‘Law & Order’: New Fan Mickey Rourke Disses Marvel While Praising the Crime Drama
Law & Order: SVU has been on TV for so long that new viewers constantly discover the show and all the series in the franchise.
With that in mind, there’s an ever-expanding fan base that includes everyday folks and celebrities alike. Mickey Rourke now counts himself as a super fan, and he took a moment to praise Law & Order while throwing a jab at Marvel.
Mickey Rourke starred in ‘Iron Man 2’
Mickey Rourke has had a bone to pick with Marvel’s upper crust for some time. He starred alongside Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man 2 as Ivan Vanko, the industrious vengeance-seeking villain. While Rourke approved of the writers, director, and cast of the film, he took issue with the powers-that-be at Marvel.
During a 2011 interview with Crave Online (via The Hollywood Reporter), he said he wanted his character to have more of a backstory, so it wouldn’t seem like Ivan was just another disposable adversary. Rourke explained that he worked closely with Justin Theroux and Jon Favreau to round out the story, and they were totally on board.
“I explained to Justin Theroux, to the writer, and to Favreau that I wanted to bring some other layers and colors, not just make this Russian a complete murderous revenging bad guy,” he said. “And they allowed me to do that. Unfortunately, the [people] at Marvel just wanted a one-dimensional bad guy, so most of the performance ended up the floor.”
Rourke noted that Favreau was not the person in charge at the time and described the executive who was as a “nerd with pocketful of money.” He wanted more for the movie and reiterated that Theroux and Favreau worked hard to add complexity to Ivan.
“It is f*cking too bad, but it’s their loss,” he said. “If they want to make mindless comic book movies, then I don’t want to be a part of that.” It’s a feeling Rourke’s held on to for years.
Rourke praises ‘Law & Order’ while dissing Marvel
Like millions of people around the world, Mickey Rourke binge-watched hours of television during lockdown. The actor — whose lengthy credits include The Wrestler and Sin City — happened upon Law & Order: SVU and became hooked on it. He wrote about it on Instagram and fired a verbal dart at Marvel.
Rourke praised the production team and each of the main cast members, including Mariska Hargitay, Ice-T, Christopher Meloni, and BD Wong. Toward the end of the lengthy post, he compared the series to Marvel’s output.
“What’s especially enjoying is watching commodity of this exceptional group of actors…i guess if it wasn’t this lockdown most likely i’d never see this show, but since i do all my lifting training in my living room my tv been on whole lockdown and i was able to discover this fabulous show. Respect to all of you,the work that you all do is real acting, not like that crap that all on Marvel sh*t,” he wrote.
Rourke’s longtime fans are used to the occasional Marvel digs and found it amusing. Some are encouraging him to explore other Law & Order series from the past and future. If he sticks to it, he can check out the new additions Law & Order: Organized Crime and Law & Order: For the Defense.
