The Low Point.
It’s actually hard to pick one, but my initial thought was that Terrence Howard does not make his return as Rhodey, but there is no way to know this until the sequel, so it would be a bit of an easy out for me.
Moving on from that, really the only complaint I could have is something that Marvel Studios has indeed fallen into. They never completely flesh out the villain. And it is difficult to do in one movie, but I really do feel they have some missed opportunities here.
Though he does have some history in the comics, Obadiah Stane was a questionable choice, I thought, for a villain. Don’t get me wrong, putting Jeff Bridges in the part is perfect. But the villain was never much of a major presence in Iron Man lore, so I was unsure why they went with such a “minor” antagonist.
But I also don’t have much issue with taking some liberty with the source material. These are 50 and 60 year old stories. They don’t always age well, and in a universe that has many different timelines, I see no issue with making the MCU thier own.
It really does make sense. You have Tony, who lost both parents, but his story tends to gravitate around his father. And when having to step into his father’s role with Stark Industries, it makes sense for a father-figure to step up and care for Tony, and for a bond to form.
But, I fell Marvel never really delves into that with this story. You never quite care for Stane. He’s never as likeable as he could have, or should have been. So, when the truth of who was behind Tony’s kidnapping plays out, not only is it not very meaningful, but it’s almost expected.
It’s the beginning of a formula Marvel Studios still struggles to get away from of just not giving the villain enough backstory or motive, and it doesn’t give the audience much, if any, of a feeling of compassion towards them.
The High Point.
Now this is a lot tougher to narrow down.
I mean, again. The casting? Amazing.
Simply Robert Downey Jr. is Iron Man. Plus, they manage to sneak in so many Easter Eggs:
- The Roxxon Energy Building being seen in the background.
- The Ten Rings terrorist organization.
- The comic-accuracy of the original armor.
- Cap’s shield arguably making an appearance.
- Fing Fang Foom definitely making an appearance, even if just on a poster.
Just to name a few. And we get the introduction of Agent Phil Coulson (who a lot of us grew to love), and the way he slips in the mention of the “Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division” was enough to make any of us smile.
The way you feel that Pepper and Happy care about Tony. The journey Tony takes us on. It’s a movie filled with so much done right that picking one single thing is hard.
And really, I want to say that moment is the line that would become so much more to MCU fans a little over a decade later:
“I am Iron Man.”
And that moment… is a close second for me. The moment that is the high point of this movie. And one of the most important moments of the MCU is when Samuel L. Mother Fucking Mace Jules Jackson appears in the post-credit scene and we get the fanservice we never could have expected.
Nick Fury walks out and one movie in we see that Marvel Studios has a vision to build to something bigger than we could ever had imagined. Yes filled with so much good, this is the high-point of this movie, and the true kick-started to the whole MCU.
And that is a wrap. For now.
I appreciate you for taking the time to read my first foray into the MCU Roller Coaster. I’d love to hear some feedback, or if you’d want to tell me your highs and lows of this, or any MCU movies, feel free to email me at [email protected]. Thank you, and cheers and excelsior everyone.
