Before he spearheaded The Mandalorian franchise on Disney+, Jon Favreau made the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe possible with the success of 2008’s Iron Man. What many of Iron Man’s imitators have missed is that Favreau didn’t set out to establish a huge, sprawling, interconnected universe; he just focused on telling a great standalone story about a compelling character who transforms from an uncaring playboy billionaire into a noble, armor-clad hero.
In the first two Iron Man movies, Favreau introduced some fan-favorite icons to the MCU, from Tony Stark to Natasha Romanoff to Nick Fury to his own character, Happy Hogan.
Agent Coulson
Introduced as a sharp-witted S.H.I.E.L.D. bureaucrat in the first Iron Man movie, Clark Gregg’s Agent Phil Coulson is an original creation for the MCU who quickly became a fan-favorite.
Coulson was a staple throughout Phase One before his “death” galvanized Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in the first Avengers movie. And, since this is a superhero story and nobody ever stays dead, Coulson was resurrected for a starring role in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on ABC.
Howard Stark
Tony’s late father is only seen in images in the first Iron Man movie, but Howard Stark appears prominently in the sequel, played by Mad Men’s John Slattery. In Iron Man 2, Howard sends his son pre-recorded messages from beyond the grave, inspiring Tony to create a whole new chemical element.
A younger version of Howard had a supporting role in Captain America: The First Avenger, in which he designed Cap’s shield and helped him sneak behind enemy lines.
J.A.R.V.I.S.
Paul Bettany made his MCU debut providing the dryly comedic voice of Tony’s A.I., J.A.R.V.I.S., in the first Iron Man film. In his early MCU appearances, Bettany could fulfill his commitment to an entire movie with an afternoon in a comfortable recording booth.
Ever since J.A.R.V.I.S. was given a cybernetic physical form and renamed Vision, Bettany has had to spend hours in a makeup chair for all his Marvel appearances.
Yinsen
Yinsen, a fellow prisoner of the Ten Rings alongside Tony Stark in the original Iron Man movie, was the first MCU mentor to be killed off Ben Kenobi-style to inspire the hero on their quest. Dr. Erskine, Zuri, Yondu, Aunt May, and the Ancient One would all follow in Yinsen’s footsteps in later MCU entries.
At the beginning of Iron Man, Yinsen is trapped in a cave with Tony and forced to build weapons for the Ten Rings. They end up joining forces to create the Mark I armor that Tony uses to escape.
Pepper Potts
Gwyneth Paltrow made for a terrific scene partner with Robert Downey, Jr. in Iron Man, deftly keeping up with the actor’s rapid-fire ad-libs as a classic screwball foil.
On the whole, Pepper is a pretty standard love interest – and it didn’t help that Paltrow’s Marvel roles got smaller and smaller as the years went on – but, from the beginning, she shared fantastic chemistry with Downey.
Happy Hogan
Favreau didn’t just introduce Happy Hogan to the MCU from behind the camera; he played the character in front of the camera, too. After Tony revealed his superhero career to the world, Happy became the basis of a running joke about being Iron Man’s head of security.
Favreau’s stint as an MCU actor has far outlasted his stint as an MCU director. He went from playing a supporting role in Iron Man’s solo adventures to acting as a sort of father figure to Peter Parker in the Spider-Man movies.
James Rhodes
In the first two Iron Man movies, Favreau introduced both versions of James Rhodes. In the first film, Terrence Howard played the role of Tony’s best friend. His transformation into War Machine was teased when he spotted the armor in Tony’s lab and said, “Next time, baby!”
Next time, after contractual disputes with Howard, Rhodey was played by Don Cheadle, who donned the shiny armor and fought alongside Tony in the sequel. Both Howard and Cheadle shared palpable chemistry with their on-screen best friend, Robert Downey, Jr.
Nick Fury
Nick Fury, the pioneer of the Avengers Initiative, was introduced in the MCU’s first ever post-credits scene at the end of Iron Man. The character was fittingly played by Samuel L. Jackson, who had been used as the model for the revamped version of the character in the comics. Since, on top of that, Jackson is one of the most legendary actors in Hollywood, casting him as Fury was a no-brainer.
Jackson’s Fury got a larger role in Iron Man 2, but his appearance in the first film set up the wider MCU: “You think you’re the only superhero in the world? Mr. Stark, you’ve become part of a bigger universe – you just don’t know it yet.”
Natasha Romanoff
Although the character was overly sexualized in her debut in Iron Man 2, Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow ended up becoming one of the most popular Avengers.
Despite plenty of fan demand for a Black Widow film, Nat didn’t get her own movie for over a decade. The character had been killed off and mourned for two years by the time she was given a solo adventure.
Tony Stark
It goes without saying that the greatest character Favreau introduced to the MCU is the hero whose popularity made the whole franchise possible. Favreau took a chance on Robert Downey, Jr. when he was considered a box office gamble – and this gamble, of course, paid off.
Downey’s dry wit and endearing charms humanized what could’ve been a wholly unlikable character. Now, Downey is one of the biggest stars in the world commanding record-breaking salaries for movie appearances.