Time to return to the one movie and one actor who started it all. I'm not crying, you're crying. Also, spoiler warning for all of the MCU movie, especially Endgame. I have to admit that before rewatching this movie, I didn't remember it at all. It's been too long since I've seen this movie. Honestly, I only watched it once with a friend on TV a long time before I became a hardcore Marvel fan, which took a while. I think I became a true fan with Captain America: Winter Soldier. I saw Marvel movies before obviously, but it took me a while to get to love them.
Despite the fact that Iron Man was a B level character in the comics. Well, the Avengers were B level characters mostly, but Marvel didn't own the rights to most of their totally cool characters, since they sold them when they were almost bankrupt. So the Avengers were chosen. And Iron Man was chosen to start the Marvel Cinematic Universe. From the start Marvel was going for an Avengers movie. Kevin Feige worked on Marvel properties before, but never like this. Never as the head of the studio and an executive producer and never as the person making the decisions. The change is noticeable. There is vision in this movie and planning for the future. And so many Easter Eggs to make you cry.
The movie was directed by Jon Favreau who plays Happy Hogan in this movie and in many other Marvel movies. He is Stark's driver and assistant. He did a pretty good job as a director. He didn't have much of a role in this movie, but it's ok. He has a lot of screen time in other Marvel movies.
Robert Downey Jr. plays Iron Man in the MCU. In a way he is Iron Man, or should I say, he is Tony Stark. Robert Downey Jr. has a very rocky past and not everyone wanted to work with him, but Feige took a chance that paid off big time. A small note that I can't help but notice, but am I the only that notices how much makeup Marvel puts on their male actors? RDJ has a lot of black eye pencil on his lower eyelids. Which in later in the movie is replaced with white eye pencil. It really catches the eye. So, yeah RDJ is perfect as Iron Man.
The movies starts by showing us that Tony Stark is an asshole. Instead of accepting an award, he is gambling. Even though this award is presented by a good friend, Rhodey (Terrence Howard), Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges) his business partner is there to accept the award on his behalf. Stark also sleeps with the journalist who dares to question him and then has his assistant show her the door in the morning. The assistant being Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), who is only his most trusted worker, only you can tell from the start that there is some romantic tension between the two of them.
Some names that mean more later on in the MCU are: Rhodey is Stark's friend in the army who helps him sell his weapons to the army. Terrence Howard is Rhodey is in this movie. Before he got himself fired. Which isn't too bad, because he really doesn't stand out in this movie. Paul Bettany is the voice of the A.I. JARVIS. And most awesomely Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson is in this movie as well. Trying to get Stark to join S.H.I.E.L.D. Or least to come to a meeting. A funny joke that everyone noticed, Stark calls Thor Lebowski in Endgame, a character which Jeff Bridges played so famously in the past. These are all names that mean more later on in the MCU.
Stark goes to the Middle East to show off his newest weapon. Jericho. A super accurate missile system. Yeah, that's the scene where he walks away from cool explosions in a cool suit. Things don't go so well for him because he gets kidnapped by a group of terrorists. The Ten Rings, an international terror organization. Yes, the Ten Rings that we didn't get a payoff for, but we will. Because Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will probably explore this correctly and correct Marvel's past mistakes. But it is still a really cool reference. When they kidnap him, he gets injured really badly by one of his own weapons no less. There are metal shreds too close to his heart so his doctor there, Yinsen (Shaun Toub), who is also a prisoner, creates an electromagnetic device to keep the metal parts away from his heart. Yinsen also drills into Stark's head that he stayed alive for a reason. And let's face it, that reason is to save the universe and die in Endgame.
The terrorists want him to build them a recreation of the latest weapon that he built for the U.S. army. When he refuses, they start torturing him, but he doesn't break. So, they show him all the Stark weapon that they do have. They have a lot. Those who have Stark weapons, control the Middle-East they explain. They offer to set him free after he will be done, and he agrees. Knowing that they are lying.
Yinsen explains to him that this is his life's work, his legacy. Death. It gave me the chills when Yinsen talked about the last act of the great Tony Stark. What will define him? No his weapons, but his sacrifice for the universe. Despite Stark's pessimism, Yinsen drills into Stark that he has to make it right and he has to take advantage of the time that he does have left.
Stark builds the first arc reactor that will replace the electromagnetic device and the first Iron Man suit that it will power. It is pretty cool. And we have the iconic scene with Stark hitting the metal to shape it with a hammer. Also Stark and Yinsen play backgammon which is pretty cool. It's been ages since I played this game, but it's the first time I've seen it in a movie. When Stark tells Yinsen that he has no family, Yinsen replays that Stark has everything and nothing. Makes you think differently about Potts and Morgan. It also seems that it is almost the moment where he starts to appreciate Potts more.
Stark wants to use the suit to break himself and Yinsen free. However, Yinsen knew he wasn't getting out of this alive. He sacrifices himself so Tony can escape. And he does. But he consumed with guilt.
Rhodey and the U.S. army find him after he blew up all of the terrorists' weapons and crashed with his suit in the desert. When Hogan and Potts meet him at the airport he asks Potts to organize a press conference and tells Hogan that he wants a cheeseburger. Yeah, just like his daughter after so many years. In his press conference he announces that Stark Industries will no longer manufacture weapons. Something which shocks the world and his business partner, Obadiah. When Stark says he doesn't want a body count to be his legacy you know that Yinsen really got to him. I think we can see leftovers of that throughout all of Stark's action in the MCU.
Stark's life has changed. Now, in his secret lab he starts working on a more sophisticated suit, Mark II. The new official first Iron Man suit. He builds himself a new arc reactor as well. Potts changes it and almost vomits in the middle.
Stark trusts Potts, but not Obadiah. He doesn't give him a copy of the arc reactor or tells him what he is working on. He is suspicious and as we find out later on, he is right to be suspicious.
It is fun to see Stark starting to learn how to use the suit, before it is a suit, but just parts. His first flight test doesn't do so well when he freezes and crashes in high altitudes. When he lands he finds a present from Potts, his first arc reactor and around it is written "proof that Tony Stark has a heart". Yep the exact same reactor that Potts sent down the river in Stark's funeral for Endgame. It was so sad to see it.
Also, it is really funny to see how Coulson really tries to get an appointment with Stark to talk to him, but he just fails. He tries through Potts and that also doesn't work. Poor Coulson.
Stark goes to a fund raising event which his company runs without him being fully aware of it. To take a break from working on Mark III. Also, the event takes place at the Disney Concert Hall, which is funny because this movie takes place before Disney bought Marvel. In the dance Potts and Stark grow closer together and you can feels the sparks starting to fly. But, then Stark realizes that Obadiah was selling weapons to terrorists, plus Obadiah is trying to push him out of his own company. So all the fun ends there.
When Stark returns home, he sees on the news that the Ten Rings are attacking Yinsen's home town and decides to intervene. He basically defeats them all. When the U.S. military starts to shoot at him when he is in the sky, he calls Rhodey for help. When he previously tried to tell Rhodey about the suit he didn't want to hear it. Now he gets to sees it live.
On the evil side of things the terrorists who survived Stark have collected the first suit from the rubble. For Obadiah. Who kills everyone and takes the suit to turn it into a death machine. The suit that he builds is just gigantic.
Stark wants Potts to get all of the data from the company's computers. To see what his next mission is, who he needs to save. Potts wants to quit. She says that Tony will kill himself doing this. In a way she is right more then she knows. She also says she is not going to be a part of it and she is. She is going to be a part of it, or at least she will tell Stark to go ahead with the time travel plan and she will be a part of the big finale battle. Because it will so much. But then he tells her that he shouldn't be alive unless it is for a reason. It could mean anything, but with the benefit of hindsight it just means killing Thanos. He knows in his heart that the right thing to do is destroy his weapons, but we know that his finale mission is so much more.
Potts goes to Stark Industries. Obadiah catches her, but she is half on her way out. She sees Coulson and asks him to accompany her right at that moment. Which he does without understanding. But Stark is not so lucky. Obadiah comes to his house, paralyzes him and steals his arc reactor from his chest. But Stark is resilient and puts the old reactor that Potts saved back inside his chest. He is not going to die losing, or giving more to death.
Obadiah built himself a monster suit which he will power with Stark's reactor. The S.H.I.E.L.D agents find just what's left of the construction and Iron Man shows up to fight Obadiah just when he shows up in his monster suit. Stark gets Obadiah to fly really high and freeze, but that only takes the suit out temporarily. In the end Stark and Potts manages to fry Obadiah's suit.
Later on there is a press conferences in which Stark has to explain the events of the previous night. Instead of reading the cards that Coulson gave him the movie ends with immortal words, "I am Iron Man". Tony Stark's last words to Thanos. I didn't cry at the end of this movie, not at all.
And then there is the famous post credit scene. The first one in the MCU. We get to see Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) for the first time. He tells Stark that he is part of a bigger universe. Bigger universe makes sense considering he meet the Skrulls and the Kree in the 90s. Also, when Fury tells Stark that he is not the only superhero in the world could refer to Captain America in the 40s, but also yeah, Danvers. But most importantly, "I'm here to talk to you about the Avenger Initiative". The words that built a franchise and a signature marker as every post credit scenes builds towards the next movie.
It was a really fun movie. Very phase 1. But that's not a bad thing. Sure it stated the cliché of a hero fighting a villain with the same suit/power. But being the first means that it is fresh and new. I hate Gwyneth Paltrow, but she is good as Potts. Also, the Stan Lee cameo which also became part of the MCU is hilarious. His looks was similar to that of Hugh Hefner and I think if I remember correctly that was intentional. The future direction of Stark is set from the start. The selfish idiot who tries to do the right thing, because he should be dead. Now his life should mean something. He needs a legacy. I am Iron Man.
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