Why Iron Man Has A Fin Fang Foom Easter Egg

Here’s why Iron Man included an Easter egg of Fin Fang Foom in 2008. Even though the Marvel Cinematic Universe was far from a guaranteed hit over a decade ago, Marvel Studios sprinkled many references to other Marvel characters early on. A prototype of Captain America’s shield was in Iron Man, while the super soldier serum was used in The Incredible Hulk. Those Easter eggs helped tease a future Avenger, but Iron Man also included more obscure references.

One of Iron Man‘s many Marvel references was used to tease Fin Fang Foom in the MCU. The giant shape-shifting alien usually resembles a dragon and is a classic villain in the comics who has squared off with Iron Man, Thor, and many other powerful heroes. During Tony Stark’s test flight with the Mark II armor in Iron Man, a billboard he flies past features a picture of Fin Fang Foom. The tease was surprising at the time and is still a bit befuddling in context, so why does Iron Man reference a giant dragon-like alien?

Fin Fang Foom has ties to Iron Man in the comics, so that would help explain why director Jon Favreau or the Marvel Studios team would want to include this reference, but there is a deeper connection. At the same time that Favreau was working on Iron Man, he was also busy writing a comic for the character, titled Iron Man: Viva Las Vegas. The series includes Iron Man and Fin Fang Foom facing off, and he was such a fan of the concept that he had Adi Granov (who did the art for the series) create an image of their design to use specifically in Iron Man.

Favreau might have been a fan of Fin Fang Foom, but he never helped pay off this tease in the MCU. He went on to direct Iron Man 2 and could’ve included the creature in the sequel, although the jump from an evil CEO villain to an alien dragon could’ve been too much too quickly. Instead of making Fin Fang Foom a major villain in an Iron Man sequel, this reference is one of many that the MCU has yet to pay off. And now that Robert Downey Jr. is done playing Iron Man, this classic comic duel might never be realized on the big screen.

Fin Fing Foom can’t face Iron Man in the MCU now, but there are multiple suitable landing spots for him in the MCU’s future if Marvel wants to pay off this obscure Iron Man Easter egg. The comic version of the character has sometimes been associated with the Mandarin. Tony Leung is set to play the real version of Mandarin in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, so perhaps Fin Fang Foom could be referenced again or even make an appearance. Thor has also battled Fin Fang Foom in the comics, so Taika Waititi could bring the character into Thor: Love and Thunder potentially.

About The Author

Cooper Hood
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Cooper Hood is a news and feature writer for Screen Rant. He joined Screen Rant in late 2016 following a year-long stint with MCU Exchange, which came after first developing an MCU blog of his own. He graduated college in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Media & Public Communication, with a minor in Media Production. Cooper’s love for movies began by watching Toy Story and Lion King on repeat as a child, but it wasn’t until The Avengers that he took an invested interest in movies and the filmmaking process, leading him to discover the world of film journalism. Every year Cooper looks forward to seeing the latest blockbusters from the likes of Marvel, DC, and Star Wars, but also loves the rush to catch up on Oscar films near the end of the year. When he isn’t writing about or watching new releases, Cooper is a fantasy football obsessive and looking to expand his Blu-Ray collection – because physical media is still king! Follow Cooper on Twitter @MovieCooper.

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