A Complete Analysis of Iron Man Finale: I Am Iron Man (Film Analysis)

LINK TO PART 7: Tony's Subtle Transformation from Grandiose Narcissist to Communal Narcissist

Using Tony’s advanced Arc Reactor, Stane activates his own armored suit—a hulking Goliath double the height and size of Tony’s cave version—and becomes the Iron Monger.  After an impressively shot set-piece of the Iron Monger chasing Pepper, Tony arrives to confront and stop Stane once and for all.  The battle between the two iron men is well-choreographed, entertaining, and holds up visually over a decade later.  With its massive bulk and advanced Reactor, Iron Monger proves too powerful for Tony to even put a dent in—resorting to clever trickery using the icing issue from before (nice Chekhov’s Gun) to put Stane’s suit on ice!...I’m sorry.

The stunt isn’t enough to defeat Stane, however, and with his suit running on reserved power, Tony resorts to a last-minute gamble—having Pepper overflow the company’s giant Arc Reactor while he and Stane fight above to blast them both.  The energy surge fries Stane yet sends the far-lighter Tony flying, the latter barely surviving the impact.  If there is a notably poor decision made in Iron Man, it's the decision to kill off Stane so early in the game.  Jeff Bridges provides such a unique antagonist whose great chemistry with Robert Downey Jr could have provided many unique/interesting options for future MCU stories (tries getting revenge, teams up to defeat a greater foe, redemption arc, etc.).  It’s a damn shame to prematurely kill off such an effective antagonist with so much more potential—a mistake many subsequent MCU films will unfortunately make.

Endings have a lot to say about films and can largely affect how one views it as a whole.  A great film with a shoddy ending can leave a rather sour taste in the viewer’s mouth, while a shoddy film with a great ending can end up feeling satisfactory.  By this point in the story, Iron Man has been a very good film with some outstanding aspects and exceptional cast members—yet there is one noteworthy trait it has yet to overcome: predictability.  The plot to Iron Man has been playing out exactly how a typical superhero origin story goes.  The film has been telling said origin remarkably well, as well as freshening it up with some new angles, but it’s still the same old tropes people have come to expect from said genre.  That is until the finale, where the film throws formula out the window, and it all has to do with a little adlibbing from Robert Downey Jr.

After the battle at Stark Industries, the film cuts to a press conference where Rhodey is giving a false account on the events that occurred there.  A recovering Tony and Pepper are seen reading a newspaper titled “Who is Iron Man?”  Tony likes the name, though notes how it's not entirely accurate; “'Iron Man.' That's kind of catchy. It's got a nice ring to it. I mean, it's not technically accurate. The suit's a gold-titanium alloy.”  Phil Coulson checks up on them to confirm Tony's fake story to tell the press as well as note to just call his agency S.H.I.E.L.D. from now on.  It's here Iron Man gets in a mini-subversion before its bombshell one.  The chemistry between Tony and Pepper is undeniable, and the film looks to be tying up said attraction with a by-the-book Hollywood kiss scene…only to bait-and-switch the audience in a charmingly comedic manner that feels like the right choice for these characters:

Tony: You know, if I were Iron Man, I'd have this girlfriend who knew my true identity. She'd be a wreck, 'cause she'd always be worrying that I was going to die, yet so proud of the man I'd become. She'd be wildly conflicted, which would only make her more crazy about me. Tell me you never think about that night.

Pepper: What night?

Tony: You know.

Pepper: Are you talking about the night that we danced and went up on the roof, and then you went downstairs to get me a drink, and you left me there, by myself? Is that the night you're talking about?

Tony: …

Pepper: Thought so. Will that be all, Mr. Stark?

Tony: Yes, that will be all, Miss Potts.

The press conference begins and reporter Christine Everhart makes one last appearance calling Tony’s story out as obvious BS.  Tony tries doubling down on the claims but it’s clear he’s in conflict with the story himself:

Tony: I know that it's confusing. It is one thing to question the official story, and another thing entirely to make wild accusations, or insinuate that I'm a superhero.

Christine: I never said you were a superhero. 

Tony: Didn't? Well, good, because that would be outlandish and fantastic…I'm just not the hero type. Clearly…

It is here Iron Man gives its pièce de résistance game changer, and now iconic line, of the then superhero genre:

Tony: The truth is... I am Iron Man.

 And BAM!  Cue to brief freak-out of the press (interestingly, Christine is the only one to stay in her seat), a smug look from Tony (highly enjoying the moment) and the end credits with an instrumental of Black Sabbath’s Iron Man playing in the background.

This was unprecedented at the time for superhero films.  The superhero would keep his true identity secret from the public with only a few select characters—usually family and/or love interest—knowing about it.  This was actually the case in Iron Man’s original script, until Robert Downey Jr. went off-script as he felt it fit with Tony’s character more.  Jon Favreau and Marvel Entertainment agreed, and the rest is history.  I remember seeing this scene in theaters and it blew my mind.  It was this completely unexpected, yet highly welcomed scene that stuck most prominently in my head weeks later—being, to this day, one of the most hype-inducing, awesome moments in superhero media.  The scene and its very positive reception influenced many of the MCU’s future deviations from the comics, such as Thor never using an alias while on Earth.

Yet there is one more surprise in Iron Man, a surprise many including myself missed in the theaters.  Post credit scenes were certainly not something to expect back in 2008, so it’s understandable that many did not see Samuel L. Jackson in the film—donning his badass eyepatch as the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Nick Fury.  At the time, Fury talking to Tony about the “Avengers Initiative” was seen as just a cool Easter egg for the comic book fans.  For the mainstream audiences, it meant little more than the support of a sequel, and that Samuel L. Jackson would be involved.  Over ten years later, the scope and ambition behind that single after-credits scene is fully apparent.  Marvel Entertainment was aiming for something big, something game-changing.  And they succeeded.

It’s remarkable how right Jon Favreau’s reasoning was with casting Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, yet how wrong he was that Iron Man would be the film’s star over the man underneath.  Robert Downey Jr. is the key to Iron Man’s huge success with his captivating acting, game-changing improvisation, and striking real-life similarities to Tony Stark—allowing him to, effectively, play a fictionized version of himself becoming a superhero.  Downey was made to play Tony Stark—he truly is Iron Man—and yet, as amazing performance it is, he alone does not make Iron Man a great film.  Iron Man has an exceptional, complementary antagonist in Obadiah Stane, played by the talented Jeff Bridges who rivals Downey in improvising skill.  The film has a solid supporting cast of endearing, colorful characters that work fluently off its lead.  It tells one of the best, conventional superhero origin stories to date—sprinkled with quirky little deviations, a unique, enthralling take on the training montage, and a bombshell twist that influenced future superhero stories.

The film is remarkably grounded for a superhero story, containing no supernatural abilities or people, featuring realistic warzones, terrorists, and horrors for its protagonist to face, and conveying its sci-fi technology in an authentic manner through trial-and-error engineering.  It contains potent character development yet leaves room for further improvement down the road, a plethora of minor yet delightful character moments that make the story relatable, and ideally balances action, comedy, and drama into a harmonious trifecta.  The last three aspects would become staples within the MCU’s bread-winning formula.  

Iron Man succeeds not only as a great film, but as the hors d'oeuvre to a highly ambitious franchise—giving Marvel Entertainment the spark and confidence needed to continue their construction of a connected cinematic universe.  If End Game is mission accomplished, and The Avengers Marvel’s dream becoming a reality, then Iron Man is the blueprints that shaped the MCU’s foundation.  Back in 2008, Iron Man was applauded as a great superhero film—yet looking back now at what its success helped create and accomplish, it’s a no-brainer to also call it one of the most influential superhero films ever made.