QUESTION: As for CAPTAIN AMERICA, that film, with Stark’s father and his admiration for Steve Rogers… there’s an interesting potential for conflict there with Tony and Howard Stark’s hero worship of Cap. Was there ever anything more about that resentment?
Joss Whedon:
There was a ton more. One of the problems we had early on was that I had way more Iron Man, and at some point I realized “This is turning into IRON MAN 3. That’s a mistake for them, that’s a mistake for me, and it’s putting too much responsibility on Robert’s shoulders. He needs to be the rock star who shows up and says ‘Oh, let me handle this, because I’m a rock star.’” That felt very right. But I had written endless scads of pages of him and Steve Rogers arguing, and a lot of it was about [Howard Stark]. Not so much, because his daddy issues had been the thing in the second movie, but enough because of that relationship. Actually the only time Chris and Robert were in the Quinjet, I had a little run about the father, and on the day they were like “We’re not so comfortable with this.” I went “Okay, let’s pull it,” so there’s really just the one comment. But I feel like you don’t necessarily need to say it. It’s there. I mean, Chris is such a father figure as Steve Rogers - even though he’s young and maybe just by virtue of the fact that he is a beautiful fuddy-duddy. Their relationship I think resonates without having to call it back too much. And when he says “And every time I would think ‘You know, your father would never say that’”, I wanted Tony to say “My Dominic Cooper father or my John Slattery father? Because they were very different guys.”
Interesting. Maybe that scene ends up on the Director's Cut Blu-Ray/DVD Combo Pack? The relationship between Cap and Tony Stark's father was an angle I was looking forward to seeing in The Avengers but it looks like that was scaled back a bit. I guess coming together for the first time, it's probably unrealistic that the two would discuss something so personal so maybe that's something that can be explored in future films as the two characters develop their friendship.
There's much more in the interview over at AICN, so be sure to click the source link below.
The Avengers is an upcoming American superhero film produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name. It is the sixth installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film is written and directed by Joss Whedon and features an ensemble cast, which includes Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson. In The Avengers, Nick Fury, director of the peacekeeping organization S.H.I.E.L.D., recruits Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, and Captain America to save the world from destruction.
Development of The Avengers began when Marvel Studios received a grant from Merrill Lynch in April 2005. After the success of the film Iron Man in May 2008, Marvel announced that The Avengers would be released in July 2011. With the signing of Scarlett Johansson in March 2009, the film was pushed back for a 2012 release. Whedon was brought on board in April 2010 and rewrote the screenplay that was originally written by Zak Penn. Production began in April 2011 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, before moving to Cleveland, Ohio in August 2011 and New York City in September 2011. The film was converted to 3D in post-production.
The Avengers is scheduled for release on May 4, 2012 in the United States in 2D and 3D.
Running Time: 2 hrs 22 minutes
Release Date: May 4 2012 (USA)
MPAA Rating: PG 13 for for intense sequences of action and violence, some disturbing images, and language
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Hiddleston, Cobie Smulders, Jeremy Renner, Clark Gregg, Stellan Skarsgård, Mark Ruffalo, Amanda Righetti, Scarlett Johansson and Lou Ferrigno
The Incredible Hulk (voice) .
Directed by: Joss Whedon
Written by: Zak Penn (initial screenplay), Joss Whedon (revised screenplay)