You might have missed it, but Jenna Ortega made a fleeting appearance in Iron Man 3 at the tender age of 11. This marked her film debut, where she played the wheelchair-bound daughter of Vice President Rodriguez, portrayed by Miguel Ferrer. In a poignant scene, Rodriguez shares a tender moment with his daughter during a Christmas family gathering, highlighting the personal stakes of his role within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Fast forward to today, the now 22-year-old star of Netflix's Wednesday and the upcoming Beetlejuice Beetlejuice movie, Ortega humorously reflected on her brief MCU stint in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. She quipped about how her lines were cut down to almost nothing, leaving her with a blink-and-you'll-miss-it role. "I did it once," Ortega said. "It was one of the first jobs I ever did. They took all my lines out. I’m in Iron Man 3 for a quick second. I take up the frame, I have one leg and I’m the vice president’s daughter."
Her Death of a Unicorn co-star Paul Rudd, who also stars as Ant-Man in the MCU, playfully suggested that Marvel might have bigger plans for her in the future. "And so it might very well be that you come back," Rudd continued, "that they are going to create something for you, ’cause they should be so lucky to have Jenna Ortega in their franchise."
Ortega, however, remained grounded about her experience, jokingly mentioning how even her character's name was removed. "They even took my name away," she interjected. "I’m really… but I just… I count that, and then I move on." It's clear that what started as a potentially significant subplot in Iron Man 3 was reduced to a mere cameo by the time the film hit theaters.
As Ortega's fame has skyrocketed since her early days as a child actor, the possibility of her returning to the MCU could be tantalizing for Marvel Studios. Given her current status as one of the most recognizable actors globally, any role crafted for her would undoubtedly draw significant attention.
Iron Man 3, despite being considered one of the weaker entries in the MCU, was a massive commercial success, grossing $1.2 billion worldwide and ranking as the ninth highest-grossing superhero film of all time. This financial triumph underscores the MCU's dominance at the box office, even if the landscape for superhero movies has become more challenging in recent years. Should Ortega return to the MCU, her star power could potentially rejuvenate the franchise's appeal.
The question remains: Which character would Jenna Ortega be a perfect fit for in the ever-expanding MCU?
