Favreau Might Be Off Of Iron Man 3... Here Is Why This Doesn't Matter At All

So websites all over the place are running unconfirmed stories that Jon Favreau, the wonderful filmmaker who brought us Iron Man 1 & 2, will not be sticking around to direct Iron Man 3. Oh My GOD... judging by the general reaction to this, you would think that someone just found a sex tape featuring Yoda & The Emperor. People are already touting the complete collapse of the Marvel Comics movie world and all other kinds of doom & gloom.... and for the life of me, I can't figure out why. Listen, I am a movie geek, a comic book geek, a toy geek... yeah, pretty much an all around geek. Yet the one thing that drives me nuts is when fellow geeks light up the 'net with ridiculous claims and statements. Whats even worse then that is when they complain about shit that is perfectly fine... So, instead of just disagreeing with all of these "doom & gloom" prophets, I will do one better: I will give you a 5 point explanation on why Jon Favreau leaving Iron Man 3 means absolutely jack shit. Here we go...

1. The rest of the directors involved in the foreseeable future of the Marvel Comics movie universe are pretty awesome themselves. Honestly, are these guys fucking kidding me? First up, you got Kenneth Branagh directing Thor next May. That trailer just hit and looks great... Then you got Joe Johnston directing the World War II era Captain America: The First Avenger in July. That one is scripted by uber geek god Joss Whedon... who also happens to be lined up to direct The Avengers, which will represent the culmination of everything started with Iron Man back in 2008. That hardly seems like a lineup that should lead to the belief disappointment is coming on the horizon. Factor in Matthew Vaughn's X-men: 1st Class, Marc Webb's Spiderman reboot, & the proposed Edgar Wright Ant Man movie and Marvel Films looks to be more then OK.
2. It was silly to think Favreau would just sit around waiting for the time to direct Iron Man 3. Favreau is a wonderful director. Made, Elf, even the Jumanji sequel Zathura... all good movies. He wrote Swingers... and not to mention Iron Man 1 & 2. Cowboys & Aliens looks pretty good as well. Did you really think this guy was just going to sit around and wait for Thor, Capt America, The Avengers... not to mention the sure sequels to all of those films... it's just unrealistic. He has a ton of great films in him, and he need to go and make them.
3. Are we sure there even will be a Iron Man 3? Lets be real. If you are going to have all of these characters crossing over into each others films and tying in to a major film franchise like The Avengers, will you even have to make Iron Man 3 right away? I think not. Lets put it like this. In 2011 you got Thor, Cap & the X-men, 2012 gets us Spidey, Ghost Rider, & The Avengers. Iron Man came out in 2008, and had a sequel by 2010. Why wouldn't any of the above films spawn a sequel just as quick? As a matter of fact, based on the track record of superhero movies over the past decade, its pretty much a forgone conclusion that this will happen. So... are you really crying over a movie that may be like 10th on the burner?
4. What about all the other Marvel characters out there? There are so many great characters out there that deserve their shot. Ant Man by Edgar Wright can be phenomenal. I am looking forward to bat-shit crazy Nic Cage going Ghost Rider once again. But what about a epic underwater Namor movie? Or a great space opera featuring Captain Marvel, The Eternals, Nova, or The Silver Surfer? How bout that R Rated Punisher movie that HAS to be made? Black Panther? Power Man & Iron Fist, Heroes For Hire? Power Pack? The opportunities are endless... and should be mined carefully. They should take a hard look at the tons of great characters that litter the Marvel Universe stable.
5. If they do make Iron Man 3, why can't somebody else do it just as good (if not better) than Favreau? Superman 2 - Richard Lester replaced Richard Donner. James Cameron took over for Ridley Scott on Aliens. Irvin Kirschner solidified the Star Wars franchise as epic with Empire Strikes Back by taking over the directing reigns from George Lucas. Chris Nolan not only recreated Batman, he recreated superhero movies FOREVER. I'm not shitting on Favreau at all. I love him & all he did with the Iron Man franchise. But to say it can't be done without him... that's just crazy. Robert Downey Jr is the bread & butter of Iron Man. That's that. If they get someone who is passionate about the comic book, who strives to tell a good story, and wants to make not just a good "comic book" movie, but a "good overall movie", then all will be fine.

Listen, if the time comes around for Iron Man 3, and Favreau takes a pass (or isn't chosen) for the gig... well, I'll be sad. But I won't think its totally fucked before we know anything like what it may be about or where the whole Marvel Universe story will actually be at the point (with the above movies we mentioned all being tied in). Can it all fail... sure it can. But nothing is guaranteed. Lets hope it all works out in the end!!!