The Life-Changing MCU Scene Was Never Supposed to Happen

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of the most popular and profitable multimedia franchises ever, and it (or at least its parts until after the Infinity Saga) are renowned for careful long-term planning, spanning many movies.

However, this doesn't mean that there weren't spur of the moment improvisations and moments on sets not originally intended by the filmmakers that made it into the final cuts. Some of them became pretty impactful and famous.

But none more so that arguably the most famous example of an unplanned ad lib making the final cut. It is no big exaggeration to say that not only that line changed an entire film but that it had a massive impact on the whole of MCU – indeed, without it MCU as we know it might have not existed.

Of course, we're talking about Tony Stark's sudden declaration which shocked everyone at the press conference which gathered to listen to his denials at the end of 2008's Iron Man: "Truth is… I am Iron Man."

Not only it perfectly defined Tony's character, who was just unable to help himself and his hubris, and ditched a provided alibi, revealing his alter ego to the general public, regardless of consequences. Though that in itself was a moment so memorable and iconic, that later it was mirrored in Avengers: Endgame as Tony's last words before sacrificing himself to wipe out Thanos and his army.

It changed the whole course of MCU.

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige later confirmed that the line was not planned, with Stark originally scripted to stick with his S.H.I.E.L.D.-provided cover story and maintain a secret identity. But the filmmakers liked the improvisation and felt that it was very much in-character.

And that not only changed the meaning of the ending, but significantly re-defined MCU almost from the very start, from a world where superheroes keep secret identities (reveal of their true identities might have turned into a plot point later), to a world where they just don't, and most of the weird superhero-related stuff is known to the public from the start.

Without this single improvised line, MCU might have been a much more subdued setting, at least initially – and certainly a substantially different one.