The numbers behind your favorite Marvel movies
With phase four of the biggest franchise on earth ending this week, I dug up some interesting factoids about the heroes that have made up the Marvel Cinematic Universe. From “Iron Man” to “Captain Marvel,” there’s a ton of trivia that has come out of the 21 films released thus far, along with more to come later this year.
With that being said, it’s time for some quick statistics about your favorite Marvel superheroes.
The approximate number of writers the “Iron Man” production team met with. Each writer turned down the project, with many believing that the character was too “obscure” within the Marvel universe.
The shortest runtime of an MCU film, an honor shared by “The Incredible Hulk” and “Thor: The Dark World.” To put that into perspective, “Avengers: Endgame” is more than three hours long. So please, be sure to use the bathroom before entering the theater.
At least three stunt doubles were used for Scarlett Johansson during the shooting of “Avengers: Age of Ultron” because she was pregnant while filming. The stunt women looked so much like her that Chris Evans said he had conversations with them and only sometimes realized they were not Johansson.
Taika Waititi said in an interview with MTV that they improvised almost 80% of “Thor: Ragnarok,” and later said that he would yell words at his actors behind the camera. Like other Marvel directors, Waititi allowed for improvisation, creating a humorous and compelling Thor film.
The “Guardians of the Galaxy” soundtrack – “Awesome Mix Vol. 1” – was the first film soundtrack to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 charts without having any original songs included on the track list.
The number of languages Vin Diesel recorded the line “I am Groot” in for “Guardians of the Galaxy.” The phrase was actually recorded in 20 total languages, with Diesel recording in Russian, French, Spanish, Mandarin and Portuguese. So, here’s to learning how to say an iconic name in as many ways as possible.
The aspect ratio the film “Ant-Man” was shot at, used to resemble Scott Lang’s short stature in his miniature form. The aspect ratio was increased to 2.39, which is closer to the standard for a Marvel film or any widescreen release, but it also featured over an hour of footage that was at 1.90:1.
“Captain Marvel” was one of two 2019 film releases – the other being Jordan Peele’s “Us” – to feature a VHS of the film “The Right Stuff.” It’s fascinating that the two films, both released in March, referenced the same movie in VHS form.
The number of cats that played Goose the Cat in “Captain Marvel.” Their names are Reggie, Rizzo, Gonzo and Archie.
The number of Stan Lee cameos in MCU films thus far. Unfortunately, the late, great writer and creator of so many incredible comic characters is set to make his final cameos posthumously this year. He may be gone, but Lee’s work and kindness will live on for generations to come.
Graphics by Susie Teuscher | Digital Design Editor
