‘No one has seen the secrets I’ve hidden’: Markiplier on his hit film Iron Lung
Feb 23, 2026 [[read-time]] minute read
Markiplier is, surprisingly, quite calm. Even as his debut film Iron Lung dominates theaters and his schedule fills with press interviews, Mark describes the current moment as ‘chiller’ than the sheer intensity of actually making the thing. Sitting at the same desk where he’s built his career over the last 14 years, it's not that he’s unfazed by the buzz — he’s just finally catching his breath.
Production was a chaotic three years, fueled by 80,000 gallons of fake blood as he self-funded, directed, starred, and eventually self-distributed to over 3,000 screens. The result? Iron Lung is now an indie phenomenon smashing box office numbers, powered by fans who literally lobbied to get it there.
By skipping the traditional studio system entirely, Mark proved that a creator’s vision doesn't need ‘diluting’ to go global. We spoke about breaking the barriers to entry, the 'hypnotic' horror of boredom, and the hidden clues he’s still waiting for fans to find.
In 2012, a 'successful' video meant views and comments. Now, your audience is calling theaters to show it, and turning a $3 million indie film into a $37 million global hit. How has that relationship with viewers evolved on YouTube?
Mark: It’s an interesting ego boost for the audience — their participation has advanced into a tangible, physical reality. They broke down a very powerful barrier to entry and realized, "Oh, if I call a movie theater, it actually changes the world around me."
When I had 100 subscribers, my focus was interacting personally with everyone. But you quickly realize you can’t maintain that in the thousands; that growth broke my heart in a lot of ways, because I realized I’d reached a point where things could become distorted. I could stop being a person to them and they could stop being human to me.
I work hard to remember that the numbers aren't actually numbers. Numbers are thrown around by businesses and people that care about the metrics too much. They forget that these are real people living real lives.
And I’m human too. YouTube is about putting yourself out there on the internet, but you eventually run out of ‘self’ to give. I'm constantly balancing trying to live more life, get more experience in the world, and then bring that to my audience so that they can see my progression as a person and an artist. It's what drives me and makes me happy, so I guess I'm going to keep doing it until I collapse into a burning pile of ash.
Hopefully, it won’t go that far — though you did dive into an ocean of blood for this!
Mark: I did. My mom saw the movie yesterday with my cousin from Korea, and while she loved it, her main feedback was: "Don’t do that again. No sequels."
Was there a specific moment where you realized you didn't want to wait for Hollywood’s permission?
Mark: I knew from the start I wasn’t going to get permission. That doesn’t mean I didn’t ask, but when the industry responded, it never felt like they met me as a peer.
In every aspect where a YouTuber has tried to do something, it’s been that same uphill battle. As a collective, we want to be taken seriously or given legitimacy as artists. Legacy media is complicated, and you often need a giant business to make things happen, but technology is advancing. The individual creator has to rise to certain challenges, and YouTube is the ultimate crucible for "learn or die."
People are looking at you as a proof of concept. For creators who don't have 38 million subscribers, what part of your process is replicable?
Mark: The replicable part is realizing theaters just want butts in seats. When I had a thousand subscribers, I went to Comic-Con and exactly four people said hi — I counted them. A small movie theater is only 50 seats. You can build things of scale without needing to sell out 4,000 screens.
On YouTube, we’re used to making things on a budget and you can make exceptionally high-quality projects for less money than ever. YouTube can be the epicenter of this entire movement.
The original Iron Lung game tells you almost nothing; it’s just a terminal and grainy photos. How did you and the creator of the Iron Lung game decide where to keep the mystery and where to add "meat" for a two-hour movie?
Mark: There’s a difference between "not telling you anything" and "can’t tell you anything." You can't know things you can't see, and our first rule was staying in the submarine. It’s a restrictive box, but creativity lives in those restrictions. To do justice to the game, you have to commit to that perspective. The plot is what you aren't being told. It’s polarizing, but I love that we committed to it.
“No one has seen the secrets I’ve hidden in the background of that scene yet. I haven't seen a single peep about them online.”
Mark Fischbach
Are there parts of the film that you think a traditional studio would have tried to "fix"?
Mark: Probably the whole movie, but especially the beginning. There’s a world where you’re told to "get to the action faster," but if you do that, you lose the setup. The point is the monotony, the loneliness, the boredom. You can't cut that and still be genuine to what the game was trying to accomplish.
In fact, I love the monotony of survival. My favorite scene in the movie is just the character driving around. It’s hypnotizing. No one has seen the secrets I’ve hidden in the background of that scene yet. I haven't seen a single peep about them online. It is the most crucial scene in the movie for the character and the universe, but you can’t be hypnotized if you don't want to be.
Were there any films that inspired you to tell a story this way?
Mark: My movie tastes are actually terrible. My favorite movie is Ratatouille; my second favorite is Jim Carrey’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I don't look at a movie for the "best experience"; I look for little moments and pieces.
“Traditional deals often require you to surrender creative control, which is at odds with what I know the future of creation to be.”
Mark Fischbach
YouTube CEO Neal Mohan recently called your film a "new era for Hollywood." What does that look like for creators and for you specifically?
Mark: I believe YouTube can be a home for this creativity. The end result doesn't always have to be the studio system. Traditional deals often require you to surrender creative control, which is at odds with what I know the future of creation to be.
When YouTube creates a sandbox for creators to cultivate their own work, that’s when it’s at its strongest. I’ll always go to bat for YouTube because it’s the best place for longevity and making a living. I want to be at the forefront, helping build systems that enable YouTubers to make higher-caliber movie experiences for their audiences.
There’s this song called "Paprika" by Japanese Breakfast. It’s one of my favorite songs of all time. It’s about the passion for making something for people to enjoy — there’s an indescribable, almost addictive feeling to that. There’s an enigmatic sensation when you’re in a movie theater with a crowd and they’re all experiencing something you made. The more I can cultivate that feeling for more people, the better.
