The main antagonists in Iron Man 3 and Thor 2 were female, but Marvel later changed them because having a female villain would have had a negative impact on the movie’s toy sales.

Marvel Studios is renowned for its knack for creating engrossing superhero films that redefine the genre. While the big screen has been dominated by superheroes like Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man and Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, the antagonists in these films often add a new level of intrigue. What if we told you that Marvel daringly changed the gender of the main antagonists in two of their blockbuster films?

Iron Man 3 ($1.215 billion) and Thor: The Dark World ($644.8 million), which were part of Phase Two of the MCU, introduced female main villains. However, Marvel ultimately chose a different path.

Rebecca Hall’s Maya Hansen was initially intended to have a larger role as the villain in Iron Man 3, but business considerations derailed these plans. Similarly, Hela was almost the main antagonist of Thor: The Dark World, according to Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige.

Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man

Why Did the Female Villain in Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man 3  Change?

The Shane Black-helmed film grossed more than $1.2 billion globally, making Robert Downey Jr.‘s Iron Man 3 the second-highest-grossing film of 2013. Similar to the previous two Iron Man films, a lot of changes were made to the original script that Black and writer Drew Pearce created for Iron Man 3. They quickly settled on the concept of making a female character the film’s main antagonist.

Thus, the main antagonist of Iron Man 3 was supposed to be Rebecca Hall’s Maya Hansen, who was given a larger role. But having a female villain would have had a negative impact on the movie’s toy sales, according to The Nice Guys director.

Rebecca Hall’s role was reduced in Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man 3

Black, 61, admitted in an earlier interview with Uproxx that Marvel had forced him to change the villain to a male character. To quote him:

“Rebecca Hall’s character was bigger at one point and we reduced it…We had finished the script and we were given a no-holds-barred memo saying that cannot stand and we’ve changed our minds because, after consulting, we’ve decided that toy won’t sell as well if it’s a female. So, we had to change the entire script because of toy making. Now, that’s not Feige. That’s Marvel corporate, but now you don’t have that problem anymore.”

Similarly, Hela Was Almost Thor: The Dark World’s Villain

Cate Blanchett’s Hela Was Almost Thor: The Dark World’s Villain

Marvel has produced a string of box office hits over the years, but their record has some issues. The villains have frequently been seen as a weak link in the eyes of many, just in terms of how they construct their movies. Kevin Feige, the head of Marvel Studios, revealed earlier that Cate Blanchett’s Hela was almost the main antagonist in Thor: The Dark World.

Feige, 50, was questioned by Slash Film during the press junkets for Thor: Ragnarok about how the movie evolved during production. According to Feige, Hela was always intended to be in the third Thor film, in large part due to the fact that she was not utilized as intended in The Dark World. He explained:

“Blue sky ideas always started on this film with Hela. We wanted to make Hela the villain.  Hela was almost the villain in Thor 2. It didn’t happen for various reasons. And thank God it didn’t because now we have Cate Blanchett and Taika doing it.”

Thor: The Dark World
Thor: The Dark World was a financial hit, earning over $644 million globally and ranking as the tenth highest-grossing movie of 2013. It was praised for Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston’s performances but criticized for having a shallow villain and a lack of character development.

Thor: The Dark World and Iron Man 3 can be streamed on Disney Plus.