The Avengers Joss Whedon talks Avengers (from 2005)

[Congo Jack]

Thought this was an interesting titbit from an old Joss Whedon interview. I can see a few people trying to use it as a knock against Whedon but I don't think it provides much basis for that. It was obvious from his body of work that he was more of an Batman, Spider-Man, and of course X-Men fan than Avengers. And scripting the Avengers movie was always going to be tough for any screenwriter. I think his ideas on Iron Man are interesting in the respect of whether they'll be followed up on with Whedon's treatment of him in AVENGERS.

Jim Kozak: Given how you seem to embrace ensembles, does Marvel’s “Avengers” project over at Paramount offer any particular appeal?
Joss Whedon: Y’know, the thing about the X-Men is they have a coherent core. The Avengers to me is tough. I wouldn’t approach The Avengers, I wouldn’t approach the Fantastic Four. The X-Men are all born of pain, and pain is where I hang my hat.

Weren’t you once approached by New Line about an “Iron Man” project?
Yes, well, is there anybody in more pain than [Iron Man alter-ego Tony] Stark? I wrote an entire treatment, pitched the thing, it was approved. I really enjoyed the people at New Line and then I suddenly – I was doing a lot of work on TV – and I suddenly went, “I can’t … develop … a script.”

You were too busy?
It wasn’t even that I was too busy, because I’m always busy. I just can’t be in development. And I loved the story and I felt very bad about having led them down the garden path because I was on it for a while, working the story out. And I just said, “You know what? I can’t just sort of write a script and have them spend eight years …” You know, I remember running into [“Seven” screenwriter] Andrew Kevin Walker eight years before “X-Men” came out. He said, “I’m writing the X-Men movie!” [Walker’s script was one of the many not used for “X-Men.” – Ed.] I just couldn’t go through that. And I didn’t have the power at that time not to, so I just backed away. But I really liked the story. I really like the character because he’s full of self-loathing – and that, my friend, I can write.

Did Tony still have shrapnel in his chest?
It wasn’t a shrapnel thing. It was just a weak heart that was not helped by his constant drinking.

In Focus - Serenity Now!

 

[Silvermoth]

The Avengers were in a different place in 2005 though I think. They were just in the process of becoming Marvel's #1 comic book franchise so I can see why Joss would express difficulty in getting the right vision and bringing it to the screen.

Good find though

 

[Franklin Richards]

Great find.


And if he thinks Ben Grimm wasn't born of pain then he hasn't read his history. I'm not even talking about his FF days. He grew up in West Side Story. It doesn't get more tragic than Romeo and Juliet.

 

[Spider-Vader]

That's definitely interesting, though I agree with Silvermoth. Glad to see Whedon change his mind on the project though!

 

[JP]

Wow, I remember reading this years ago!

 

[Compi716]

Did Tony still have shrapnel in his chest?
It wasn’t a shrapnel thing. It was just a weak heart that was not helped by his constant drinking.

...Huh?

 

[JP]

What's not to get?

 

[Compi716]

It just seems a bit weird that Whedon would remove one of the core elements that makes Tony Stark Iron Man in favor of "just a weak heart."

 

[TheVileOne]

Well Tony has not always had the bad heart. I think there have been stretches where he's had no physical ailments what so ever.

And now the armor is a part of his body.