Mickey Rourke Had Strict Demands For His Iron Man 2 Villain Role
Mickey Rourke had some very specific demands in mind when he was offered the role of Ivan Vanko/Whiplash in Iron Man 2. The 2010 sequel to the movie that launched the now ubiquitous Marvel Cinematic Universe had more than its share of growing pains. Between Robert Downey Jr. changing the Iron Man 2 script on the fly with his ad libs, causing screenwriter Justin Theroux to do constant rewrites, as well as the recasting of Don Cheadle as Rhodey after Terrence Howard's exit, there were plenty of bumps that nearly derailed the film. Despite its reception as one of the weakest MCU entries, Iron Man 2's box office success of $40 million over the original film all but ensured Marvel movies were here to stay.
When Rourke took on the role of Vanko, he was in the midst of a minor career resurgence. The onetime 1980s heartthrob had starred in films like Rumble Fish, Body Heat, and 9 1/2 Weeks before he took a break from acting to focus on a career in boxing. Dropping out of the limelight, he found difficulty breaking back into Hollywood until his role in 2005's Sin City paved the way for perhaps his best role, Rourke's Oscar-nominated turn in The Wrestler as a former wrestler battling demons and his broken body to get back in the good graces of his estranged daughter. From there, the actor was primed to keep the ball rolling.
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According to Indiewire, an insider who worked on the film said Rourke agreed to play Whiplash in Iron Man 2 with some very strict demands, despite a total lack of knowledge about Marvel comics, and without having read the script. The actor was reported as saying, "What's 'Iron Man 2'? What's Iron Man?!" Still, he met with director Jon Favreau and Marvel boss Kevin Feige
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