The famous first film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), until now absent from Disney+ since its launch in 2020, is finally available for legal streaming. Iron Man therefore arrives on the platform, and it is about time.
No, you're not back in the early 2000s… but almost. Released in 2008, Iron Man was the first film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) era, laying a solid foundation with the now iconic character of Tony Stark.
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But until now, this iconic feature film was absent from the radars on SVOD platforms. Even Disney+, which owns the rights to other Marvel films, had not yet included it in its catalog. But the streaming giant will finally fix this mistake.
Iron Man is finally available on Disney+
As a reminder, we follow Tony Stark, a genius inventor and arms salesman, who develops revolutionary armor alongside a scientist friend. He then uses it to bring justice and protect the innocent – in his own unique way – under the name Iron Man. The superhero is played by actor Robert Downey Jr. (Oppenheimer).
Iron Man is thus an essential film to properly follow the chronology of the first three phases of the MCU, in which we find in particular the feature films dedicated to Avengers (of which Endgame And Infinity War), Thor, Doctor Strange or Captain America. The first appearance ofIron Man in the cinema thus marks the beginning of a new era for superheroes in general, who have since enjoyed worldwide popularity.
For what Iron Man was absent from Disney+?
Until now, the founding film of the MCU was completely absent from streaming platforms, and particularly from Disney+, Marvel's parent company. An anomaly, since we still found the following two sections, Iron Man 2 And 3, in the catalog. So why did Disney+ wait so long before integrating the first adventures of Tony Stark?
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To understand this, you have to look at broadcasting rights. In 2008, at a time when superheroes were reserved for a handful of fans, Marvel had to negotiate with outside studios to produce and distribute their creations in theaters. This explains why the rights for films like the first X-Men were thus sold to 20th Century Fox, but also that Spiderman finds itself at the heart of a battle with Sony Pictures.
For Iron Man, the very first feature film produced by Marvel Studios, the comics giant has teamed up this time with Paramount Pictures. But a year later, in 2009, when Marvel was purchased by Disney, the film did not find its place in the negotiations. Result: Disney+ did not have the rights to make it available on the platform, until May 10, 2024, therefore.
Note that acquisition contracts are regularly renegotiated, which could potentially lead to Iron Man to disappear from the catalog again in the coming months. So don't wait too long to start a total rewatch of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since its beginnings (and good luck).
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