How can you possibly follow up or top one of the biggest box office successes of all time, an event that would change the course of your movie franchise forever? The answer that director/co-writer Shane Black found was simple: don't try to top it, make things personal instead. And that's exactly the direction he went with when he took the reins of Iron Man 3, the first film in the second phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Iron Man 3 is extremely different from its two predecessors. Much of the staff from the first two films did not return for this installment, including director Jon Favreau (though he does reprise his role as Tony Stark's bodyguard, "Happy" Hogan), editor Dan Lebental, and director of photography Matthew Libatique. The focus also shifts toward Tony's ingenuity away from the Iron Man suit, even though this film has by far the most suits in the franchise. This movie literally realizes the line Steve Rogers shot at Tony in The Avengers: "Big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?"
Of the entire MCU, Iron Man 3 is perhaps the most polarizing. Critics took to the film kindly, but many audiences (especially purists of the source material) despised the film due to its risky liberties. I distinctly remember the Honest Trailer for this film being especially vicious, attacking it directly for how little Tony Stark suits up in the film. Personally? I'm a fan. I think it's an extremely clever film that gives Tony some deep psychological exploration, it's packed with intriguing social commentary, and the stakes feel much higher than they had in previous films. That being said, the movie wastes a good chunk of its supporting cast and a few plot threads go nowhere. So, let's analyze this very different take on the MCU's biggest star.
The movie immediately hits you with a different tone, opening with a prologue of Tony's narration overlaid with a shot of his old suits exploding set to quiet music. We then transition not to an AC/DC song as we've learned to expect from the first two films, but Eiffel 65's late '90s mega-hit "Blue (Da Ba Dee)". So, just like that, Shane Black makes his presence known, and that he is dead set to destroy your expectations of an Iron Man film by opening with the combination of a somber prologue before the Marvel Studios logo, narration, no title cards, and a Europop song in place of hard rock to set the mood. Even this decision pissed off some fans, claiming it made the film "not feel like an Iron Man film". Well, it is an Iron Man film or else Iron Man wouldn't be the lead. It just so happens to also be a Shane Black film instead of a Jon Favreau film. This is a writer and director who wants to play in his own sandbox with the toys he's been given.
The film also goes way further with exploring Tony's demons than Iron Man 2 ever did despite its attempts. Here, Black and co-writer Drew Pearce dig deep into the pitfalls of Tony's past self and how they could come back to bite him. From his treatment of women as sex objects transforming into Maya Hansen's wrath, and his callous arrogance towards people "unworthy of him" haunted him in the form of Aldrich Killian. It is also his callous arrogance that makes him a prime target for the Mandarin later in the film; a careless move that would almost kill Pepper Potts, the love of his life. In fact, this story tests whether Tony is worthy of Pepper; between his obsession with the suit technology overshadowing his love life, to putting her in harm's way multiple times when his demons target her to exploit his fears. Yes, this does mean Pepper is basically a damsel in distress who exists mostly to motivate Tony throughout the film, though she does get a (really cheesy) scene where she kicks some ass near the end.
In fact, that may be the film's biggest flaw: it doesn't do the women in it any justice. Both actresses try their best, but they are mostly wasted by writing that's so laser-focused on Tony that it forgot to give the other characters agendas worth talking about. Pepper seems to swing between loyal and loving, to somewhat selfish (the scene where she blames Tony for his PTSD nightmare resulting in the suit assaulting Pepper as if it was his fault seems especially callous and out of character). However, she is treated much better than Rebecca Hall's Maya Hansen character who is just totally a throwaway. Her role was originally written to be much meatier, the main villain in fact. Unfortunately, the fat cats at Marvel (this was before Feige basically had total control of the MCU) thought a female villain wouldn't sell any toys, so the roles were rearranged to have Guy Pearce's Killian serve as the main villain instead. This results in Hall given next to nothing to do, and her character almost comes off as a jilted lover. And that is a weak explanation for turning her into a villain who sells her scientific mind for money. Sure, she tries to redeem herself but she is unceremoniously killed off and her arc ends without a real proper conclusion. A complete waste.
That brings me to my next point about the film and easily the most contentious one: the villains. First, let's start off with the film's actual main villain: Aldrich Killian, CEO of AIM. and creator of the Extremis virus. Guy Pearce does an okay job here, even though his character screams "I'M EVIL" the moment he has his meeting with Pepper Potts. His reasoning to turn evil is awfully petty, but his plan is ingenious. As a manufacturer of this technology, AIM is a much more credible threat than HAMMER ever was in Iron Man 2, although that was the point. Some elements of his character don't make much sense, like when he exclaims "I am the Mandarin" at the end of the film, almost as if implying he was the one responsible for Tony's near-death experience in the first film. This could have been an interesting idea to explore, but it is completely nixed when Pepper shows up to save the day rather unconvincingly.
Oh wait, what did he say? "I am the Mandarin"? Yeah, about that...there's no doubt in my mind this is why most people who dislike this movie choose to dislike it. Ben Kingsley plays "the Mandarin", Iron Man's greatest arch-nemesis and leader of the Ten Rings terrorist bloc. Truth be told, the Mandarin is an outdated racial stereotype that would not have flown in our day and age, especially in an increasingly xenophobic America. So instead of delivering a stereotype that would have pissed off everyone except die-hard fans, the movie turns the concept of the Mandarin on its ear. He is nothing more than a washed-up, coked-out British actor masquerading as Osama Bin Laden on steroids, serving as a mouthpiece for a fabricated war on terror designed by AIM. This, to me, is some excellent social commentary. The real life war on terror never would have gotten started without a face like Osama's for the American conscious to target as an enemy. If he had remained faceless or anonymous, the wars in the Middle East post-9/11 never would have picked up steam. Therefore, this movie is commenting on an America blinded by fear that it doesn't even realize it's being exploited for gain by a greedy military complex.
Ben Kingsley does a phenomenal job as both the Mandarin and Trevor Slattery, nailing the theatrical intimidation of the Mandarin (though this is helped by the intentionally chaotic video editing), and the pitch-perfect comedic timing in his Trevor scenes (the shot where he startles awake and immediately drinks his beer gets me every time). I don't blame Marvel for bringing this acting legend back for a one-shot, even if it did exist solely to appease angry fans.
Honestly, I think fans were just mad they got played. The freaking character poster even had the tagline "You'll never see him coming". That is a whole different level of clever if you ask me. It also takes serious balls to pull off a twist like that, deconstructing a racial stereotype and flipping him back at us, forcing us to look at how we perceive foreigners as intrinsically scary. The movie goes further into its post-9/11 American metaphor with Rhodey's arc where War Machine is retrofitted into the gaudy Iron Patriot, but it is not touched on as well as the Mandarin reveal. I'm sorry, but the fact that Shane Black got to make a $200 million critique on post-9/11 America is freaking awesome.
Of course, that $200 million is put to good use here. We not only get an utterly breathtaking sequence where Iron Man rescues several passengers in free-fall, but it also brings to life the surprisingly intimidating Extremis soldiers who use their abilities to mess all kinds of things up. They serve as a good threat to Tony throughout the film, forcing him to use his intellect over his tech many many times. These lead to some clever action sequences like the fight in Rose Hill and the infiltration of the Mandarin's hideout. Despite the film's huge budget, the fact it keeps things small and personal by ripping the suit away from Tony is its greatest strength.
A lot of things get ripped away from Tony in this film, making it his most complex appearance to date. He loses his sense of security as he suffers from PTSD following the events of The Avengers, he loses his home, he loses his suits, he almost loses Pepper (forcing him to really focus on what matters), and he loses his bodyguard. Tony has to rebuild his entire life from scratch, dealing with his demons one more time before he can begin anew. Although he does redefine himself as Iron Man at the end of the film, he is much more than that. So: to answer Steve's question, Tony Stark is much more than Iron Man. He is an iron man.....holy shit, that sounded better in my head.
Anyways, that's it for Iron Man 3. It's not my favorite phase 2 film, but it does get way more hate than it deserves. It's a fantastic psychological piece, a solid commentary on modern affairs, and just a solid superhero movie. I would love an Iron Man 4 someday just so we could pay off All Hail The King, but that entirely depends on Robert Downey Jr. After this film, he began to play it movie to movie, choosing not to sign onto an extensive contract. It's only a matter of time before he hangs up the suit for good. So who knows what we'll see in the future. But my fingers are crossed.
Extremis would return much sooner than Tony Stark though. In fact, it returned just three months later in the pilot for Marvel's very first TV series set in the MCU. And we are going to examine that pilot in our next installment, as well as a small retrospective on its long, amazingly consistent run.
Next time: Agents of SHIELD
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