2008’s Iron Man was the first entry of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. When Marvel Studios finally decided to produce their own movies, the success of Iron Man was quite important for the MCU. And Iron Man delivered it. The movie was a huge success among the audience as well as the critics. The movie’s success paved the way for the future of the MCU. In fact, not just for Marvel, but the movie also changed the way all comic book franchises were created. It ensured that Marvel would make an Iron Man trilogy for sure!
The 3 Iron Man movies further changed the way we looked at superheroes. But like all things, the trilogy had some aspects that didn’t age well. Well, after almost 13 years, we can not expect everything to. Here is a list of 10 more important things that bother the modern audience more than they did to the earlier audience.
10. TERRENCE HOWARD AS RHOADES
The relationship between Tony and Rhoades is a very important part of Tony’s life. And it is something that the first Iron Man didn’t take very seriously. In the comics, the duo of Tony and Rhodey came with a lot of adventures but Terrence Howard’s version of Rhodey didn’t quite catch the essence of them. Well, we can’t blame him for this. Howard is a great actor, no doubt, but he is not a good Rhodey to RDJ’s Tony.
Don Cheadle, on the other hand, came with a whole new version of Iron Man’s best friend. He brought a new charm to the character by being more involved in the main story. His comedic background helped him create the perfect Rhodey we wanted in the MCU. But when we start the MCU marathon, watching Terrence Howard’s Rhodey just seems a little weird.
9. IRON PATRIOT
In an attempt to bridge the gap between the comics and the cinematic iterations, the writers decided to bring in Iron Patriot in the MCU. The Patriot is mainly associated with Norman Osborn in the comics and not Colonel James Rhoades. The writers decided to bring in the suit as a joke more than anything.
However, as we look back to it, the joke does not work any longer. Iron Patriot was a one-time thing and it could have grown to something if they had used it. But they didn’t so it just seems out of place in 2013’s Iron Man 3.
8. JUST WHAT DOES IRON MAN 2’S ENDING MEANS?
Over the years, the MCU writers have teased a lot of stuff in Phase 1 movies and explored it in the future. However, at the same time, they dropped a lot of stuff. However, the one we are talking about was not something so small that could be ignored.
The ending of Iron Man 2 saw Fury reading a character report on Tony Stark and declaring him misfit to be an Avenger. So fans thought that the future movies might see him turning a little serious towards becoming an Avenger and becoming one of the Earth’s Mightiest Superheroes. But they just forgot to follow up on it? In the follow-up movie, 2012’s The Avengers, he was called upon by S.H.I.E.L.D. without any further test or any more heroic deeds. What were you thinking, Marvel?!
7. THE MANDARIN TWIST
You can’t talk about poorly aged things and not mention the most ill-received plot twist of all time. Mandarin was a major Iron Man villain in the comics and when the Studios announced that an MCU iteration of the character will be seen in Iron Man 3, fans went crazy. And then Marvel went on to give us a joke instead of one of the most fearsome villains in all comics. Not to mention, the controversy following the revelation that Aldrich was the man behind the TV Mandarin.
Moreover, now that we have been introduced to the real Mandarin, the fake one seems even odder. Xu Wenwu was the one and only Mandarin for us and we think you might feel the same way.
6. FORGETTABLE SOUNDTRACKS
The latest MCU movies feature some of the best soundtracks, as opposed to the earlier ones. Many fans can confirm this statement. The first movie features some of the tracks from Ramin Djwadi which are good but other than that, fans don’t remember much. Making things worse, instead of composing their own music, the future movie featured hit rock songs from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. For instance, Black Sabbath’s Iron Man and Back In Black and some tracks from AC/DC.
5. JUSTIN HAMMER LEFT WAY TOO EARLY
In the comics, Justin Hammer was the arch-rival to Stark Industries as a weapons manufacturing company. But more than that, his jealousy towards Tony Stark made him a very dangerous man. However, MCU’s Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) was not the character fans were hoping for. He was basically the man behind the curtains and even then he was betrayed and he was never to be seen again.
Fans hoped that Pepper sending him to jail might make for an even brutal Justin Hammer. But we never saw him again. But Marvel can still rectify their mistake. There are future tech projects in the MCU, namely Ironheart and Armours Wars. And Rockwell could finally make his long-awaited comeback and take the fans by surprise. But if MCU doesn’t bring him back, it is just another case of wasting a potential villain.
4. THE WHEREABOUTS OF THE AVENGERS DURING THE EVENTS OF IRON MAN 3
Iron Man 3 was an important movie for RDJ’s Tony Stark. The movie saw him working through his post-traumatic stress disorder. But he might not have been the only one going through that. It would have been good if Toy worked through his issues with a fellow Avenger, someone who knew what he went through. Plus, if it was Evans’ Steve Rogers, it could have further solidified their relationship.
Plus, Mandarin’s attempt at making a whole country kneel didn’t attract the Avengers’ attention? Captain America is literally the country’s protector and he didn’t come to help. It was just a weird thing. But, if he came, we could see them both teaming up to save their country, and meanwhile, working through their PTSD. It was just a waste of a special opportunity.
3. WHIPLASH’S CLIMAX FIGHT WAS OVER WAY TOO SOON
Iron Man 2 was a movie with a lot of story, drama, and emotions. Until now, no one had been capable of even coming close to the Stark Tech but Ivan Vanko did. He came so close that it got Tony worried. And when Ivan got his hands on Hammer’s Tech, it seemed like Tony finally got a formidable foe. The second half of the movie is built upon the fact that Tony will face an entire army of high-tech drones alone. Yes, Tony faced the drones and bested them but we were still excited for Ivan to enter in his improved armor, ready to kill Tony.
MCU developers impressed the viewers with the scene. At the time, the fight felt cool but now as we look back, the fight was way too short, as compared to the later MCU entries. The fight only lasted for five minutes. Moreover, the fight lacked the kind of passion we saw in the movies of Phase 2 and 3. Some fans have admitted that they don’t like to rewatch a whole movie just to find a weak fight scene in the end when they had the means to do so much more.
2. HOW DID TONY GET OVER HIS PTSD?
Iron Man 3 decided to tackle a very important issue of its time, post-traumatic stress disorder. The movie aimed at normalizing this disorder as it was common among the war veterans and people seemed to ignore it. Iron Man 3 saw Tony going through multiple anxiety attacks and having nightmares where he revisited his brief time in space and his free fall to the Earth through the wormhole.
However, the movie didn’t really feature how he got over it. There is a scene where we see Tony having an anxiety attack and Harley motivates him to embrace his engineering side and he just gets up and gets over the attack. Just like that! That is not how it works. PTSD is a complex condition and should be treated under expert supervision. The movie ignored its seriousness and that’s why this thing is so high on this list.
1. JUST WHAT DOES IRON MAN 3’s ENDING MEAN?
Yes, this problem, AGAIN! Iron Man 3 was supposed to be the end of an era for Tony Stark. The removal of the shrapnel from his chest, destroying all his suits, and retiring with Pepper made it seem like the master creator would never enter the battlefield again. Fans assumed that Tony will be the money-man behind the Avengers Initiative and will design tech in the lab for the team.
Yet again, fans were proved wrong. The immediate next MCU entry, Age of Ultron saw Iron Man donning a new suit and fighting on the frontlines. So, what did the director want to convey with the ending of Iron Man 3? Moreover, he even had a whole army of drones. Too much for destroying some suits, huh?!
Which other things in the Iron Man trilogy are forgotten? Let us know.
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