Iron Man (May 2008)
Primary Characters- Tony Stark/Iron Man
- Pepper Potts
- Lieutenant James Rhodes
- Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger
Secondary Characters
- Jarvis
- Happy Hogan
- Howard Stark
- Agent Phil Coulson
- Director Nick Fury
Notable Story Elements
- Arc Reactor Technology
- Original theatrical release
- BluRay set of all three Iron Man films received as a Christmas gift this past year
- Multiple partial and full viewings on TV
- 23 Days of Marvel - March 19th, 2020
Easter Eggs
- Tony's various cars have vanity plates with his name and a number, referencing the "Mark" versions of his armor (Mk.1, Mk. 2, and so on)
- There was another cheeseburger for Obie; Tony eats one, then pulls a second one out of his jacket later
- The terrorist cell's name, The Ten Rings, is definitely a reference to The Mandarin
- Rhodey's quip, "Next time, baby," hints at his future as War Machine
Iron Man 2 (May 2010)
Primary Characters- Tony Stark/Iron Man
- Pepper Potts
- Lieutenant James Rhodes/War Machine
- Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow
- Director Nick Fury
- Ivan Vanko/Whiplash
Secondary Characters
- Jarvis
- Happy Hogan
- Justin Hammer
- Agent Phil Coulson
- Senator Stern
Notable Story Elements
- Arc Reactor Technology
- Original theatrical release
- BluRay set of all three Iron Man films received as a Christmas gift this past year
- Multiple partial and full viewings on TV
- 23 Days of Marvel - March 20th, 2020
Easter Eggs
- The archival footage featuring Howard Stark is reminiscent of Walt Disney's 1966 EPCOT film
Somehow, time flies when one is "practicing social distancing" and also trying to stay engaged with both the family with whom they share the quarantine, as well as other family and friends, while also keeping in touch with students and their parents, and honoring volunteer commitments.
This post will be necessarily shorter than the first, since we've already watched Thor today, and The Incredible Hulk is on tap for tomorrow.
Iron Man was on my comics reading periphery. I collected West Coast Avengers for many years, beginning with the James Rhodes version in the red and silver suit (still my favorite "Mk." narrowly edging out War Machine), and later bummed copies of Iron Man off my friend Brian. When Tony Stark threw down with Steve Rogers in Civil War, there was no question whose corner I took.
Iron Man's film debut blew me away. I don't remember what I was expecting, but from the go, Robert Downey Jr.'s cocksuredness drew me in and me reeling, all the way from the opening Funvee ride to the perfectly framed closing scene. "The truth is, I am Iron Man." Yes.
He embodies the frenetic futurism and rough edges of Tony Stark, whose comic book enemies have been a fair mix of villainous industrialists and people he's pissed on and pissed off. Tony remains a scoundrel to the end of the first film and especially through the next, even as he tries to live out Yinsen's plea, "Don't waste your life, Stark."
Obie, you're being very undude. Jeff Bridges is excellent and menacing.
The second movie is admittedly overly-busy and packed with more characters than it is able to service, but I still loved it. Another strong opening helps, establishing that while he's doing good, Tony is still a polished (and later, sloppy) mess.
Blame it on Henry Jones Jr. and Simon Belmont, but whips as weapons are cool, and Whiplash/Blacklash was a C-list villain who I consistently baked into the Marvel Super Heroes RPG games I ran. Mickey Rourke creates a real threat in his portrayal of Ivan Vanko - physically hardened, scientifically gifted, and purposefully vengeful. His MCU design is based on the most recent iteration of the character, both in appearance and origin, though the bulked-up suit at the end is reminiscent of the Crimson Dynamo, another longtime Iron Man foil with the Vanko surname.
Justin Hammer was the central villain during two of Iron Man's most memorable comics arcs, Demon in a Bottle (hinted at in the birthday party scene) and Armor Wars. He's more bumbling and less coldly calculating here, but still effective.
Scarlett Johansson. Scorching. I do wish the preview hadn't spoiled her alter ego, and also that its revelation in the movie was more dramatic.
These are the movies that launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe, along with the prevalence of end credits surprises (yeah, Ferris, I know...), and without their success, we would not have these dozens of exceptionally entertaining films, or Martin Scorsese saying dumb things. I could watch them again tomorrow and enjoy them just as much as I have the many times before.
This post will be necessarily shorter than the first, since we've already watched Thor today, and The Incredible Hulk is on tap for tomorrow.
Iron Man was on my comics reading periphery. I collected West Coast Avengers for many years, beginning with the James Rhodes version in the red and silver suit (still my favorite "Mk." narrowly edging out War Machine), and later bummed copies of Iron Man off my friend Brian. When Tony Stark threw down with Steve Rogers in Civil War, there was no question whose corner I took.
He embodies the frenetic futurism and rough edges of Tony Stark, whose comic book enemies have been a fair mix of villainous industrialists and people he's pissed on and pissed off. Tony remains a scoundrel to the end of the first film and especially through the next, even as he tries to live out Yinsen's plea, "Don't waste your life, Stark."
Obie, you're being very undude. Jeff Bridges is excellent and menacing.
The second movie is admittedly overly-busy and packed with more characters than it is able to service, but I still loved it. Another strong opening helps, establishing that while he's doing good, Tony is still a polished (and later, sloppy) mess.
Blame it on Henry Jones Jr. and Simon Belmont, but whips as weapons are cool, and Whiplash/Blacklash was a C-list villain who I consistently baked into the Marvel Super Heroes RPG games I ran. Mickey Rourke creates a real threat in his portrayal of Ivan Vanko - physically hardened, scientifically gifted, and purposefully vengeful. His MCU design is based on the most recent iteration of the character, both in appearance and origin, though the bulked-up suit at the end is reminiscent of the Crimson Dynamo, another longtime Iron Man foil with the Vanko surname.
Justin Hammer was the central villain during two of Iron Man's most memorable comics arcs, Demon in a Bottle (hinted at in the birthday party scene) and Armor Wars. He's more bumbling and less coldly calculating here, but still effective.
Scarlett Johansson. Scorching. I do wish the preview hadn't spoiled her alter ego, and also that its revelation in the movie was more dramatic.
These are the movies that launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe, along with the prevalence of end credits surprises (yeah, Ferris, I know...), and without their success, we would not have these dozens of exceptionally entertaining films, or Martin Scorsese saying dumb things. I could watch them again tomorrow and enjoy them just as much as I have the many times before.
Ranking
- Iron Man
- Iron Man 2
- Captain Marvel
- Captain America: The First Avenger
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