There's denying that Iron Man was the surprise hit that changed superhero movies, and the wider cinematic landscape, forever. It started the Marvel Cinematic Universe that continues over ten years later. It also formed a trilogy starring Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark that helped push the MCU forward even more.
While the Iron Man trilogy did make an impact in many good ways that are still affecting Marvel films, it does have some lackluster aspects. Some things simply did not age well while others were flawed to begin with and only got worse as the years went on.
Forgettable Original Soundtracks
This is a common complaint that fans have had with the Marvel Cinematic Universe since the very beginning. The first Iron Man features a few decent pieces of music by Ramin Djwadi but other than that, the trilogy's music consists of an effective but overall forgettable score composition.
Instead, the Iron Man films relied mainly on famous classic rock songs from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. From Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" to many different tracks by AC/DC.
Terrence Howard's Rhodey
This is not Terrence Howard's fault per se, he did his job and performed the part that he was given. However, James Rhodes in the first Iron Man did very little as a character to stand out and oftentimes feels like a last-minute addition to the original.
This version of Rhodey definitely does not age well in comparison to Don Cheadle's version. Cheadle's portrayal showscases more charm, depth, and is more important to the story overall. The friendship between Tony Stark and Rhodey is much more believable in Iron Man 2 and onwards.
Justin Hammer Was Underutilized
Other than being the man who breaks Whiplash out of prison and helps develop the War Machine armor, Sam Rockwell's Justin Hammer feels wasted. He gets interrogated by Black Widow in the climax but it's never shown what happens to the character and whether or not he gets his comeuppance.
This is a shame because Sam Rockwell's often forgotten performance was fun and he likely could have excelled as the main villain in another Iron Man sequel. However, there's still time for this to be rectified considering Justin Hammer has the chance to return to upcoming projects such as Armors Wars and Ironheart.
Where Were The Avengers In Iron Man 3?
While Iron Man 3 tells a more personal story that is meant to show Tony Stark grow as a character, it becomes a logical issue that not a single member of the Avengers appears. For example, the president is kidnapped and Tony is fighting superpowered beings that can melt iron with a single touch.
It can be argued that some Avengers cannot be called such as Thor - but why not the Hulk? Bruce Banner even makes a cameo in the post-credit scenes and considering that the Mandarin's forces cripple the US government, it's hard to believe that Captain America was nowhere to be seen.
Iron Patriot
This just comes across as a meaningless inclusion that only some Marvel comics fans will appreciate. The Iron Patriot suit is introduced in Iron Man 3 but instead of Norman Osborn, it's given to James Rhodes. Granted, Sony and Disney didn't have an alliance at that time but the point still stands.
The suit is treated as a joke that is repeated throughout Iron Man 3 until it is no longer funny. Iron Patriot never shows up again in other MCU films and is simply a repainted War Machine armor. Considering there are so many potential stories for War Machine in the MCU, this feels like a waste in retrospect.
Whiplash's Final Fight Was Cut Too Short
The entirety of Iron Man 2 builds up Ivan Vanko (AKA Whiplash) as one of Iron Man's greatest foes who will stop at nothing to kill Tony Stark. Jon Favreau and Mickey Rourke spend so much time building up to the climax by making Vanko memorable even without his whips.
So it comes across as a waste when he finally shows up in new Whiplash armor only to be taken out by Iron Man and War Machine in less than five minutes. Iron Man 2 could have had one of the best final fights in a superhero film since it was so personal but sadly, it has one of the weakest.
Iron Man's 2's Ending Means Nothing
Perhaps there were plans for something else when it came to Tony Stark at first because, interestingly, the ending of Iron Man 2 sees him being denied for the Avenger Initiative. Could it be that Tony Stark has to prove his worth to Fury and become an Avenger through heroic deeds in the next film?
No, this ending ultimately serves no purpose other than a throwaway line in The Avengers. Tony Stark is immediately brought back into the fold by S.H.I.E.L.D and is accepted as a member of the Avengers in the climax.
Tony's Cure For PTSD Is Contrived
The idea of a superhero having post-traumatic stress after a massive battle, like the one featured in The Avengers, is a great one. Iron Man 3 explores this by having Tony experience PTSD-like symptoms throughout, including anxiety attacks. Unfortunately, this part of Tony's story is not finished off in a well-thought-out manner.
When Tony has a panic attack, Harley tells him to build something since he is a mechanic. Just like that, Tony's symptoms just vanish because he gets to work building gadgets. That feels like the writers developed a cheap way to have Tony Stark get over his trauma rather than having the character deal with it properly, and does a disservice to the real-world struggle people with PTSD face.
The Mandarin Twist
There is a reason why the MCU introduced Xu Wenwu in Shang Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings. Many fans agreed that making the Mandarin into a false face for the real villain in Iron Man 3 then making the Mandarin out to be nothing but a comic relief actor was disrespectful.
The Mandarin is one of, if not the most iconic, Iron Man villains in the comics so the twist - plus replacing him with Aldritch Killian - led to controversy. To top it off, when the real Mandarin was introduced, he became one of the best MCU villains.
Iron Man 3's Ending Means Nothing
The same problem that Iron Man 2 suffered is also in Iron Man 3. In Iron Man 3, Tony Stark removes the shrapnel in his chest, destroys all of the Iron Man armors, then seemingly retires with Pepper. This made it seem like Tony Stark was going to be helping the Avengers as a scientist and inventor rather than a fighter.
Instead, Avengers: Age Of Ultron completely disregards the ending of Iron Man 3 in the opening scene as Tony is back with his armor, operating in the field again. In addition, Pepper is not around, and Tony has even created the Iron Legion. These developments reduce Iron Man 3's ending down to nothing.