REACTION REVERIE: Robert Downey Jr.'s vague allusion to Iron Man 2 plot could mean several things

Robert Downey Jr. says a sequel to 2008's "Iron Man" might explore the character Tony Stark's responsibility of having adopted a superhero identity, having revealed his secret identity to the world, or something else entirely.

At this point, Downey cannot do anything more than drop vague hints to keep the entertainment news media and fanboys speculating about the film at least until early 2010. But what his comments could mean for the plot of the highly anticipated sequel has potential.

One responsibility Downey's character might have to face is that every ambitious supervillain and terrorist in the world could start targeting Stark Industries given that its billionaire owner accidentally alluded on national TV to where the Iron Man hardware was developed. It would become his responsibility to make sure the armor and other similar technology does not fall into the wrong hands.

Another responsibility Tony Stark could face for adopting the superhero identity of Iron Man is that he interfered with a U.S. military operation and essentially engaged in cowboy diplomacy by stopping the members of The Ten Rings from terrorizing a small village in the Middle East. 

Stark's revelation that he is the man behind the armor might cause the American government to investigate his company and spark an international incident between the U.S. and critical nations.

Because as Tony Stark and Iron Man he decided to protect the people his weapons put in harm's way, this means someone else such as Justin Hammer would have to pick up the slack in terms of rearming the standing militaries of nations, terrorist organizations and any other shadowy entities with which Stark Industries was in bed.

In terms of his inner demons, Tony Stark might have to come to terms with the prospect that Iron Man is his way of making up for his past sins. The armored guise is not necessarily a heroic one, and that means he might have to explore what should define him as a genuine hero.

Show more!

REACTION: Did Jon Favreau aim too high in trying to cast actors for Iron Man 2?

Spider-Man fans say they can relate to the web slinger as opposed to The Batman because the former deals with real-life problems when not wearing his mask such as struggling to pay the bills.

Perhaps this is because Marvel Studios, the creative force behind the web slinger on the silver screen, has its own financial difficulties that are creating a nightmare in terms of casting actors who differ on whether they are willing to work for a paycheck below their usual quota in the sequel to 2005's "Iron Man."

Marvel Studios indicates Terrence Howard asked for too much to reprise his role as Lt. James Rhodes, Samuel L. Jackson implies he was almost lowballed when negotiating to portray Nick Fury and Mickey Rourke will be wearing The Crimson Dynamo armor for one-quarter of $1 million. READ STORY!

No one except the people of interest themselves seem to know what exactly is going on behind the scenes.

Yes, the economy is in a recession, but one has to wonder if the news about the casting of progressively lesser known actors has anything to do with the creative ambition of a director who is not used to balancing the budget of a major summer blockbuster. 

It is a fair question considering that Jon Favreau overpaid Howard for a supporting role in "Iron Man" and initially wanted the very bankable Jackson cast as another side character in the sequel, but ended up considering Emily Blunt and maybe John Cho for equally as important roles as The Black Widow and The Mandarin, respectively. READ STORY!

Also worth noting is that this is the first time that a Marvel Comics movie adaptation has experienced so many casting problems.

Could there be a communication gap between Favreau's creativity and the studio's accounting office?

Show more!

REACTION: Unprofessionalism seems to be the reason why Rhodie was recast for Iron Man 2

Validity of any of the reasons provided for why Marvel Studios recast Terrence Howard's role of Colonel Jim Rhodes in "Iron Man" would indicate that everyone involved acted in an unprofessional manner.

One of the several reasons provided for Howard's recasting was that the actor expected the same or more money to reprise a role for which he was already paid more than any of the rest of the original acting cast including star Robert Downey Jr., so Marvel Studios decided to instead cast Don Cheadle as Rhodie. 

If this reason is fact, the blame for the recasting was the movie studio's fault for inexplicably paying the most money for Howard to portray a supporting character that did not play that prominent of a role in "Iron Man." 

It set a reckless standard from which the rest of the original actors from the movie could have held the development of a sequel hostage until they were offered more substantial pay to portray comparably more important characters.

Another explanation put forward for Rhodie's recasting was that Howard was "difficult" on the set of "Iron Man" and that his performance was lackluster enough for director Jon Favreau to have extensively reshot and cut his scenes, though the two alleged reasons might be one in the same.

Either explanation proving to be fact would indicate that Howard and Favreau failed to communicate in way that would have allowed the actor to know how to act in a manner beneficial to the kind of performance his director expected. While actors are known to bring their inflated egos to a movie set, directors are expected to control them. 

"Multiple sources say that Marvel execs never told Howard's reps that they had issues with the star's on-set conduct," Entertainment Weekly reports.

Howard expressed the same sentiment after Marvel Studios announced it recast the role of Iron Man's sidekick with Cheadle, saying "it was the surprise of a lifetime. There was no explanation. (The contract) just...up and vanished."

Favreau's unprofessional directing style would further be to blame if instead of developing a common ground with Howard, the director and screenwriter Justin Theroux considered simply diminishing the extent of Rhodie's inclusion in a sequel and hence the amount of money offered on Oct. 13 for the portrayal of the character who would have likely come to wear the War Machine armor.

"The agents, according to sources, were so taken aback by this new figure - estimated at somewhere between a 50 and 80 percent pay cut - that they questioned it," Entertainment Weekly reports as well.

Marvel Studios thereafter quickly offered Cheadle the role of Rhodie, his acceptance of which was announced the next morning . READ THE FULL STORY!

Show more!