Producer Louis D’Esposito outright refused the idea of a chinese sidekick for Iron Man.

Marvel Studios had to put up with a lot of chaos before they were ready to develop the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Starting with how they could tailor Iron Man 3 for the China market, two people from DMG Entertainment kept pitching Marvel for a loyal Chinese sidekick in the film.

Well, producer Louis D’Esposito outrightly refused the idea since they did not want the sidekick from Harrison Ford’s 1984 film, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Not wanting to have Chinese stereotypes in their movies, Marvel went back and forth on the discussion but ultimately removed the idea.
Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man

Marvel Did Not Want Harrison Ford’s Sidekick

Back in 1984, Harrison Ford’s character of Indiana Jones took help from a little kid in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. The role of the kid, called Short Round, was portrayed by Ke Huy Quan and the character had some Chinese stereotypes.
Harrison Ford and Ke Huy Quan on the set of Indiana Jones 2

Well, Marvel Studios was pitched a similar thing before the release of Iron Man 3 because they wanted a stronger hold in the Chinese market. As per the book, MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, Fenton and Mintz from DMG Entertainment pitched about how Harley Keener, the kid Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark meets in Tennessee could be a Chinese foreign exchange student. Producer Louis D’Esposito was quick to shut down the idea by comparing the boy to Indiana Jones’ sidekick.
“Your Chinese-kid idea is not happening. Because we’re not interested in having the sidekick from Indiana Jones [and the Temple of Doom] in Iron Man 3.”
With mounting pressure from DMG Entertainment and afraid of angering Disney, Kevin Feige gave an alternative suggestion that the doctor who removes the shrapnel from Tony Stark’s heart would be Chinese. Feige further promised that the doctor would stay till the end when Stark throws away his now-unnecessary arc reactor into the ocean but that didn’t happen.

Why Jon Favreau Did Not Return For Iron Man 3

Jon Favreau as Hogan in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Jon Favreau directed the first two films in the Iron Man franchise. Being the man who directed Iron Man back in 2008 that kickstarted the MCU, Jon Favreau revealed to MTV News that there was a reason he decided to step down as director from Iron Man 3.
“In theory, Iron Man 3 is going to be a sequel or continuation of Thor, Hulk, Captain America, and Avengers. This whole world… I have no idea what it is. I don’t think they do either, from conversations I’ve had with those guys.”
Well, it seems that Favreau was indeed right since Kevin Feige and Louis D’Esposito were discussing how to hold the Chinese market. In the end, Iron Man 3 received a rating of 7.1/10 on IMDB and 79% on Rotten Tomatoes. The 2013 film is available to stream on Disney+ around the world.