"Until Such Time As The World Ends..."
Nick Fury
1. Edward Norton, notorious for rewriting scripts for films he stars in, rewrote a substantial part of the script. He was credited under the pseudonym Edward Harrison on some movie posters, but this was later denied by WGA, stating Zak Penn was the only writer.
2. Scarlett Johansson dyed her hair red before she even got the part of Natasha Rominov/Black Widow because she wanted the role that bad.
3. For Iron Man, Director Jon Favreau wanted Robert Downey Jr. for the title role because he felt that the actors past was perfect for the part. He has said, The best and worst moments of Robert's life have been in the public eye. He had to find an inner balance to overcome obstacles that went far beyond his career. That's Tony Stark."
4. The chemicals from the blue make-up used on Rebecca Romijn for Mystiquewere actually very dangerous. They irritated her skin to the point that she threw up. She also said that the make-up left a blue trail everywhere she went, even on toilets.
5. Roughly 450 separate pieces make up Iron Mans suit.
6. The final decision for Thor came down to brothers Chris Hemsworth and Liam Hemsworth.
7. On the set of The Avengers, Robert Downey Jr. kept food hidden everywhere and no one could ever find it. When his character Tony Stark offers Dr. Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) blueberries (Continued)
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that moment was completely unscripted. He was just hungry.
8. According to Natalie Portman, she was unavailable to film the post-credit scene where Thor and Jane Foster finally get to kiss. Instead, Chris Hemsworths wife, Elsa Pataky, gladly stepped in to film it.
9. When Red Skull finds the Tesseract in Captain America: The First Avenger, he says that the Fuhrer is too busy digging for trinkets in the desert. This line is a reference to the Indiana Jones movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark.
10. The alien Bereet who can be seen in Peter Quills ship is wearing the same shirt that he was wearing when he was abducted as a child.
11. Stan Lee has infamously made a cameo in each Marvel film. Here are all his appearances:
As Hugh Hefner in Iron Man.
As the man who accidentally drinks Hulks blood in The Incredible Hulk.
As Larry King in Iron Man 2.
As the pickup truck driver in Thor.
As a military officer in Captain America: The First Avenger.
As a man on the street interview in The Avengers.
As a beauty contest judge in Iron Man 3.
As a patient in the mental health facility in Thor: The Dark World.
As a Smithsonian security guard in Captain America: The Winter Solider.
As the class-A pervert Rocket Raccoon spots in Guardians of the Galaxy.
12. Favreau set Iron Man in California because he felt that (Continued)
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too many superhero films were already on the East Coast, especially in New York City.
13. After researching Loki, Tom Hiddleston chose to base his portrayal of this multi-dimensional character on Jack Nicholson (edgy and slightly-insane persona), Peter OToole (enigmatic reckless persona), and Clint Eastwood (simmering anger persona).
14. In one scene in Iron Man 2, Tony Stark is looking through a suitcase that belonged to his father, Howard Stark. Among his possessions are a Captain America comic book, and a map of the Arctic Circle, where Captain Americas airplane went down.
15. Chris Evans was initially uninterested in Captain America. He declined the role 3 times before accepting. It took the director and producers to convince him to take the part.
16. Since 1978, Lou Ferrigno has played almost every live-action version of the Hulk. He played the Hulk in The Incredible Hulk (1978) and the subsequent TV specials, he voiced the Hulk in 2008 film, and he was the voice of the Hulk in this film. He had a brief cameo as a security guard in Hulk (2003) and The Incredible Hulk (2008).
17. In The Avengers, Mark Ruffalo, as Dr. Bruce Banner, mentions a botched suicide attempt: I put a bullet in my mouthand the other guy spit it out. This suicide attempt is a deleted scene from (Continued)
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2008s The Incredible Hulk with Edward Norton as Bruce Banner. In this same deleted scene, Captain Americas iconic shield can briefly and barely be seen embedded in the ice.
18. Hugh Jackman was offered the role of Iron Man. He was also offered the role of the Hulk.
19. According to Louis Leterrier, the final scene where Banner is grinning as he turns green, was a deliberate shot meaning that Bruce has finally learned to control the Hulk. In The Avengers, he reveals his secret for staying calm hes always angry.
20. After Thor removes Loki from the Quinjet onto the mountain side, you can see two large ravens flying overhead as they are talking. In Norse mythology, their father Odin had two ravens, Huginn and Muninn, that would bring Odin information from Midgard (Earth).
21. The motion capture process used on Mark Ruffalo in The Avengers was so intricate that the Hulk even has the actors finger prints.
22. Chris Hemsworth improvised the scene where he hangs the hammer on a coat hook.
23. During the New Years Eve scene at the beginning of Iron Man 3, Tony Stark drunkenly meets (Continued)
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both Professor Yensin, who would later help him create the first Iron Man suit, as well as Dr. Chen Lu, also known as the super villain Radioactive Man.
24. In the movies, you see Captain Americas shield is scratched in the film, but according to the comics it can only be damaged on a molecular level because it is made of an adamantium/vibranium alloy.
25. The reason Spiderman was not invited to The Avengers is because Marvel (comics) had sold the rights to Sony.
26. The character Brock Rumlow, who barely survives the crash of the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, can be seen with two straps across his chest as hes being resuscitated at the end of the film. This is a reference to his character in the comic books, Crossbones.
27. When Natalie Portmans character, Dr. Jane Foster, hands Thor a t-shirt that belonged to an ex-boyfriend, a name tag that reads "Donald Blake M.D." can be seen on the shirt. Dr. Donald Blake was actually the name of (Continued)
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Thors alter-ego in the original comic books.
28. The live news footage from Culver City in the S.H.I.E.L.D. office is from The Incredible Hulk (2008) showing that the events of the second half of that film happen after the events in Iron Man 2.
29. Director Kenneth Branagh asked Anthony Hopkins to improvise his role of Odin during Thors banishment scene. Members of the cast/crew were crying during the shoot and later both Hemsworth and Hiddleston said it was difficult to keep their composure during this scene.
30. A tourism poster in the small New Mexico town of Puente Antiguo reads Land of EnchantmentJourney Into Mystery. This is a hidden reference to the comic book 'Journey Into Mystery' in which Thor first appeared.
31. The actor who plays Yondu Udontas second-in-command, Kraglin, is played by director James Gunns brother, Sean Gunn. Sean also did all the motion capture acting for the character Rocket Raccoon.
32. At one point, Sebastian Stan was considered for the role of Captain America, but instead got the role of Bucky Barnes.
33. A handful of Whiplashs noticeable features were suggested by Mickey Rourke himself.
34. Loki was not planned to appear in Thor, in order to allow for a greater focus on Malekith and the Dark Elves. Due to his popularity in The Avengers, he was written in the script and given a large role.
35. The dog appearing in the hologram at the beginning of Guardians of the Galaxy belongs to the films director, James Gunn. Its name is Dr. Von Spears.
But some of the terrors rooted in reality are scarier.
Whether it's a brush with death after hydroplaning on black ice while driving or being held at gunpoint, they are the stuff of true nightmares.
However, the jury remains out about the reality of ghosts.
Regardless, Redditor Geace_69 asked:
"What's the scariest thing that's ever happened to you?"
One of the worst things must be to look down the barrel of a gun as these Redditors did.
"Wrong Taxi"
"A guy stopped traffic and walked up to the window of the taxi I was in and pointed a gun at my head through the window. Then said 'wrong taxi', and casually walked away."
"I hope he never found the right taxi."
Cashier At Gunpoint
"I got robbed at gunpoint when I was working alone one night at Subway when I was 16."
Getting Authentic Tacos
"I got stopped by the Cartel in Mexico. I live on the border and we decided to go eat some authentic tacos. My dad, my brother and his blonde girlfriend and I (12) were driving to our favorite taco place when this truck behind us started honking at us. Unfortunately there were 3 speed bumps in a row right in front of us. So the truck got impatient and pulled up in front of us. Then they stopped at the intersection which was right in front of us. Along with another truck that was behind them. And a van. Then, like insects, they all swarmed out of their vehicles with AK's and body armor. They lined up pointing to both out car, and then down the street in the direction our car was facing. 2 guys started smacking the car with the butt of their guns and yelling at us to leave. Then they shot some warning shots at the ground in front of the car. My dad floored it backwards while my brother shoved his white girlfriend into the floor and I tried to become one with the seat. Almost died that day. At least thats what it felt like."
These Redditors recount the times they were asked to be taken to the ATM. And not in a very polite way.
Unwelcome Passenger
"I stopped at a light in a questionable part of town and a strange lady hopped into the passenger seat of my car. She told me to drive her to the ATM and get her some money...I told her that I had forgotten my purse and could not do so (my purse was behind my seat and I was really hoping she wouldn't look around and catch my lie). She kept insisting that I give her money and I kept driving and telling her I couldn't... I'm pretty sure the $20 or so dollars I had in the bank would not have been enough anyway."
"Finally I saw a cop car stopped on the side of the road. I pulled up behind it and told her she could either get out then, or I'd start honking my horn to get the cops attention. She decided to leave."
"I was pretty shaken by that... I'm not sure what I would have done if I hadn't seen the cop and she was getting increasingly insistent and I know I would not have won a fight with her."
"Also... She took my bag of gummy worms."
Drive To A Construction Site
"Something similar happened to my friend's dad. Guy got into his car, pointed a gun at him, told him to drive to an ATM, and pull out money. The dad was scared shi*less, but seemingly, calmly agreed. He drove the car to a construction site nearby, hoping that the workers would be on duty that day. Fortunately, they were and the dad, driving a luxury car, looked so out of place that a bunch of the workers started watching him. The dad then told the guy, 'You can either get out of my car or you can shoot me and have a dozen witnesses. Your choice, but you're not getting money from me.'"
"Guy with the gun got out of the car and ran off. The dad called off work that day and went home to spend time with his wife and kids. My friend said she had never seen him so freaked out before in her life and he made sure to tell them all that story so they would be able to do the same in that sort of situation."
– rivlet
Sometimes, a brush with death is caused by fate and not by gun-toting lunatics.
Out In The Elements
"I was driving on the northern part of the ring road in Iceland. Buddies and I were seeing the whole country and it was bad weather in the middle of winter. Roads were closing behind us so we couldn't turn back. We finally had a clear day ahead of us where we should have been able to drive and prevent being snowed in for a few days. We hit a stretch of road with no gas stations for many miles and we fill up on gas and go. Along the way the weather starts declining and eventually it gets to white out conditions. We couldn't stop for fear of being snowed in. so we crawled along at 10 miles and hour. Closest I felt I ever came to dying on a road in the middle of nowhere in Iceland in a blizzard. great trip though 10/10 would go back"
Swerving Towards Death
"Me 17, on a rainy day with slippery tyres went through a corner too fast. Two friends in the car with me. Lost control, car swerved, we missed on-coming traffic by probably an inch. It happened in an instant."
"I regained control when the car was pointing in the driving direction again, by lifting from the brakes so we moved forward as if nothing happened."
"A week later going around the same corner an accident happend, head to head. I was second on the scene, and held a strangers hand as they are trapped under the steering wheel. Slipping in and out of consciousness, in total pain, while waiting for emergency services. I was asked to leave by the police when they learned I was not an eye witness to the actual accident. But I knew what happened, because I escape a crash like this just a week before. I never asked people what happened to the people in the other car and I do not know if the person I assisted made it."
"All I do remember is the total chaos in my memory of arriving at the scene, linked to my irresponsible behavior behind the wheel a week before."
Carnival of Fear
"I was 14 I think. Went on a swinging boat ride at the fair, the kind that pause upside down. The auto locking seatbelt bar didn't lock all the way down against me, so when it stopped upside down I started to slip out of my seat. It probably only lasted 10-15 seconds until we went down again but I was holding myself into that car for dear life. Pretty scary, but it didn't kill my love of roller coasters!"
– cynth81
Shortness Of Breath
"About two years ago, I had severe bronchitis. Severe coughing and shortness of breath were the main symptoms. I couldn't talk without coughing. I couldn't lay down to sleep without coughing. It got so bad one night I was home alone and I couldnt breathe deeply anymore. I could only take a shallow breath. My roommate was out of town and I had no one to reach out to. I started getting panicky because I was afraid I wouldn't ever be able to breathe normally again and that I would die because I couldn't breathe or catch my breath."
My brush with death continues to haunt me and I still count my blessings.
Years ago when I still lived in Los Angeles, I barely avoided a head-on collision with an eighteen-wheeler – presumably driven by a drunk driver – who was swerving in and out of their side of the road at around 10:30 p.m.
I was blinded by the headlights, and as the truck came careening towards me, I steered the wheel at the last second and my vehicle's rear was clipped by the truck.
I spun out of control and luckily managed to not collide with the parked cars on the street.
My car was not drivable after that hit-and-run incident.
But I sure was glad my life was spared that night. I have never been so scared in life until that moment.
For the record, I'll take being haunted by ghosts over these brushes with death anyday.