Welcome to my MCU Rewatch, where I write a review and analysis of the MCU movies in the order of theatrical release. In this first installment, I talk about the importance of Iron Man in establishing the formula for superhero movies.
Release Date: 2 May 2008
Distributor: Paramount
Director: Jon Favreau
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is perhaps the most ambitious cinematic project in the history if Hollywood. Sure, there have been multi-movie franchises set in the same universe, but no one else has attempted to make multiple movies, each following a different character, that also contributes to a single overall plot. If Marvel wanted to pull this off, they had to be cautious. Viewers couldn’t be flung into the middle of a universe where the superheroes already existed. No, we had to see how these heroes came to be heroes.
And it all starts with Iron Man.
The narrative knows Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr., is an arrogant asshole, but it’s also sympathetic to Tony. Downey Jr.’s natural charisma makes that easy. Additionally, Tony doesn’t see nor care about the consequences of his actions. He only sees resigned disappointment in the people he interacts with on a daily basis. And since resigned disappointment is the norm for him, there’s no reason to change his behavior.
What he does change is his business practice. Tony is a man that builds weapons of mass destruction—like his father before him—but he is also a good person. As soon as he’s able to stop manufacturing weapons, he does. The only reason it didn’t happen sooner was because Tony didn’t realize the full extent of his company’s business dealings. He’s realized that his company is a pillar of evil in the world, and he sets out to change that.
Over the course of the MCU, Tony will attempt to redefine himself in three ways: through his company (Iron Man), through his relationship with his father (Iron Man 2), and through himself (Iron Man 3). Outside of his movies, Tony learns to work with a team (Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron) and eventually becomes a leader in the superhero business. He even adopts a protege in teenager Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man (Captain America: Civil War) though that doesn’t officially happen until MCU Phase 3.
But for now, let’s talk about Stark Industries. A weapons development company that stops developing weapons in favor of investing in renewable energy. Tony’s attachment to the arc reactor is personal (it’s literally the thing keeping him alive), and renewable energy is inherently a peaceful business. Yet what Stark Industries actually does seems to only be discussed in Iron Man, the only movie where it is closely intertwined in Tony’s personal character arc; otherwise, Stark Industries is a generic company that makes billions of dollars every year and keeps Tony swimming in so much money that his real superpower is being unbelievably rich.
He’s like Batman, in that way, but with more daddy issues and a playboy reputation that’s based on real life, whereas Batman’s playboy reputation is entirely a ruse.
When it first released in theaters in May 2008, Iron Man made $98 million opening weekend and continued to make over $585 million worldwide. (BoxOfficeMojo.com). That makes Iron Man a raging success in theaters. As the prototype MCU movie, it excelled. Marvel made a winning formula for entertaining movies, and they couldn’t have asked for a more successful first leap.
I read an article (so long ago and on someone’s random Tumblr blog that I’m unable to find it again) that stated Marvel was combining the superhero genre with other genres for its movies. Iron Man may be straight superhero/action, but Captain America: The First Avenger was a WWII war story, Thor was an epic fantasy, Captain America: The Winter Soldier was a political thriller. Jumping off that idea, Iron Man is the start of Marvel’s tried-and-true superhero action movie. Tony Stark quips, as does Paul Rudd in Ant-Man and Benedict Cumberbatch in Dr. Strange; there are comedic moments with DUMI, the robot that loves to extinguish non-existent fires; and there’s light romance between Tony Stark and his assistant Pepper Potts (played by Gwyneth Paltrov).
Where the formula fails is the treatment of women. Pepper, the most prominent female character, is the third woman introduced that has a speaking role, and her introduction is tied around the dismissal of Tony’s latest sexual conquest, journalist Christine Everhart. The first woman to speak is a soldier in the U.S. Army and she dies shortly after her introduction—she’s not even named. Once Pepper is introduced, the movie seems to think it’s hit its quota of female characters and we stop seeing ladies with significant roles altogether. Iron Man does not pass the Bechdel Test, nor does it pass the Mako Mori Test. And for that, it’s kind of disappointing.
Overall, with the fate of a franchise riding on Iron Man’s success, it’s no wonder the movie almost feels cautious. Sure, there were some risks involved (hiring Robert Downey Jr. as the titular main character was one), but the return on those risks ten years later is astounding.
Tune in next time when I finally watch the MCU Phase 1 movie I’ve actually never seen before: The Incredible Hulk starring Edward Norton.
Random Thoughts about Iron Man:
- They always unbutton their shirt to reveal a bulletproof vest. I understand this is for the benefit of the viewer, who doesn’t always know it exists, especially when the action starts in the middle of a danger zone. But the character always unbuttons their shirt to reveal a bulletproof vest.
- Hollywood, can we please get a female journalist that doesn’t sleep with her source? The journalists of the world would thank you for that.
- When Tony returns, he asks for an American cheeseburger. He’s in California, where In-and-Out exists. and yet Happy takes him to Burger King. I suppose Burger King is as American as it gets. But In-and-Out Burger is supposed to be the best of the best for fast food burgers. (Burger King does have a bigger marketing budget, though).
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