A Complete Analysis of Iron Man Part 1: The MCU’s Beginnings, The Rise of a Fallen Star, and The Perfect Opening (Film Analysis)

In 2005, Marvel Entertainment took out an over 500-million-dollar loan with plans to launch their own film studio and get in on the ever-increasing cinematic superhero craze.  With the creation of Marvel Studios in conjecture with Paramount Pictures to market and distribute their films, Marvel began plans to release a series of (hopefully) modestly profiting superhero films based on some of their less world-renown properties (since their biggest names like Spider-Man and The X-Men already had their film licenses sold to other studios) that would be connected through recurring characters, setups, plot points, and post-credit scenes—ultimately leading to a collaboration of all these B and C-listers into one massive, blockbuster extravaganza of a film that would be based on The Avengers comic series.

Marvel carefully decided upon their introductory films for such a massive, risky undertaking.  The first would be The Incredible Hulk, one of their few remaining A-list superheroes available for use.  The Hulk was well-known to the non-comic book public at the time, having previously had a live-action TV show, an animated TV show, and a theatrical film in 2003.  Their other film would be Iron Man, a more obscure superhero outside the comic book fandom at the time, notably to the point where many of the general public thought Iron Man the character was a robot (an aspect that caused Marvel Studios to form focus groups specifically designed to dispel such belief).  Marvel expected The Incredible Hulk to be their breadwinner while hoping Iron Man would be a more modest success.

For Iron Man, Jon Favreau was hired to direct the feature.  Favreau originally opted to cast a newcomer into the Iron Man role, noting how the star of the show would be Iron Man the superhero, not the man underneath.  Yet in 2006, Favreau changed suit and instead made a critical decision by hiring notorious actor Robert Downey Jr. to play the lead role of Tony Stark, aka Iron Man.  While a talented actor, Downey was considered by Hollywood to be a major risk to cast—known at the time for his drug usage, arrests, and constant trips to rehab.  Marvel was heavily against hiring Downey, yet Favreau held strong on the choice, feeling the actor’s past made him appropriate for the role; “The best and worst moments of Robert’s life have been in the public eye.  He had to find an inner balance to overcome obstacles that went far beyond his career. That’s Tony Stark…it was my job as a director to show that it was the best choice creatively.”

Downey ultimately got the role as Iron Man, with the film written, shot, and released in June of 2008.  On opening day, audiences head fill up theaters to see this new superhero blockbuster film.  Expectations varied, and Marvel Studios crossed their fingers that the film would find, at least, modest success. The film opens silently on a rocky mountainous region.  Everything is eerie calm as military Humvees appear in the distance.  Anticipation builds, with the audience assuming something is about to happen, yet not quite certain what something will be…

 And then, BAM!  AC/DC’s Back in Black suddenly starts blasting as the Humvees come into frame—the font informing the audience of the current location in Afghanistan.  Immediately both the tone and setting has been established.  It’s the Middle East, almost certainly the War in Afghanistan, yet the war setting isn’t entirely serious with Back in Black giving a lighthearted intensity to the atmosphere.  I can’t help but sing along to the song as the film moves to one of the Humvee’s interior.  There’s the usual sight of several military personnel dressed up for battle, but there’s something out of place as well—a drinking glass full of liquor being held by an unknown well-dressed figure, with one of the soldier’s looking anxiously at it.  The unknown figure is revealed to be Tony Stark, well, not actually, since his name isn’t spoken yet—though the trailers most likely keyed first-time viewers in on who he is.  Yet for those coming in completely cold turkey, it’s clear there is something important about this character merely from his casual, liquor-drinking appearance in a warzone. 

Then, Stark begins to speak:

Stark: I feel like you're driving me to court martial. This is crazy. What did I do? I feel like you're gonna pull over and snuff me. What, you're not allowed to talk?

Soldier 1: Hey, Forest...

Soldier 2: We can talk, sir.

Stark: Oh, I see. So it's personal?

Soldier 3: No, you intimidate them.

Stark: Dear God, you're a woman! I honestly, I couldn't have called that. I mean, I would apologize, but isn't that what we're going for here? I thought of you as a soldier first.

Soldier 3: I'm an airman.

Stark: Well you have actually excellent bone structure there. I'm kinda...having a hard time not looking

at you now. Is that weird?

Soldiers Laugh

Stark: C'mon, it's OK, laugh. Hey!

Soldier 1: Sir, I have a question to ask. Yes, please. It is true you went 12-for-12 with last year's Maxim cover models?

Stark: That is an excellent question. Yes and no. March and I had a scheduling conflict, but fortunately, the Christmas cover was twins. Anything else?

Above is a word-for-word transcript of the film’s first conversation, yet it fails to capture what makes Robert Downey Jr.’s performance here so effective.  He has this personality the somehow blends eccentric and expressive with stoic and respectable.  He’s fast-talking yet composed and easy to understand—his voice has a monotonous tone, yet everything he says is captivating.  It’s a one-of-a-kind charismatic performance that makes this yet-to-be-named character so immediately appealing and likable, and not just for the audience, but for the military personnel as well.  Stark breaks the ice and lightens the mood for the escorting soldiers—who had been acting stiff and intimidated—in less than a minute.  The scene is humorous and incredibly chill as the four characters banter:  

Soldier 2 raises a hand

Stark: You're kidding me with a hand up, right?

Soldier 2: Is it cool if I take a picture with you?

Stark: Yes, it's very cool. I don't wanna see this on your MySpace page.

Soldier 2 throws up a peace sign

Stark: Please, no gang signs…No, throw it up, I'm kidding. Yeah, peace! I love peace. I'd be outta job with peace.

It becomes very clear that Jon Favreau struck gold by casting Robert Downey Jr.  In just a minute and thirty seconds, the actor not only succeeds in making Stark a likable character but sharing such likability amongst the three soldiers around him.  His quick, nonchalant, charismatic personality brings out the average Joe everyman personalities in these soldiers that the audience can relate to and form a bond with...those cruel writers.  The jovial and lighthearted tone is immediately cut short by the upfront Humvee being blown to smithereens.  In the blink of an eye, the tone whiplashes from fun to dead serious as the inactive site becomes a bloody battlefield.  Stark, who up till this point has held control of the situation, is left speechless and scared as the soldiers—who along with the tone snap quickly into stern and serious—all begin to get killed off one-by-one in brutal fashion…and forgive me for sounding callous, but it’s all perfect.

Everything about this brief opening is ideal.  It establishes the film's comedic lightheartedness, the main character as someone who’s larger-than-life yet also down-to-Earth and human, engages the audience with sharp, witty banner, bonds the audience with the main character and (to a lesser extent) these soldiers in less than a minute, whiplashes tone to showcase its serious side, and begins rapidly killing off its characters—leaving audiences in a state of stunned shock internally thinking, “Oh s%!#! What’s happening!?”

Stark is left all alone on the battlefield as a rocket lands right next to him, the camera zooming in to show it is labeled Stark industries as it blows up and he’s blasted away.  The opening hints earlier towards a less noble side of its main character—"Yeah, peace! I love peace. I'd be outta job with peace.”—and Stark being attacked by his own weaponry only further hints at such a notion.  Body armor prevents any instant fatality, yet Stark is still critically injured—blood seeping from under his shirt as he passes out.  The scene cuts to him being held hostage by unknown terrorists as they record a message to an unknown recipient.  And just as the opening hits its climatic high point, the title pops up:

…and it’s got you.  Iron Man has the audience right where it wants them.  You can’t stop watching there (why someone would stop watching in a theaters two-minutes in is anyone’s guess), you have to know what happens next!  The film has you wrapped right around its finger.  The key to its effectiveness is Robert Downey Jr.’s captivating performance, but one should not overlook the witty, effective writing, sharp editing, and engaging tone shifts.  Everything works just so effectively, making the most out of such a brief amount of time.  The film has barely begun and it's clear the viewer is in for a very entertaining ride.

What a great opening.

LINK TO PART 2: Tony Stark, the Anti-Bruce Wayne