director and feature a predominantly black cast. Black Panther went on to be crowned the highest-grossing domestic performer of 2018 with $700 million earned domestically; worldwide, the groundbreaking film won $1.3 billion to become the ninth highest-grossing film of all time.

Its cast was awarded the highest honor at the 2019 Screen Actors Guild Awards, where stars Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o and others accepted the prize for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

Black Panther also made history as the first superhero film to be nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award. Coogler is now developing a sequel, expected to announce its release date sometime after Avengers: Endgame opens April 26.

Avengers: Endgame directors admit Captain Marvel's superpowers were a "concern"

Captain Marvel is noted as one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel universe, and it seems her overwhelming superpowers were a bit of a "concern" for Avengers: Endgame.

Carol Danvers is set to debut in her own standalone movie, after which she will come to the aid of the remaining Avengers in Endgame.

However, directors Joe and Anthony Russo have addressed fears that her formidable powers will make things a bit too easy for the Avengers.

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"It's always a concern of ours about overpowering characters, because the reason that people relate to these characters is their humanity, and that they're flawed," Joe told CinemaBlend.

"And the reason we love working so much with Captain America was that he was limited, and his heart was his superpower, you know?

"So we're all acutely aware of the dangers of having an overly powerful character. [But] we like sensitive storytelling, so... we found a thoughtful way through it."

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Anthony continued: "That's what kind of fires us up, I think, on a storytelling level. Because when you do have powerful characters, you have to work that much harder to find their vulnerabilities and complexities.

"And Joe was mentioning on a storytelling level... and keep the stakes high! Because that's where those characters are vulnerable. And actually, that makes for great drama, and you run in that direction.

"As storytellers, one of the most fun things we've had working with these characters is figuring out ways into them where they are vulnerable and they aren't all powerful."

Avengers: Endgame will be released on April 25 in the UK and on April 26 in the US, while Captain Marvel will be released in cinemas on March 8.

Little Debbie Is Conflicted Between Marvel And DC But Just Wants Peace

If you've ever wondered which comic book company Little Debbie is a fan of, the answer is probably much more nuanced than you'd expect.

The snack cake company recently offered their two cents to the "Marvel vs. DC" debate, after being one of several brands asked about the subject by fan-favorite comic writer Gail Simone. Little Debbie's answer ended up being surprisingly profound, complimenting the storytelling strategies of both companies.

Little Debbie

✔@LittleDebbie

Dear Gail,

Are you referring to the movies? We enjoy Marvel's ambition and general success in building a complex cinematic universe with diverse heroes. But we also appreciate DC Universe's willingness to allow each hero's story to be told in unique ways. So both.

GAIL SIMONE@GailSimone

Dear @LittleDebbie, do you prefer the Marvel or DC Universe?

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In a second tweet, Little Debbie argued that the ultimatum nature of the Marvel vs. DC debate has a pretty big flaw, as fans are more than allowed to like one thing without hating the other.

Little Debbie

✔@LittleDebbie

Replying to @LittleDebbie

Which leads us to a greater thought: Our culture is obsessed with competition and comparison; we can't simply appreciate things for what they are. Preferences are fine, but often, people act as if they have to hate one thing in order to remain loyal to the other. That's bad.

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Little Debbie certainly isn't the only one to express this kind of sentiment, as even Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has argued against the age-old rivalry.

"I think it’s ridiculous," Feige said back in 2017. "I think movies are awesome and people should go out and support awesome movies, and I go support those movies and I thought Wonder Womanwas awesome. I can’t wait to see what Geoff Johns and Joss [Whedon] and the gang has done with Justice League. I guess people like rivalries, I guess? I don’t know. But I’m seeing Geoff Johns in a couple weeks for dinner. We went to this Dick Donner event together. Dick’s Superman is still the best archetype of superhero films. So yeah, just go see cool movies. What are you fighting about?"

Another person who has a similar mindset with that debate is Henry Cavill, who plays Superman in the DC Extended Universe.

"I think the rivalry lives in the fans more so than it does in us," Cavill explained in 2017. "For all of us who are making these movies or I'm sure for the comic book artists and writers, there have been rivalries in the past, but now it's just about celebrating these characters, certainly for us. I mean, I'm sure when it comes to deep finances, when it comes to DC and Marvel there's always going to be competition, yeah, but they need each other to survive as well. If one goes down that means superheroes aren't popular and you don't want that because if one goes down the other goes down."

What do you think of Little Debbie's take on the Marvel vs. DC debate? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!