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This is the first article in a new series in which we will see all Marvel Studios' films over the coming months, before the release of Avengers: Endgame. It contains important spoilers for Iron Man and the MCU in the broad sense.
"The truth is … I am Iron Man."
The huge admission of Tony Stark (sadly improvised by star Robert Downey Jr) at the end of Marvel Studios' first doom The film project is undoubtedly one of the closing lines the most emblematic of modern cinema. At that time, we did not know much that he was also going to launch one of the biggest and most ambitious film franchises of all time: the vast Marvel film universe. But if the critical and commercial success of Iron Man seems to be self-evident, it certainly was not back in the summer of 2008 …
Iron Man Could it have been one of Marvel's most popular characters, but it's fair to say that he did not have the weight of pop culture of, say, Spider-Man or the X's -Men. A film adaptation was in development since 1990, but despite the efforts of three different studios (Universal, Fox and New Line) and many directors and stars (Nic Cage, Tom Cruise, Joss Whedon and even Quentin Tarantino)
Rights returned to Marvel in the mid-2000s and Iron Man finally began to develop under the new head of the company. Kevin Feige, with Jon Favreau as director and Downey Jr as lead. At the time, this cast was also a risky bet: the star of Downey Jr had dropped considerably due to its well-documented off-screen troubles.
But Favreau took on the leading role. "We did not just want to make a safe choice," said the director at the time. "The best and the worst moments in Robert's life have been seen by the public. He had to find an inner balance to overcome the obstacles that far exceeded his career. That's Tony Stark. "
Fortunately, this is a bet that has paid off. Rewatching Iron Man in hindsight, Downey Jr was an inspired choice – and not just because of the imitation aspect of casting art. Tony Stark should not be an easy guy to love, with his "list of character flaws" – titled, arrogant, irresponsible. But RDJ has been channeling every ounce of his lively and lucid charisma from the beginning, which makes Tony's heart so hot even before counting.
This is a crucial element of why the fall and rise story works – we want Tony to get up again. His kidnapping at the hands of terrorists in Afghanistan is an experience that fundamentally changes him. he sees the error of his way and decides to put himself on a better path. It is the ultimate arc of redemption.
Iron Man is basically a simple story of origin. But thanks to his sense of character and unadorned direction, Favreau is as skilled and punctuated as one of Stark's flashy engines, freed from some of the more laborious processes of universe creation by MCU. The action also has a lot of heart, mainly thanks to two underrated representations: Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, the faithful PA and Tony's love interest, and Shaun Toub as Yinsen, the Cell mate who saves Tony's life and who contributes to the building of the bulky Mark 1. Suitable and acts as a moral compbad of the budding hero.
In fact, Iron Man is still his weakest link. While bald and bearded Jeff Bridges clearly eats cigar and landscape, Stark's trading partner has become Iron Monger, Obadiah Stane (watch the "BOX OF SCRAPS!" Stage), developing, acting primarily as a figure for facilitate the transition from Tony's third act to full-fledged superheroes. This is a problem that would still clutter the series – after a score of movies, you can always count the great memorable mishaps of the MCU from one side.
What is truly striking about Iron Man however, is how he feels now grounded. Yes, it's a film about a guy flying in a metal jumpsuit, but given the increasingly cosmic nature of Marvel's production, there's something charming about the former man's first big screen adventure. State of the MCU. It is surprisingly well aged too – keyboard phones, MySpace references and all …
Exceptional Scene: Tony's first outing in red and gold costume while he lands in Gulmira to save the hostages the henchmen of the ten rings. It's a short and quick reward, as Tony confronts his former captors. The emblematic sounds of these repulseurs of hands in the end "It is yours", it is a less serious scene; more on the ground than some of the last Iron Man MCU stops, certainly, but all the more exciting. A new hero is born.
Best Shot: Pepper Potts [to journalist Christine Everhart after a sleepover with Stark]: "I do everything Mr. Stark demands, including occasionally taking out the trash …" A wild return from Mrs. Potts, he – While Downey Jr could win on one line, Paltrow herself has some real zingers.
First appearances: This is the first Iron Man movie and the starting point of the MCU in the broad sense, there are many key introductions (as in most Phase One movies). Thus, along with Tony and Pepper, the other main characters making their first appearance are Clark Gregg's agent SHIELD, Agent Coulson; Nick Fury by Samuel L. Jackson (more on this below); advanced artificial intelligence JARVIS (voiced by Paul Bettany); and Col James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Tony's best friend – played here by Terrence Howard but replaced by Don Cheadle in future episodes.
So long, goodbye: Obadiah Stane, we did not know you very well. His fall into the arc reactor is a decisive end for Iron Monger, confirmed when we learn that Coulson is causing his death in the media following a plane crash. More poignantly, we also say goodbye to his cellmate, Yinsen, who makes the ultimate sacrifice of buying Stark some time to reinforce the Iron Man costume. "Do not lose your life," he told Stark before he left. Sniff.
Everything is related: There are quite a few key points of the plot here that will be developed as the series moves forward …
• Check out the newspaper excerpt in the editing Introduction, which recounts the death of Tony's parents, titled: "Howard and Maria die in a car accident on Long Island." The date? December 17, 1991. This event is at the center of Captain America's plot Civil War .
• "Next time, baby …", Rhodey decides to leave Stark's silver suit for the sequel, where he eventually becomes the superhero – and future Avenger – War Machine. Not again for Howard, however – no matter what has actually happened between him and Marvel, Cheadle is definitely appropriate for the role.
• The terrorist group The Ten Rings is a nod to Iron Man's nemesis cartoon. The Mandarin – a villain who wears 10 rings that give him a variety of powers, vortex energy explosions at high speed. Favreau would have left him outside the film so that the action remains more entrenched, although it comes into play somehow later … (more on this in our Iron Man 3 revisit).
• "This is not my first rodeo," Coulson told Tony as he planned to hide the fantastic events of the final. The events of the series of the 90s Captain Marvel in which is a young Coulson, could they shed some light on his first battle between heroes?
Credit Check: "Do you think you are the only superhero in the world? Mr. Stark, you are now part of a larger universe, you do not know it yet … ". Ah, the post-credit scene that triggered everything. Nick Fury, of Samuel L Jackson, goes to the rink of Tony Malibu to talk to him about the "Avenger initiative", in an epilogue that sadly bodes of the future shared universe
Are you a Iron Man fan? Are there any other aspects you like or something we missed? Let us know in the comments below.
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