Last week I spent a majority of my post defending why The Incredible Hulk was a great addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Well here I am again in the same situation, but instead of defending the Hulk, I’m going to defend a sequel many seem to hate. We’re on week 3 of the MCU Marathon which means it’s time to talk about Iron Man 2!
The Plot
Tony Stark has admitted to the world that he is Iron Man! With Iron Man watching over the world, peace seems to have finally come! However, Tony will quickly learn that revealing to the world that he’s a superhero will bring much more trouble than it will pleasure. Also, Tony learns that the very thing that’s keeping him alive, the arc reactor, is killing him. Not only that, but a new villain has rolled into town hellbent on showing to the world that there are cracks in Iron Man’s armor and that the world is not as safe as it seems.
Villain
The big bad in Iron Man 2 is a Russian by the name of Ivan Vanko aka Whiplash. Whiplash is a physicist who wants revenge on the Stark Family for stealing the thunder that his family should have. He is one of the few villains that strays from the “evil version of the hero club.” He doesn’t get particularly deep backstory but his battle suit brings the best action sequences of the story and Mickey Rourke’s performance is great. He delivers a truly great line: ” If you could make God bleed, people would cease to believe in him. All I have to do is sit back, and watch as the world consumes you. There will be blood in the water, and the sharks will come.” He gets a really lame final fight, but until that Whiplash is a great villain!
Another minor villain in Iron Man 2 is Justin Hammer (played by Sam Rockwell). Hammer owns a rival tech company that’s desperate to do just about anything to put itself ahead of Stark Enterprises… even if it means performing less than legal actions. Iron Man 2 makes Hammer look like a dumbed down version of Tony Stark, but his character serves an important role in the overall plot of Iron Man 2. Plus, Rockwell is a great actor and does a great job portraying Justin Hammer.
Best Scene(s)
The final fight in Iron Man 2 may be disappointing, but the action sequence right before it is anything but! Right before Whiplash arrives, Iron Man and his new sidekick War Machine are surrounded by drones and are forced to open up a can of whoop ass on their enemies. It’s a solid few minutes of hero/side kick action that’s a great introduction for War Machine. It’s the beginning of a beautiful tag team that’ll be with us for the rest of the MCU.
However, there’s another scene in the movie that deserves recognition. As fans of the MCU know, Iron Man 2 is the movie that introduced fans to Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow, and boy does she get an intro! Towards the end of the movie, Black Widow and Tony’s assistant Happy go to Justin Hammer’s HQ to help Tony, and when they get there, Black Widow takes down a myriad of Hammer’s men in a way that fans of hers have wanted to see for ages! Johansson was the absolute perfect choice for the role, and Black Widow couldn’t have had a better introduction!
Stan Lee Cameo
This one is short, sweet, and right at the beginning of the movie. After the Stark Expo, Tony is leaving with Happy and we the audience are seeing everything through Tony’s eyes. While making his way through the crowd, Tony runs into the one and only Larry King, except it’s not Larry King it’s none other than Stan Lee! It’s amusing to see, but a bit short compared to his other cameos in the MCU.
Post Credits Scene
Yay universe building! We find Coulsen on assignment in New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment, and he’s finally found “it.” But what’s “it” you say? Why, it’s none other than Mjolnir!!!! Back in the day, fans were ecstatic to finally get a look at Marvel’s Thor on the big screen! The audience only gets a quick glimpse at Thor’s hammer, but it was enough to get fans excited for the introduction of a new superhero to the Marvel Cinematic Universe!
Final Thoughts
Like The Incredible Hulk, I don’t understand why this movie got so much negativity upon its release. It has an above average villain, two great new superhero introduction, and it has more of the delightful Tony Stark banter that fans have come to love! It’s by no means groundbreaking, but it’s a film that Marvel fans can enjoy and watch for a good dose of action. The best in the MCU? Not by any means, but it’s also not the worst.
The Magical World of Dids 