Actress Gwyneth Paltrow played a key role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since the very beginning. The actress played Pepper Potts, who was introduced as Tony Stark’s personal assistant and friend in Iron Man (2008) but later became one of the first people to learn of his work as Iron Man and was also Stark’s love interest. Later in the universe, Potts becomes Stark’s wife and also gets Iron Man armor to fight alongside her husband.
The character went through a lot of changes in the past ten years, but all that happened after 2012’s The Avengers. Before that movie, Paltrow was unsure about her place in the franchise. The actress felt that she was getting too old for the role, but then the character went through some massive changes.
Gwyneth Paltrow felt that she was too old for the role of Pepper Potts
After 2013’s Iron Man 3, actress Gwyneth Paltrow appeared for an interview with E! News and explained that she felt like she was too old for the franchise,
“I just came off of Iron Man 3, which is as special effects-y and action-y as it gets, so to do something like [Thanks For Sharing (2013)] where it’s really small, funny, and exciting, is really great. I don’t know [about The Avengers 2], I’m getting old for this s**t, you know what I mean?”
Paltrow’s character went through some major changes in Iron Man 3, as Pepper Potts is injected with the Extremis by Aldrich Killian. At the end of the movie, Stark funds surgery to cure her.
Gwyneth Paltrow wanted to quit because she wasn’t included in any action sequences
Paltrow’s increased screentime in Iron Man 3 could possibly be the result of Paltrow’s complaints. After Iron Man 2 (2010), the actress explained that she wanted to do action scenes,
“I don’t want to just keep sitting there. I hope [I get some action scenes], that would be great.”
After Iron Man 3, Paltrow’s contract had ended, and she decided not to sign another one. This gave her more time to spend as a mother. Paltrow then returned in 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Gwyneth Paltrow’s Pepper Potts now has powers
Initially, we all saw Pepper Potts as Stark’s harmless love interest, but as the movies progressed, we saw her becoming stronger and stronger. Fans saw her fighting in an Iron Man armor designed by Stark. In an interview with Collider, the actress talked about Pepper Potts’ journey,
“I think one of the things that I loved most is that she really steps into her power, in all areas, and you do see her as a very intelligent, articulate CEO. We see her now in an equal relationship with Tony, where she wants her needs met while still remaining a very supportive woman in his life. Then, of course, she turns into a superhero, sort of. It was a great transformation, and I felt really lucky to be a part of it.”
In April, the actress hinted that she might be done with the character in an episode of her podcast, The Goop Podcast.
Source: E! News
