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.
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.
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.
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