I’ve spent a lot of time with Tony Stark during this MCU rewatch. This is the third Iron Man film in the first seven movies, and I’m not even counting his role in The Avengers. There’s a risk of Stark fatigue or just rehashing the same material. I lost interest during the robot fights at the end of Iron Man 2. How could Marvel freshen up the third installment? It’s Shane Black time.
Black initially rose to fame as the writer of Lethal Weapon and The Last Boy Scout and moved into directing with Kiss Kiss Bang Bang in 2005. That film starred Robert Downey Jr. at a time when his career was not so promising. Both the arrogance and charm that he shows as Tony were evident in his first collaboration with Black. Eight years later, he would return for his second directing job for Iron Man 3. No pressure, right? Following up a blockbuster like The Avengers would not be an easy job.
For Tony, this story basically serves as a sequel to the last film. He’s struggling with PTSD and isn’t that interested in being a superhero. The Avengers came together to save the world, but they’re hardly a team now. Tony’s romance with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) is going well, and he’s making positive change at Stark Industries. Life is about to change for Tony, and he’ll make a big decision by the end.
The Ancient Times of 1999
We begin on New Year’s Eve way back at the end of the last millennium. It’s mostly just an excuse to show characters with ridiculous haircuts, especially Jon Favreau’s glorious mullet. Guy Pearce also looks dorky as Aldrich Killian, which immediately signals he’ll be the villain later. I’d completely forgotten that Rebecca Hall was in this movie! She plays Maya Hansen, a brilliant scientist developing the Extremis project. Stark seems a lot more interested in their fling than the technology, predictably.
Tony also rejects Killian after promising to meet him on the roof, and that sets the stage for the rest of the movie. It’s all a bit convenient and a little lazy, but we aren’t here for the complex plotting. We’re quickly back in the present for overly long scenes of Tony battling the suit. The most important thing to note here is that it’s Christmas, which is common with Black’s films. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and The Long Kiss Goodnight (which he wrote) are two examples of this trend.
The early scenes introduce all the key players and developments. War Machine (Don Cheadle) has been rebranded as the Iron Patriot to be the government’s superhero. The new threat is The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley), who feels like a lazy villain out of a ’80s B movie. There’s a reason for this vibe. While it’s obvious that Killian is the man behind the scenes, I enjoyed the switch-up with an actor playing the public face. Kingsley has a lot of fun playing the out-of-touch performer diving into his big role.
Destroying the Past
The key set piece is the destruction of Stark Tower, which is tailor-made for the trailer. We know that Tony and Pepper will survive, but it’s still a great sequence. They’re talking with Maya with no idea of the destruction that’s about to happen. The freeze frames and slow motion work to convey the massive scale of the attack. I should also mention the amazing James Badge Dale, who has a blast as Killian’s henchman Savin.
This attack does more than provide an exciting and tense action sequence. It also removes the foundation from Tony’s life. He was feeling indestructible and called out The Mandarin, with predictable results. This moment also removes Stark from the comfort of his Iron Man suits. He’s forced to work on his own and use his wits. It’s a clear throwback to his time in the cave in the first movie.
Downey Jr. has a nice rapport with young Ty Simpkins, who plays the boy Harley Keener. It shows a softer side that we’ll see again in Avengers: Endgame with his daughter. This scenes present Chattanooga as a backwoods town when it’s really a large city. Even so, it’s another way that Black pushes Tony out of his element. He’s also forced to deal with an obsessive fan (Adam Pally) but uses him to avoid Killian’s forces.
Cutting Tony Down to Size
My favorite small touches show Tony looking incompetent; Black loves destroying the Iron Man suits. He saves 13 people with daring maneuvers in the sky and then is demolished by a truck afterward. Black ensures that we remember that Tony is winging it and won’t always succeed. I enjoy the offbeat take on the MCU; it’s reminds us that it’s best not to take the story too seriously. This is still a guy wearing a suit.
It says something that I’ve barely mentioned Rhodes so far. Don Cheadle is a talented actor, but he isn’t given much to work with here. It’s good to see him take part in the final raid on Killian, but he’s mostly a supporting player. There’s too much happening to give him more than just exposition. On the other hand, Pepper comes off better this time. She’s directly involved in the plot and even gets her own suit by the end. It doesn’t return to the heights of the first film, but it’s an improvement.
The final scenes reveal the Clean Slate Protocol, with Tony apparently exiting the superhero game. Surgery removes the shrapnel, so he doesn’t need the power to survive. This obviously isn’t the last we see of Iron Man, but it is his final film as the lead. Tony reminds us that he is Iron Man, and that’s that. The post-credits scene with Mark Ruffalo just appears for a laugh, and there’s no connection to a future movie. Iron Man 3 is Tony’s epilogue to The Avengers, and it holds up okay. It’s a step up from the messy second film, though it’s a bit too flimsy to reach the top MCU tier.
Favorites: Iron Man 3
- Scene(s): Ben Kingsley goes way over the top after the reveal that Trevor Slattery is an actor playing The Mandarin.
- Character: Savin (James Badge Dale!)
- Shot: Pepper Potts floats in the air following the attack on Stark Tower.
- Action Scene: Killian’s forces obliterate Stark Tower.
- Surprise: Rebecca Hall has a weirdly small role as Maya.
Rankings
There wasn’t much movement with the characters that have appeared previously. Aldrich Killian isn’t one of my favorite villains, and he narrowly avoided the bottom spot. It’s a close call between Iron Man 3 and The Incredible Hulk for my movie rankings. I ultimately chose this sequel because of some fun touches and a clever script. There’s a big gap to the next slot up in this case, though. Let’s check out my updated rankings!
The Movies
1. The Avengers
2. Captain America: The First Avenger
3. Iron Man
4. Thor
5. Iron Man 3
6. The Incredible Hulk
7. Iron Man 2
Lead Characters
1. Steve Rogers/Captain America
2. Tony Stark/Iron Man
3. Thor
4. Bruce Banner/The Hulk
Villains
1. Loki (Thor, The Avengers)
2. Red Skull (Captain America: The First Avenger)
3. General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (The Incredible Hulk)
4. Ivan Vanko (Iron Man 2)
5. Obediah Stane (Iron Man)
6. Justin Hammer (Iron Man 2)
7. Aldrich Killian (Iron Man 3)
8. Emil Blonsky/The Abomination (The Incredible Hulk)
Key Supporting Characters (Not Villains)
1. Peggy Carter (Captain America: The First Avenger)
2. Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Iron Man 2, The Avengers)
3. Nick Fury (Iron Man 2, The Avengers)
4. Agent Coulson (Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, The Avengers)
5. Jane Foster (Thor)
6. Pepper Potts (Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Avengers, Iron Man 3)
7. Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Thor, The Avengers)
8. Colonel Chester Phillips (Captain America: The First Avenger)
9. Howard Stark (Iron Man 2, Captain America: The First Avenger)
10. James “Bucky” Barnes (Captain America: The First Avenger)
11. Odin (Thor)
12. Col. James “Rhodey” Rhodes/War Machine (Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3)
13. Betty Ross (The Incredible Hulk)
Stan Lee Appearances
1. Plays Larry King (Iron Man 2)
2. Wears a bathrobe as “Heff” at a party (Iron Man)
3. Drives a pick-up truck to grab Thor’s hammer (Thor)
4. A general watching an award ceremony (Captain America: The First Avenger)
5. Dismisses the idea of superheroes in New York (The Avengers)
6. Drinks contaminated soda (The Incredible Hulk)
7. Gives a 10 score as a beauty pageant judge on a TV monitor (Iron Man 3).
Post-Credit Scenes
1. The heroes silently eat shawarma in a nearly destroyed restaurant after the Battle of New York (The Avengers)
2. Thanos learns that Earth is formidable and smiles. (The Avengers)
3. Loki survives and controls Dr. Selvig (Thor)
4. Nick Fury introduces himself and The Avengers Initiative (Iron Man)
5. Coulson arrives in New Mexico for the discovery of Thor’s hammer (Iron Man 2)
6. Tony Stark retells this story to an exasperated Bruce Banner (Iron Man 3)
7. Tony Stark meets Ross in a bar and tells him about the team (The Incredible Hulk)
8. Nick Fury calls upon Captain America, and we see a preview of The Avengers (Captain America: The First Avenger)
Next Time on Friday Night Movies
Next time, we return to Disney’s animated features with Bambi. I haven’t seen this movie for a really long time. In the MCU, we journey into the fantasy world with another sequel. Thor: The Dark World isn’t considered one of the better Marvel films, so I’ll be curious to see how it holds up on this rewatch.
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Related Articles: Iron Man 3
Iron Man (MCU Rewatch #1)
The Incredible Hulk (MCU Rewatch #2)
Iron Man 2 (MCU Rewatch #3)
Thor (MCU Rewatch #4)
Captain America: The First Avenger (MCU Rewatch #5)
The Avengers (MCU Rewatch #6)
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