When The Avengers was released in May of 2012, it lit the box office on fire, setting records and owning the cultural landscape. However, while it did solidify the MCU's popularity, even its most devout fans don't know everything there is to know.
The movie had Easter eggs for film fans throughout its runtime, e.g. featuring the great Harry Dean Stanton in a bit role. While these eggs can be easy to catch, there are details of The Avengers' production that are much more subtle.
Robert Downey Jr. Earned Upwards Of $50 Million
Considering the Iron Man 2.
According to CBR, Downey Jr. made $500,000 for Iron Man upfront. Then, with his deal on the film's back-end, he made a total of about $2 million. With Iron Man 2, its went up to $10 million. A fivefold increase of a salary is massive enough, but that $10 million was quintupled again to net the actor $50 million.
Samuel L. Jackson Compared Nick Fury To Ordell Robbie From Jackie Brown
Samuel L. Jackson has been a part of the MCU from the very beginning, even supplying some of Secret Invasion in the pipeline, it stands to reason that the actor is still around for the long haul (even if, at this point, he's not exactly playing Nick Fury).
Before he was a Skrull replica, however, Fury was just an ordinary dude trying to save the world. But he was also absolutely the type (and still is) to do things his own way. According to The Hateful Eight, where his character was guided by vengeance over cash), so his comparison is a surprise, if not also logical.
Red Skull Could Have Been The Villain
Loki has been one of the MCU's most popular characters since Phase One. However, the same summer Loki debuted in Captain America: The First Avenger.
The Avengers ended up solidifying Loki as one of the franchise's best villains (if not the best), but there was a chance of Red Skull being the big bad. According to Avengers: Infinity War, but for a while, it looked like he'd be a one-and-done villain.
Tony Stark's Snacking Was Real
$200 million dollar movies require extensive shoots and long hours. The stars, particularly the leads, have to make certain efforts to keep their bodies awake.
Downey Jr. apparently knew the harm in skipping meals, because he always kept snacks stashed around the set. For instance, when Stark is chatting with Banner in the lab, and Banner says something Stark likes, he offers him a blueberry. It's one of the film's funniest moments, made all the more humorous by its real-life, unscripted inspiration.
Edward Norton Was Open To Returning
Originally, MTV News reported that in September 2009 (just over a year after the release of The Incredible Hulk) Edward Norton was open to the concept of more Hulking out.
But then Mark Ruffalo was cast, and fans were left scratching their heads. According to What If...?)
Downey Jr. Improvised Many Of The Film's Best Lines
For the most part, up with "I am Iron Man" on the spot, the actor also came up with many of Stark's best Avengers lines.
For instance, "That man is playing Galaga! He thought we wouldn't notice, but we did." The DVD commentary for the film revealed that the film's Galaga line was in fact Downey Jr.'s. Because the line went over well, the director later added the game to a S.H.I.E.L.D. worker's computer screen.
The Movie Was Shown In Space
A couple of scenes from The Avengers were actually filmed in Ohio's NASA Space Power Facility, according to ComicBookMovie. Specifically, the film's opening attack, where Loki pops up in S.H.I.E.L.D's research facility. This almost certainly facilitated what would happen later: the movie being shown in outer space.
However, Tony Stark didn't fly it up there through the film's third-act wormhole, one of Iron Man's best scenes. Instead, Houston sent a digital copy of the film up to the International Space Station.
The Movie's Code Name Was "Group Hug"
When a film is popular enough to spawn a franchise, many subsequent installments initially use a working title. These can help reduce public scrutiny and, in the age of the internet, working titles prove crucial in concealing plot points.
Never has this been more true than with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. At the time, The Avengers was the most anticipated movie on the planet, so the working title Group Hug was used.
