Iron Man becomes first MCU entry in “Movie Hall of Fame”

Cameron Frew
Robert Downey Jr. MCU

Iron Man has been added to the National Film Registry, becoming the first MCU entry in the “Movie Hall of Fame.”

Established by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, the National Film Registry selects 25 movies every year “showcasing the range and diversity of American film heritage to increase awareness for its preservation.”

Over the past 30 years, the likes of Grease, The Exorcist, Blade Runner, and more have been selected. Last year, Shrek and The Dark Knight were added, deemed “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant enough for the registry.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has technically been eligible since 2018, but now it’s finally made the cut with Iron Man.

Iron Man makes MCU history with National Film Registry

Iron Man has joined this year’s selections for the National Film Registry, marked for preservation alongside Carrie, Hairspray, The Little Mermaid, When Harry Met Sally, and more.

Reacting to the news, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said (as per Variety): “Iron Man was the very first film Marvel Studios independently produced. It was the first film that we had all of the creative control and oversight on and it was really make or break for the studio.”

“All of our favorite movies are the ones that we watch over and over again and that we grow up with. The notion that here we are, almost 15 years after the release of Iron Man, and to have it join the Film Registry tells us it has stood the test of time and that it is still meaningful to audiences around the world.”

Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress, also said: “Films have become absolutely central to American culture by helping tell our national story for more than 125 years. We are proud to add 25 more films by a group of vibrant and diverse filmmakers to the National Film Registry as we preserve our cinematic heritage.

“We’re grateful to the entire film community for collaborating with the Library of Congress to ensure these films are preserved for the future.”

You can check out our other superhero TV and movie hubs below:

Deadpool 3 | Fantastic Four | Avengers: The Kang Dynasty | Avengers: Secret Wars | Marvel Zombies | The Marvels | Agatha: Coven of Chaos | Venom 3 | Daredevil: Born Again | Blade MCU | Captain America 4 | Avatar 2 | Across the Spider-Verse | Man of Steel 2

About The Author

Cameron is Deputy TV and Movies Editor at Dexerto. He's an action movie aficionado, '80s obsessive, and Oscars enthusiast. He loves Invincible, but he's also a fan of The Boys, the MCU, The Chosen, and much more. You can contact him at cameron.frew@dexerto.com.