Since I am quite the MCU fan and I am constantly blabbing to others about my theories and whether or not they noticed an easter egg, I figured I may as well write about them! This MCU Marathon series is gonna be a series of reviews on all the films in the MCU so far and what better one to start off with then Iron Man.
Apart from previous Spider-Man and X-Men films, most audiences weren't that familiarised with Marvel, yet when Iron Man came out there was a huge buzz around it. Mainly due to Robert Downey Jr being the main star and him making his way back into the acting biz. It's basically a universal agreement that the reason Iron Man was such a success is due to casting. Robert Downey embodies Tony Stark as much as Tony Stark embodies him. However at the time the studio were taking a risk. He was a former drug addict who had done time in prison and had never had such a large part in a blockbuster film before. As a former playboy wanting to turn his life around from the parting and addiction, his past made him fit the role perfectly. He was able to portray amazing character development for Tony Stark, in the beginning of the film he's narcissistic and cares about nothing but himself. Downey perfectly portrays the self-absorbed billionaire playboy we fanboy'd over in the comics. Once he witnesses what his weapons can do firsthand his rapidly changes his perspective and behaviour. By the end of the movie he is still Tony, just a more progressed, likeable version.
A movie can only be as good as it's villain, and out of the 3 Iron Man films, the first in the trilogy definitely has the best villain. Obadiah Stane works well and you can tell theres a presence to Tony as a mentor and a surrogate father figure. Their personalities go well together as they are both eccentric characters however they still contrast. Stane talks about history and legacy whereas Tony is very self-centred. The only flaw I would say they could have focussed on more is the relationship of Tony and Obadiah before he put a target on Tony. As well as this, is it simply greed that Obadiah tried to take over the company or is there a deeper reason.
When it compares to other movies in the MCU, it's definitely up there with the better movies however it does get pushed down due to movies like Civil War and Avengers who have an extensive cast. However it will always be up there due to being the movie that kick started the MCU.
Easter Eggs
Even back in 2008, Marvel threw in tons of easter eggs that nobody even picked up on, and let's face it who knew to stay after the credits in 2008. Nobody suspected at the time that Iron Man would get the ball rolling and go on to trigger 13 more movies to date with even more in the works.
#1 "Next time, baby"
As Tony is flying in the Iron Man suit, Rhodey is eyeing up one of his suits that looks suspiciously like War Machine and says "Next time, baby". This is such a fist pumping moment now for the fans that picked up on it, as it ultimately came true. Maybe not for Terrance Howard specifically but for Rhodey it's a nod that he'll be making more appearances and let's all face it we all prefer Don Cheadle.
#2 The Casino music
The music in the background as Tony and Rhodey walk through the casino is actually a jazz version of the 1966 Iron Man cartoon series.
#3 Cap's shield
In the scene where Pepper Potts walks in on Tony taking off his Iron Man suit, a half-constructed Captain America shield can be seen behind Tony on the desk.
#4 Rhodey's ringtone
When Rhodey has pilots trying to take down a a possible threat, he gets a phone call from Tony, the ringtone playing is actually another nod to the 1966 Iron Man cartoon series theme music.
#5 Stan Lee Cameo
Watching out for Stan Lee in Marvel films has to be one of my favourite part about watching them. It brings you back to where it began and his first appearance in an MCU feature was as a Hugh Hefner lookalike at one of Tony's events.
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