Critics often praise The Dark Knight as 2008’s best superhero movie, but Jon Favreau’s Iron Man deserves almost as much acclaim for successfully launching the Marvel Cinematic Universe while standing on its own two feet as a near-perfect blockbuster. After two sequels, the first Iron Man movie still stands as Tony Stark’s best MCU solo outing.
From The Mummy to The Amazing Spider-Man 2, nearly every subsequent attempt to launch a cinematic universe has fallen flat on its face. Jon Favreau has said that instead of intentionally trying to set up a huge multi-movie universe, his goal with Iron Man was simply to make a movie worth watching, and he succeeded. If there were never any sequels, Iron Man would still be hailed as an all-time great of the comic book movie genre.
It Gave Tony Stark His Most Complete Arc
In the years since Iron Man’s release turned Marvel into an unstoppable hit factory, Tony Stark has been featured in eight additional MCU blockbusters. Each one contributed to a nine-movie character arc turning Tony from a billionaire military-industrialist playboy to a hero who would happily make the ultimate sacrifice in pursuit of doing the right thing. But the same arc that was dragged out for nine movies was conveyed beautifully in the first Iron Man film alone.
At the beginning of the movie, Tony is pretty deplorable, profiting off of the then-ongoing War on Terror and gambling away the proceeds in lavish casinos without a care in the world. By the end of the film, after his father figure has tried to get him executed by terrorists, Tony has emerged from captivity and become a bona fide superhero who’s ready to die to prevent unnecessary casualties.
Robert Downey Jr.’s First Performance As Tony Stark Was Revelatory
It’s hard to believe now that this role has made him the most sought-after actor in the world, but the casting of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark was considered to be a huge risk when Iron Man was first in development.
His first performance as the character was revelatory. His subsequent appearances gave fans more of what they’d come to expect, which was great, but nothing compares to his refreshing, revelatory introduction.
The Non-Linear Opening Act Sets The Stage Spectacularly
The first act of Iron Man has a non-linear structure that sets the stage spectacularly. It opens with Tony riding with a military convoy through Afghanistan. The convoy is attacked and Tony is blown up with a bomb bearing his own company’s logo before being abducted by terrorists.
Then the movie cuts back to a few days earlier, with Tony indulging in his lifestyle of excess, gambling away his riches in Vegas. This brilliantly sets up the story and hooks viewers in immediately.
Obadiah Stane Is Still One Of The MCU’s Best Villains
While the MCU has been criticized for having a “villain problem,” its first antagonist, played by the fiendishly charming Jeff Bridges, was pretty great. Obadiah Stane was a father figure to Tony Stark after his own father’s untimely death.
So the revelation that Obadiah just wanted to usurp Tony as the boss of Stark Industries and was willing to hire terrorists to kill him to do so was devilishly effective.
The Mostly Improvised Dialogue Gave The Movie A Unique Energy
Jon Favreau and his cast and crew went into production on Iron Man with an incomplete script. But the structure of the story and the function of each scene was nailed down; the only thing missing was the dialogue. So, Favreau, who got his start in comedy, decided to start filming and let his cast improvise their dialogue — particularly Robert Downey Jr., who went on to ad-lib some of the best lines in the MCU.
This makes Iron Man perhaps the only Hollywood blockbuster to have modeled its production process after Curb Your Enthusiasm, and it gave the movie a unique energy that made it stand out in a crowd of same-old Tinseltown product.
It Has Some Surprisingly Dark Moments
The Iron Man comics have plenty of dark moments, like exploring Tony’s alcoholism in “Demon in a Bottle,” but the first movie was the only one that remained faithful to this.
When Disney acquired Marvel Studios, Iron Man’s big-screen adventures became lighter and more family-friendly in tone. By contrast, the first movie’s depictions of terrorism and war are shockingly dark.
Terrence Howard Was A Better Rhodey Than Don Cheadle
Although Don Cheadle is undoubtedly a fine actor, Terrence Howard made for a better Rhodey in the first Iron Man movie. He reportedly walked away from the sequels because Marvel gave a huge chunk of the pay he was promised to Robert Downey Jr.
Howard had been integral in getting Downey cast in the first place because they were pals. This real-life friendship made the on-screen friendship of Tony and Rhodey feel more tangible in Iron Man than it did in the rest of the Infinity Saga.
The Science Of The Suit Was Relatively Believable
By the end of the Infinity Saga, Tony Stark had invented nanites, so his suit just grew around him. If his helmet got ripped off, another one appeared within seconds.
In the first movie, the suit wasn’t entirely computer-generated. Tony hadn’t yet worked out the kinks, so the tech was imperfect. The suit felt real, and that gave real stakes to the action as it could malfunction at any second.
Iron Man’s Origin Story Was Modernized Brilliantly
Iron Man first debuted in Marvel Comics in the early ‘60s, so his origin story needed an update for his big-screen introduction in 2008. And it managed this without losing its faithfulness to the spirit of the comics. Tony Stark’s embodiment of the military-industrial complex provided Jon Favreau with the perfect vehicle to comment on the War on Terror.
None of the subsequent Marvel movies have tapped into the political climate like this. It brought an unusual layer of substance to a comic book blockbuster.
It Has The Perfect Ending
The ending of Iron Man is just perfect. Tony Stark is told by S.H.I.E.L.D. to cover up his superhero antics by going in front of a press conference and saying Iron Man is his bodyguard. However, he goes out there, his arrogance gets the better of him, and he can’t help declaring, “I am Iron Man.”
It was the perfect way to both end this movie and set up the larger franchise. Robert Downey Jr. apparently ad-libbed the line, changing a conventional ending into an unforgettable one.