Kevin Feige Answers 'Iron Man 3' Burning Questions, Teases Marvel Cinematic Universe Links
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige took to Twitter Friday morning, as @Iron_Man, to answer some fan questions about Iron Man 3, which is currently in theaters. Most of them were the usual fan questions ("Who would win in a fight, Iron Man or RoboCop") but he did give some insight into the upcoming films too.
For example, Feige said that we would see Extremis again in future films. He also said the reason S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't help Tony Stark in Iron Man 3 is because they were very busy, as will be revealed in future films, an obvious reference to Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Here are the pertinent tweets, and answers, from Feige, followed by some speculation. Click here for the full chat.
Was the @Iron_Man malibu house ever built? #FiOSIM3Chat #IronMan3
— Tereza M. Rivers (@TMachytkova) May 10, 2013
The Malibu house sets were among the biggest constructed in the films, @TMachytkova The exterior however only exists digitally #FiOSIM3Chat
— Iron Man (@Iron_Man) May 10, 2013
#SHIELD was very busy, as will be revealed in future films. #FiOSIM3Chat
— Iron Man (@Iron_Man) May 10, 2013
Happy wore it in the comics, I think it would be cool to see that in the film. #FiOSIM3Chat
— Iron Man (@Iron_Man) May 10, 2013
Yes. #FiOSIM3Chat
— Iron Man (@Iron_Man) May 10, 2013
The three highlights here, of course, are Happy in the suit, more Extremis and S.H.I.E.L.D. Let's discuss each.
Happy possibly donning the suit could work two fold, either in a comic way, or giving the character a superhuman twist. In the comics, Happy Hogan eventually is mutated into The Freak and though he doesn't wear the suit, maybe it serves as a bridge to that. Sort of Happy getting power hungry or a physical aid before he's mutated. A Iron Man 4 subplot? Perhaps, but we know that's a long way off for several reasons.
A return of Extremis seems like a no-brainer, simply because Tony Stark is such a tech geek and how could the character resist further exploring this technology? Whether or not we'll see this in The Avengers 2, a fourth Iron Man or maybe as a subplot in another film is certainly up for discussion. But knowing it'll return is a nice hint moving ahead.
Finally, S.H.I.E.L.D. being busy is a reference to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which has a strong S.H.I.E.L.D. central plot featuring Nick Fury, Black Widow and Maria Hill. Feige's quote suggests, though, that these two films are happening at the same time. Does that mean Thor: The Dark World is happening at the same time too? Guardians of the Galaxy? And how does Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. fit in?