What If Jon Favreau Had Directed Captain America?

Jon Favreau was once interested in directing Captain America for the MCU, and this could have led the franchise to look very different from how it’s unfolded. Chris Evans’ portrayal of Steve Rogers began in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger, helmed by Joe Johnston. The ’40s set superhero film established Evans’ Rogers as one of the MCU’s core heroes, with Evans going on to appear in later Captain America sequels and Avengers team-ups.

The book The Story of Marvel Studios offers a peek behind the curtain at the making of the MCU and reveals that Jon Favreau had an interest in tackling Captain America. Favreau states that he passed along his feelings to Marvel, at the time still sorting out their hero roster, and felt that “you could really have a funny, fun angle with that”. Ultimately, Favreau would direct the MCU’s debut film, Iron Man, along with playing Tony Stark’s friend and driver Happy Hogan, and the rest is history.

Favreau returned to direct Iron Man 2, which had a much rockier reception compared to the breakout hit of its predecessor. While it was Favreau’s last directing effort with Marvel, he would subsequently continue in the MCU as Happy Hogan. Still, it’s fascinating to ponder how differently the MCU could have unfolded had Favreau directed Captain America instead of Iron Man. Looking over what role Favreau’s played in the MCU as it has been assembled, the implications would be quite significant if he had directed a different movie than Iron Man, and specifically, Captain America.

What Would Favreau’s Captain America Have Been Like?

Favreau’s Captain America would likely have occupied a similar role in the MCU of introducing the budding hero Steve Rogers during World War II. It might have also kept its spot as the final MCU movie to be released before The Avengers. However, without a full picture of what Favreau had in mind, that isn’t necessarily a certainty, especially with the roster of who the heroes were to be not entirely clear at the time he entered talks. Favreau’s comment on having a “fun angle with it” could suggest that his Captain America might’ve been more heavy on comedy, as well.

That’s not to say that the movie Joe Johnston made was short on laughs, with comic relief being an MCU staple. Still, Favreau’s background with comedies such as 2003’s Elf and his role in directing the first two Iron Man movies might’ve made his Captain America a somewhat more lighthearted affair. More significant than how different the movie itself would have been, though, is what it could’ve meant for the MCU’s future and Favreau’s role in it.

How This Could Have Changed Favreau’s MCU Role

Favreau directing Captain America would almost certainly have led to him not directing Iron Man and Iron Man 2. By itself, this would have changed the picture of the MCU’s early days, but the potential impact on Favreau’s association with the franchise goes even further. Aside from his appearances in the Iron Man movies, Favreau has also played Happy Hogan in numerous other MCU movies, most recently in Spider-Man: No Way Home. With Favreau potentially directing Captain America as his entry into the MCU, the film’s World War II timeframe and the absence of Happy from the story makes it more than likely that Favreau might never have played Happy at all.

With Happy being such a ubiquitous character in the MCU, someone other than Favreau in the role would surely have given Happy a different feel. In turn, this would have given every MCU movie he appeared in a different vibe as a result. On the other side of the coin, it could have even resulted in Happy not being as significant an MCU character, depending on how well his alternate actor caught on in the role. Meanwhile, in a world where Favreau helmed Captain America, the MCU as a whole might’ve become something very different from the path it took, with Favreau becoming a key player in how the Infinity Saga played out.

How The MCU Might Have Changed

Captain America: The First Avenger is the only MCU film directed by Joe Johnston to date, after being hired for the film due to his work on 1991’s The Rocketeer. However, had the film been helmed by Favreau, his long-running relationship with Marvel as both an actor and director could have resulted in a similarly long relationship on his part with Captain America. In this scenario, Favreau may have gone on to direct the sequel Captain America: The Winter Soldier. 

With the film being how the Russo brothers began in the MCU, a Favreau-directed Winter Soldier could also have led to him tackling Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. How differently the two films would have looked under Favreau’s direction is anyone’s guess, though the general beats of the Avengers battling Thanos with the infinity stones as the MacGuffin would probably have remained mostly the same. However, Favreau’s association with Captain America over Iron Man could have meant that Steve Rogers, rather than Tony Stark, would have been the one to sacrifice himself using the infinity stones to defeat Thanos for good.

Favreau’s portrayal of Happy Hogan has made him one of the MCU’s most beloved supporting characters. This makes it tough to imagine the MCU without his comedic banter with Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark. The same is true for his relationship with Tom Holland’s Peter Parker after Tony’s death, which gradually grew into a role reminiscent of Peter’s famous Uncle Ben. Nonetheless, had Favreau directed Captain America, it seems likely that the franchise and his role in it would have taken a very different path. Ultimately, Favreau’s work on Iron Man and Johnston’s work on Captain America utilized both of their talents as directors very well. At the same time, the unanswerable question of what the MCU would have looked like had Favreau taken on the latter could make for a great episode of What If?… all on its own.

About The Author

Brad Curran
(734 Articles Published)

Growing up, Brad developed an innate love of movies and storytelling, and was instantly enamored with the world of adventure while following the exploits of Indiana Jones, Japanese kaiju, and superheroes. Today, Brad channels his thoughts on all manner of movies, from comic book films, sci-fi thrillers, comedies, and everything in between through his writings on Screen Rant. Brad also offers philosophical musings on martial arts and the filmographies of everyone from Jackie Chan to Donnie Yen on Kung Fu Kingdom, where he’s also had the privilege of interviewing many of the world’s great stunt professionals, and hearing plenty of gripping stories on injuries incurred in their line of work and the intricacies of designing the acts of death defiance he first thrilled to as a youngster. When he’s not writing, Brad enjoys going on a ride with the latest action hit or Netflix original, though he’s also known to just pop in “The Room” from time to time. Follow Brad on Twitter @BradCurran.

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