More Highlights From The London Press Conference For IRON MAN 3

I think that when you do anything that has a number three after it you have to just ask yourself, 'How can we pretend that this was supposed to happen anyway? What's the story left to tell that makes it seem in retrospect like it was just waiting to get itself told?' I think finding the things you like about Iron Man that haven't been mined yet and trying to include them in such a way that...you know, it's weird because it's not a trilogy. There's another movie called 'The Avengers' that sits in the middle so it's almost like a trilogy and then us. It was weird. He saves the world, he perfects his technology and Iron Man has sort of emerged as this global superhero. So, looking for the things that haven't been explored yet, trying to find something different.

Jon Favreau was just a Goddamn prince. Saying, 'Jon, how did you do it on number one? How do I stay true to the lineage and legacy of what you've established and make a different tone from 'The Avengers', but one that's consistent?' Here's a guy who at any stage could have come on and been disrespectful, but instead he was the most gracious and helpful wonderful participant in this process. He helped me a hell of a lot.

I don't know that we're at the forefront of that. I think that this movie represented an opportunity to strike a deal and do a co-financing thing. It's not something I know a lot about. It's something I let other people negotiate and then I sort of participate as needs be. I think it'll be interesting to see the way that this is co-released with a separate version in China. I think it's all fascinating stuff, but it's all way over my head in terms of giving you any predictions.

Obviously I have no idea what's coming up next. We do know that Joss is doing 'The Avengers 2' and he is a wonderful abiter of taste. This movie is a tribute to Warren Ellis and Matt Fraction and some of the brilliant modern day writers of the comics which it feels appropriate to give a shout out to.

What I really liked about this was that in a post 'The Avengers' world, as asked questions like, 'Wouldn't he be a little bit freaked out?' And then that wound up being part of the theme.

All I know is that we're doing something right. I'm really glad that audiences are responding to this movie. Being able to do this again with Don and Gwyneth, it's a great pleasure, but having Sir Ben rocketing us into another dimension with arguably the most complicated arc in superhero history and the over talented Rebecca Hall doing us a big solid by classing up the joint has just made this a most delightful experience. And Drew and Shane listened to us all run our mouths for weeks and weeks and weeks and then they said 'Thank you very much', went away and came back with a script which was the story we shot. That's the reason we're sitting here and that's the reason most of you aren't saying this one sucks.