How Iron Man’s Filming Order Made One Movie Scene Perfect

Jon Favreau's Iron Man was filmed in a way that made the experience much more rewarding - especially one noteworthy scene in the MCU movie. Iron Man was the film that launched the MCU, and remains one of the most iconic films in Marvel's lineup, especially after Tony's sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame. A lot went into making sure Iron Man was the kind of movie that could birth a new franchise, and the Making Of Iron Man documentary sheds light on how even the filming schedule added to the overall atmosphere in some scenes.

As the first entry in Iron Man's story, Iron Man focuses on establishing Tony Stark's personality and his journey from selfish billionaire to superhero. Tony is initially completely self-absorbed and careless, with his only goals consisting of having fun and selling weapons. Before his encounter with the Ten Rings, the first Iron Man movie establishes how Tony would spend his days and nights partying, with a great scene in a casino showing off his attitude prior to the events that would make him a hero. But the party atmosphere of the casino scene isn't entirely artificial. In the behind the scenes footage, Favreau reveals the scene is being shot on the “last day of principal photography.” He also mentions that it is “a bit of a celebration. It’s going to be a fun scene” - showing it acted as a kind of meta wrap party for the cast and crew.

Why Real Life Makes The Iron Man Casino Scene Happier

Tony takes a photo with a soldier in Iron Man

The casino scene in Iron Man felt a lot more genuine thanks to everyone seemingly also using it to celebrate a job well done. By filming the scene on the last day of shooting, everyone had a lot more energy to give to the scene, and were able to show off their real excitement and happiness. Everyone from Terrence Howard as Rhodey and Robert Downey Jr. to the extras play their parts wonderfully as expected, having fun and keeping the party going.

Having a "fun" scene as the final point of the movie works to make an easier wrap up for everyone involved, as well as allowing the hardworking crew to cut loose and have fun. Since Iron Man's opening scenes are all made to establish Tony's carefree persona, making sure everyone on set feel the same was a really great choice. It gives the scene a more honest performance than just telling everyone to act happy ever could.

How Real Life Makes The Secretly Sad Iron Man Scene Better

Tony Stark as Iron Man at a party in Iron Man 2.

The casino scene is also a great adaptation of Tony's addictive personality from the comics. In Marvel Comics, Tony is an alcoholic that struggles with balancing his personal life. By including an establishing scene where Tony is gambling, drinking, and partying, Favraeu and Downey were able to hint at Iron Man's struggles alongside establishing his bravado. It makes Tony's transformation during the Iron Man movies even better, as he goes from an irresponsible and struggling party boy to a superhero trying his best to protect others.

The casino film being shot during the final day of principal photography makes it a special scene, despite being one that likely didn't stand out as the biggest scene to audiences. It wasn't just actors doing their best, but a cast and crew celebrating all the hard work they had done leading up to that moment. Iron Man has several iconic scenes, but the casino scene was truly perfect thanks to the real experience and real joy that appears to be present within it.

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