The Last Jedi has come and gone meaning the next massive blockbuster for nerds everywhere to look forward to is none other than Avengers: Infinity War! Ten years and eighteen movies later, the MCU is finally coming to the end of its tale. Marvel has created an incredible universe for its fans and in honor of Infinity War finally coming this May, I’ve decided to look back on every film of the MCU. Each week I’ll be looking at a film and recounting its plot, villain(s), the film’s best action scene, the stan lee cameo, and the post credits scene. This week we’re going with the movie that started it all: Iron Man!
Plot
Billionaire playboy philanthropist Tony Stark has inherited his father, Howard Stark’s, company Stark Industries. With the help of Obadiah Stane, Tony has helped continue Stark Industries’s legacy in the arms business. However, after Tony is captured by terrorists using his own weapons, he vows to make sure his company never helps evil again. With the help of a fellow captive, Tony is not only revived from a near death experience, but also is able to escape in a suit of armor he himself designed. With a second chance at life, Tony decides to become a symbol of peace by becoming the superhero Iron Man.
Villain
Gasp! The villain was Obadiah Stane, Tony’s partner! Obadiah builds his own version of the Iron Man suit and becomes Warmonger! Although it was pretty obvious that Stane was going to end up being the villain for the film, he was a great villain. He was smart and ruthless. He hired terrorists to hide the fact that Tony’s death was his own doing, and at one point of the film he rips out Tony’s arc reactor which is what keeps him alive! He also has a great final fight with Tony, even though it has a pretty lame ending. For starters, once his targeting computer dies, he has the absolute worst aim and then he dies via electrocution. Obadiah is also the one that started the Marvel trend of villains being the “evil version of the hero.” More on that with later films in the MCU though.
Best Scene
The best action scene in my humble opinion has to be when Iron Man returns to Gulmira (where he was held hostage by terrorists) and saves the villagers. It’s the first real look at the Iron Man suit in action and it’s incredible! The two highlights are when Iron Man locks on and kills terrorists holding villagers hostage and also when he fires a tiny missile to destroy an entire tank! It showed just how great the Iron Man suit was. A close runner up has to be the ending of the film when Tony admits that he is in fact Iron Man. So much for secret identities.
Stan Lee Cameo
Ah the Stan Lee cameo, a Marvel tradition! There have been Marvel films before this with Stan Lee cameos, but this one is particularly great. Stan Lee can be found attending a company party surrounded by a group of gorgeous women. Tony approaches him from behind and says, “You look great Heff!” Stan’s still got game!
Post Credits Scene
This is the post credits scene that made the world obsessed with post credits scenes. It’s arguably still the best post credits scene Marvel has ever done. Tony returns home after defeating Warmonger to find a man waiting for him. He introduces himself as Nick Fury (played by Samuel L. Jackson) and says this line that left Marvel fans everywhere shook:
“I am Iron Man. You think you’re the only superhero in the world? Mr. Stark you’ve become part of a bigger universe, you just don’t know it yet.”
Tony: “Who the hell are you?”
Nick Fury: “Nick Fury, the Director of SHIELD. I’m here to talk to you about the Avengers Initiative.”
It was the beginning of something that hadn’t really been done before. Multiple franchises were going to come together and be in the same world. We all hoped it was going to be as amazing as it sounded back then. Needless to say, I think Marvel succeeded.
Final Thoughts
Yes, this movie was pretty predictable, but it was the beginning of something that would change Hollywood forever. If this movie flopped, the entire idea would’ve likely been tossed to the wayside. Thankfully, Robert Downey Jr. put on a career defining performance as the titular hero, and Jon Favreau created an exciting origin story that helped make Iron Man the iconic superhero that he is today. Marvel has introduced many new heroes into the MCU, but Iron Man still stands tall as one of the best.
The Magical World of Dids 