It’s hard to think that a movie like 2003’s Elf could have anything to do with Iron Man and the MCU, but according to director Jon Favreau, his role in Elf’s production helped kickstart the Marvel Cinematic Universe that we all know and love.
“Elf made money and I was sort of on a list of directors that were hireable.” Favreau disclosed in a special feature on the Avengers: Infinity War disc.
Marvel Studios was nothing like it is now, back then. In its infant stage, the studio had started Iron Man without even a concrete script. It was Jeff Bridges who spoke about this fact, most lines were ad-libbed. It was Favreau’s flare that gave Iron Man and the MCU its lighthearted and jokey tone.
“I don’t even think they knew it was gonna be funny,” Favreau told the roundtable. “I remember when we first screened it, [Marvel Studios President] Kevin Feige was like, ‘Whoa, this is pretty funny!’”
We wouldn’t have the MCU be what it is now if it weren’t for Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr., and Jon Favreau. If it’s Elf that made everything possible, then thank you, Will Ferrell.
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