Smallville's Co-creators Nearly Brought A Terrible Version Of Marvel's Iron Man To Life

Marvel Studios

Alfred Gough and Miles Millar mightiness person created 1 of nan astir celebrated shows connected The WB pinch "Smallville," but not everything they worked connected proved arsenic popular. Their 2011 "Charlie's Angels" TV show for ABC, for instance, remains 1 of only a fistful of shows pinch a level 0% Rotten Tomatoes score. Then location was their type of nan abandoned Tom Cruise-led "Iron Man" movie, which ne'er moreover made it past nan book phase. That was hardly a astonishment to Gough and Millar, however, who saw nan penning connected nan wall erstwhile a New Line executive asked them to return distant Iron Man's expertise to fly.

Studios person a agelong and notorious history of meddling successful imaginative projects. And while that tin sometimes beryllium a affirmative point (like erstwhile Disney forced a revised type of "Toy Story" to make Woody much likable), it tin besides beryllium disastrous (like pinch the nightmare accumulation process connected "Alien 3"). Then location are nan times board consecutive up disregard workplace notes, for illustration erstwhile Marvel's "Creative Committee" tried to unit awesome changes to James Gunn's "Guardians of nan Galaxy" (including removing nan needle drops that became specified an integral portion of nan film's appeal). 

With their "Iron Man" movie, connected nan different hand, Gough and Millar didn't moreover get a chance to disregard workplace suggestions since nan movie ne'er saw nan ray of day. But fixed what we cognize astir nan project, that's astir apt for nan best.

Marvel Studios

When it debuted successful 2008, "Iron Man" became nan improbable superhero movie that changed Hollywood forever. Robert Downey Jr. was Tony Stark, and head Jon Favreau recovered nan cleanable equilibrium betwixt play and humor, synthesizing a look that yet turned nan Marvel Cinematic Universe into nan astir successful franchise successful U.S. history.

Prior to Downey's debut successful nan armor, though, "Iron Man" had undergone a agelong and arduous travel to nan large screen, opening pinch Universal acquiring nan movie authorities to nan characteristic successful nan early 1990s. Those authorities changed hands respective times, winding up pinch New Line by nan extremity of nan decade. It was astatine this constituent that Alfred Gough and Miles Millar were hired to constitute a script.

During a 2025 quality connected nan "Happy Sad Confused" podcast, nan brace explained really they were approached astir an Iron Man task by Marvel Studios laminitis Avi Arad after coming disconnected nan hugely successful "Spider-Man 2." But location was an rumor correct retired of nan gate, pinch Gough admitting he had nary anterior knowledge of nan character. "I hadn't heard of Iron Man," he explained, "and Avi goes, 'Perfect.' And he goes, 'Here's what he is. He's a billionaire who sells weapons. He's sewage an intoxicant problem and there's an accident, now he's trying to make it work, you know, make it better.'" Gough claimed that he and Millar were drawn successful by that explanation simply because it "wasn't different teen superhero."

The duo past worked connected aggregate drafts complete a twelvemonth earlier gathering pinch Arad, Kevin Feige, and New Line laminitis Robert Shaye to spell complete their ideas. This is erstwhile they were deed pinch what might've been 1 of nan strangest workplace suggestions ever made.

Paramount Pictures

Recalling his and Miles Millar's gathering pinch Avi Arad, Kevin Feige, and Robert Shaye, Alfred Gough explained really "[Shaye] sewage each tied up that Iron Man could fly." He continued, "[Shaye] goes, 'Because Superman could fly. Can [Iron Man] conscionable leap from building to building?' And we benignant of each walked retired of that gathering and we're like, 'We don't deliberation this is going to hap here.'" 

Otherwise, nan duo recalled really astatine nan clip Tom Cruise was still successful nan speech to lead nan unrealized "Iron Man" movie. But aft their inauspicious gathering pinch nan Marvel and New Line apical brass, nan task fell apart. That was for nan best, arsenic Marvel would soon re-acquire nan movie authorities to nan characteristic and nutrient nan type that yet became a monolithic hit. As Gough put it, "To Kevin and Avi's awesome credit, past they benignant of sewage nan characteristic backmost and did correct nan type which fundamentally is, I mean, that movie is fantastic."

Prior to nan 2008 movie, however, Tom Cruise really turned down "Iron Man." In an IGN interview, nan character revealed that he didn't consciousness comfortable taking connected nan role: 

"[Marvel Studios] came to maine astatine a definite constituent [...] As it was lining up, it conscionable didn't consciousness to maine for illustration it was gonna work. I request to beryllium capable to make decisions and make nan movie arsenic awesome arsenic it tin be, and it conscionable didn't spell down that roadworthy that way." 

Again, that was for nan best. Who knows wherever nan Marvel Cinematic Universe would beryllium without 2008's "Iron Man." On nan different hand, possibly if Gough and Millar were tied up successful Marvel Land, we would person been spared "Charlie's Angels."