Sunday, May 4th, 2008.
That's the day my dad took my younger sister and me to go see a little superhero film called Iron Man. I went into the film not quite knowing what to expect. Unlike most people, I wasn't completely blown away by the trailer that debuted at San Diego Comic-Con 2007 (even back then, the MySpace joke felt extremely dated), but that's mostly because I had no familiarity with the character since I've never been a big reader of American comic books. Still, I knew reviews for the film were positively glowing and I've always enjoyed a good superhero movie. Plus, I had been hearing rumors that something big happens after the credits, piquing my curiosity. So I had nothing to lose, especially since my dad was paying.
It's hard to imagine now that I went into an MCU film with hesitance, let alone this one. When I left the theater, I was completely stunned. I had no idea I would enjoy the film that much. I laughed hard, I believed in Tony's growth throughout the film, I hummed along to the kick-ass soundtrack, I wanted more. Not only does Iron Man stand as my favorite MCU film and my favorite superhero film, but it is one of my all-time favorite movies period. It is one of the rare movies I try to watch at least once a year, and it would profoundly affect my movie-viewing habits for the next decade.
So what made it work? Can it all be pointed to one obvious source, or was it a variety of compatible factors that led to Iron Man's unexpected success which would begin the reshaping of how Hollywood movies are produced? Let's have a look and find out.
When I refer to the obvious source, of course I'm talking about Robert Downey Jr. himself. It's not too much of an exaggeration to say that there would be no MCU as we know it without his commanding performance as Tony Stark; an eccentric prick whose life is turned upside down and must reevaluate everything he's ever known and, for once in his life, live selflessly. It has been said over and over, but what makes Downey perfect for Stark is that he IS a real life Tony Stark. Iron Man was not only a redemption story for Tony Stark; it was Robert Downey Jr.'s redemption, and Jon Favreau knew this when he signed him on. Favreau was so sure that Downey was the right man that he almost certainly would have walked if Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures refused to hire the virtually uninsurable actor only a few years removed from numerous stints in rehab and prison.
So much of what makes Iron Man work DOES come from the central performance, no question about it. By analyzing Tony Stark's arc from reckless and selfish weapons manufacturer to a responsible superhero, Downey could draw from his battles with alcoholism and drug addiction, his failed marriage, his shifting political and religious views, and being ostracized by an industry and a society that used to love him. However, many of Downey's own strengths as an actor lift the film above the typical superhero movie. Production on Iron Man famously began without a completed script, so Favreau drew on Robert Altman, one of his biggest inspirations, and encouraged improvisation on set. A classic method actor, Downey used his meticulous preparation methods to his advantage and carries every scene to its natural goal with free, natural dialogue. There are many moments where it's apparent that he's acting circles around co-star Gwyneth Paltrow (though there are other scenes where she definitely holds her own, like the makeshift operation scene), but you just can't help but keep your eyes on him as his understanding of the character reaches a depth that had been unseen in many superhero films up to that point. Although Downey would get an Academy Award nomination that year for his brilliantly multi-layered performance in Tropic Thunder, there were serious calls for a nod for Best Actor as well for this movie which was simply unheard of. It was this magnetic performance which not only set the tone for the MCU, never to be topped, but also proved that superhero movies could have a mature complexity to them. Not every hero starts off as a great guy, audiences love a good redemption story. And that's a big reason why Robert Downey Jr. is now one of the biggest movie stars in the world.
It would be extremely unfair to say that Downey deserves all of the credit, however (okay, maybe 70% of it...). So many other factors contributed to the breakthrough success of this highly risky project from a beaten-down, almost broke comic book company which had the sheer audacity to start producing its own movies instead of simply sitting by and reaping in whatever profits they received from 20th Century Fox and Columbia's blockbuster Marvel franchises. When Kevin Feige and Avi Arad slowly began buying out the rights to all of these B-list heroes which studios couldn't figure out what to do with, the goal was always to make films they wanted to see and that fans wanted to see. After being constantly ignored by studios who thought they knew what audiences wanted before losing money on disasters like Elektra or Hulk, both men had to take matters into their own hands. They looked at what was working (hiring visionary directors over hired guns, i.e. Bryan Singer and Sam Raimi) and what wasn't working (studio interference and blatantly ignoring comic book history) and went from there.
Right out the gate, Feige and Arad produced Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk simultaneously, banking heavily on the latter since Hulk was healthily established in the public psyche even though it was a total reboot of the character. However, Iron Man was chosen to be released first since it was the larger risk, and they hoped that the latter film would recoup any losses. Things obviously didn't work out that way (more on that in the next part), and that was all because Iron Man turned out to be a perfect blending of unique talents and happy accidents. Since production on the film was rushed out before a script had even been finished, Jon Favreau could pull on his experiences as a comedic actor and his cinematic inspirations to make a superhero film that felt completely organic and fresh in a time when most superhero films were tired and empty spectacles. By thinking outside of the box with casting, Favreau drew inspired performances from all cast members because they weren't concerned with looking sexy or badass. Their main concern was telling a good, funny story with characters you actually give a damn about. Because the budget of this film was relatively contained for a superhero movie at this time (The Incredible Hulk had a larger budget for instance), they had to save their load and hold off on revealing Iron Man itself. However, this meant that every appearance of the titular suit had to count. Instead of being a movie about a guy who wears a technologically-advanced suit and beats up bad guys, it was a movie about a guy who wears a technologically-advanced suit in pursuit to become a better version of himself.
Special effects studios like Industrial Light and Magic gave us exquisite details of the suits, helping us believe in the world of the movie. Legendary suit and animatronic designer Stan Winston was brought on to deliver extremely accurate portrayals of the Iron Man and Iron Monger suits in his last production before his death.Virtually unknown (at the time) composer Ramin Djawadi gave us one of the few MCU films to have a real musical identity, and is a big reason why I completely fell in love with the film (the perfectly timed tempo as Stark bangs on the Mark I suit in the cave sold me HARD). I firmly believe his absence is a big part of why Iron Man 2 and Iron Man 3 don't work as well.
Above all else, I think what makes Iron Man work and where many other superhero films don't is that it is its own movie. It doesn't spend large chunks of screentime devoted to setting up other franchises like some of the lesser MCU films do (though Iron Man certainly teases sequels, ), it wants to be a great superhero movie first and foremost. It almost makes me wish Marvel Studios could go back to their humble beginnings and focus more on self-contained stories without feeling beholden to a larger universe (which is why I absolutely loved Black Panther, more on that much later), but I'm glad the story has grown to such a huge scale all the same. It gives the entire franchise a big saga feeling, and the consistency of each film keeps me coming back all the same.
Of course, that all began with an idea. When Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk were originally announced, Kevin Feige definitely had an idea to tie these movies all together someday if they performed well. So, Feige and Favreau approached Samuel L. Jackson to show up in what Favreau called a "cute Easter egg" for the fans as SHIELD director Nick Fury in the first of many post-credits scenes of the MCU. However, even Favreau had no idea that Feige knew this seemingly unrelated scene would spark an interest in legions of fans and begin a journey that would lead us to where we are today. It is this scene that has intrinsically changed the way Hollywood produces movies. As studios try and often fail to make their own cinematic universes, they don't understand what made the Marvel Cinematic Universe work. It was not initially about building a universe, it was about telling a great story which audiences could come back to that could be a part of something even bigger.
So when I left the theater that pleasantly warm May afternoon, eager to see this film again, I had unknowingly watched the beginning of a grand cinematic saga never before attempted at this scale unfold. Although the next several MCU films would not come close to the magic of the first Iron Man, I still was eager to see where things were going, knowing deep down that the payoff would somehow be worth it. They may not be high art, but the MCU films are consistently entertaining, rarely boring, and exceptional because these are films made by fans who get what makes these characters click with fans and understand how to translate to people like me who don't read American comic books.
Now, as we're about to come together to watch a movie where a giant purple alien threatens to destroy half the universe with a gauntlet powered by five glowing rocks, we can somehow buy the fact that it all began in a cave with a box of scraps. Even though there were a few missteps along the way.
Next Time: The Incredible Hulk
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