As the Marvel Cinematic Universe approaches its eighth anniversary this May, more tales about the early days of Marvel Studios' ambitious plan are being told. Before 2012's "Avengers," there was no way of knowing if uniting heroes from disparate franchises would work, let alone be a success. While speaking with Italian site Bad Taste, actor and "Iron Man 2" screenwriter Justin Theroux revealed that he definitely had doubts about Marvel Studios' grand plan back in the early days.

"I remember at that time talking about 'The Avengers' with [Marvel Studios president] Kevin [Feige]," said Theroux, via Google translation. "I remember that I told him 'I do not know if this is going to work, having Iron Man and all these characters together.' But then he ended up doing something really special."

Theroux commented on the recent revelations of possible conflicts within Marvel Studios, saying that he did not notice any tension during his time working on "Iron Man 2." Instead, he just noticed a lot of love.

"What I like about Kevin Feige and [producer] Jeremy Latcham and all the guys at the studio is that they really love these characters. They're not just trying to throw something out," said Theroux. "They love these superheroes and they protect them." Theroux adds that he did not pay attention to "the business side of it" and he knows that they want "every product to be good."

The site also took the chance to ask Theroux about "Iron Man 2," which was met with mixed reviews from fans despite its box office success. "You know, as happens very often, it is not easy to live up to expectations," said Theroux. "And after the first 'Iron Man,' those for the sequel were extremely high. [You] go to see [the film] with a wealth of expectations... and the film had a release date even before we started working on it so we had to work fast. And I will not complain about anything or anyone, mind you ... It was a team effort and I really love people like Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. We tried to please the fans and to give shape to something spectacular ... But sometimes things end up not going in the right direction, although there are parts of the movie that I'm really proud [of]."

(via ComicBook)