The effect of the MCU has been felt all across the world, with people flocking to the theatres as new films from the franchise grace the film industry all over the globe. Over the span of more than 15 years, Marvel Studios has become a source of influence and inspiration for individuals and cultures and has even changed the landscape of cinema entirely.

Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark in a still from Iron Man
But more than people, pop culture, and even the film industry as a whole, the franchise managed to affect a whole other industry through Iron Man 3. When the film was released globally, China was facing a crisis in its milk industry due to reports of mercury contamination, and with just one scene, the cinematic juggernaut managed to restore the faith of the citizens in their milk products.

How Iron Man 3 Saved China’s $64 Billion Milk Industry

Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark in a still from Iron Man 3
With the release of the first Iron Man back in 2008, Marvel Studios and Robert Downey Jr. made a statement to the world that it was here to stay, and more precisely, to dominate. More than a decade and a half later, that’s exactly what they have managed to accomplish, becoming an entire cinematic universe worth $29.5 Billion. But it hasn’t just managed to make big bucks along its journey.

With 2013’s Iron Man 3, the franchise yet again made a big contribution, this time, to the entire milk industry of China, an industry that is worth $64.28 Billion today.

Talking about the early days of the cinematic juggernaut’s climb to the top, it was reported by MCU: The Reign Of Marvel Studios that during the shooting of the aforementioned film, the Oppenheimer star suffered an ankle injury, which made it impossible for him to shoot a scene in Shanghai as scheduled. This meant that they had to find a way to put that scene somehow in the run time.

This particular scene is about Dr. Wu performing the surgery on Stark, and when successful, leaves the film without much elaboration. But in the cut for the Chinese market, Marvel Studios puts in an extra scene where Wu pledges to support Iron Man in his fight against The Mandarin. along with that, the film also opens up with a commercial for a domestic milk product named Gu Li Duo.

The milk industry was facing a crisis at that time in the country with reports of Mercury contamination in one of the dairy company’s baby formula, which brought the market to a standstill. But, since MCU had such a major influence over the public, as well as its popularity in China, showing the advertisement meant some hope was restored in the industry.

How Did The MCU Change Cinema?

A still from Avengers: Endgame
In the past, while cinema meant artistically expressed standalone films that the audience could enjoy at their leisure, the advent of the MCU changed the entire narrative of what cinema is in modern times.

Since the industry saw that the films of the franchise were bringing in audiences and retaining them through the medium of big-budget visual spectacles and shared universe with the small screen, which in turn was making them billions, the entirety of Hollywood decided to follow in their footsteps.

Iron Man 3 is available for streaming on Disney+.