23 Marvelous Movies: Iron Man 3
Iron Man 3 is the final standalone outing for Tony Stark, released at a time when audiences were assured that six different superheroes could indeed occupy the same film successfully. What they needed to be reminded was that these heroes could still be interesting in their own flicks.
In fact, the main mission of Phase 2 of the franchise was to expand on established characters, pave the way for different directions in each franchise, and introduce even more fresh players in the Infinity Saga. And it does all three by continuing the franchise's streak of bringing on board talented directors perfectly suited for the material.
Since Jon Favreau's slow-pace and emphasis on banter were inappropriate for Iron Man 2's attempts at heavier storytelling, Marvel wisely went for a different director this time around-Shane Black. who already helmed the Lethal Weapon movies, meaning he had a better grasp on balancing one-liners and high-stakes action, precisely what was needed for a character piece on a cocky hero trying to fight his inner demons.
Thanks to Black's commitment to character development, he was also the perfect choice in developing Iron Man further that he previously was after The Avengers.
While Tony's ego was always a problem in previous films, that narcissism is replaced in this one with crippling self-doubt and anxiety after realizing how small he was in a world of aliens and monster.
One of the truly denying sequences in the entire film is Tony's anxiety attack at the restaurant when he has a PTSD-fueled flashback on the battle in New York where he flew the missile into the wormhole. This little scene is simply one of the most humanizing moments for the most flawed player in The Avengers. His ego disappears instantly and he is reminded of what threats await him in the rest of the universe and how unprepared he is to meet them. The added detail of him subconsciously writing "Help Me" when he's giving a child his autograph is just icing on the anxious cake.
Even when Tony has some moments of cockiness, he still puts everyone around him in grave danger. Enraged by Happy almost getting killed, he challenges the Mandarin to a one-on-one battle, even giving his home address. This is still a progression for Tony as a character though because it's fueled by a desire to reaffirm his courage and strength to himself (and the audience for that matter).
Iron Man 3 brings a sense of balance to Tony as a character by assuring him that he can still make it on his own in this world and that he has grown significantly since he was held captive in that cave with a box of scrap. And throughout the movie, we are shown a particularly unique invention of his.
In keeping with the tradition of every Iron Man movie introducing a new version of the suit unique to the film, the main one used in this film (Mark 42) consists of many individual parts that fly to Tony and add themselves to him one at a time. It's here where more of Tony is exposed while he's vending for himself while using his tech, a reminder that the suit never defined him as much as he himself did.
Also of note, Tony's father Howard is never once mentioned in the entire film. Tony is officially coming into his own in his last solo film without being concerned about challenging his dad's legacy or continuing it like in the previous two.
One crucial chunk of the film focuses on Tony's bonding with a kid in Tennessee named Harley, who aspires to work in industry and technology and happens to be without a father. Obviously, Tony sees a lot in this boy and it's here that we see him actually become somewhat of a father figure, not that he starts calling the kid "slugger" and taking him out to ice cream or anything. Some have suggested that Harley's inclusion was a demand from Disney. Even if that's true, Shane Black still manages to have him be a crucial part of the story by having him charge the Iron Man suit while Tony travels to the Mandarin's hideout, and giving Tony information about a recent Extremis explosion that happened in Harley's town.
The time that Tony spends with Harley also continues his progress when it comes to working with other people. In Iron Man 2, it was with his best friends, in The Avengers, it was with fellow superheroes, and in Iron Man 3, it's with a kid and with a tv crew member who helps him find out where the Mandarin lives later on.
And at the end of it all, Tony realizes that Iron Man is something only he with his ingenuity, tenacity, and confidence can really be, suit or no, and no shrapnel in the chest (which he has surgically removed) or arc reactor keeping him alive can define that. Even though he will continue making suits, the ones from the past no longer hold him back like they once did. All the ones he creates in the future will only be extensions of him. He is now always Iron Man even when he's just in his own skin with no metal shielding it.
If the first time he said it wasn't clear enough, Tony Stark is Iron Man.
Black balances these character moments with some of the best action scenes in the entire MCU.
The assault on Tony's Malibu house is right up there among the greatest action scenes in the entire Marvel Saga for its sheer intensity alone, reminding me of something out of a Greek epic every time I see it. but what elevates it to just being an amazing sequence in its own right is the moment where Pepper finds herself in the Iron Man suit. Not only is the armor moving with Tony outside it surreal, but it just adds to the idea that it's just a suit that means nothing without the genius inside it.
And the vehemence of the action doesn't stop there. Another magnificent sequence involves Tony saving fourteen people falling from Air Force One, due in large part to the characters in peril being played by professional skydivers, meaning what we see was almost entirely real. The whole scene itself feels like something in a Christopher Nolan film in all the right ways. It even displays Tony's pragmatism by having him find a way to carry all fourteen people easily to safety.
Even the smaller bits like Tony fighting one of Killian's henchmen in smalltown Tennessee, breaking into the "mandarin's" home, and escaping Killian's makeshift prison are great standalone pieces, which show Tony overcoming obstacles with improvised weapons like dog-tags in a microwave, exploding Christmas tree bulbs, and individual pieces of his suit that are timed with a Dora The Explorer watch from Harley's little sister.
All these trials and tribulations that Tony has to go through are the results of one man.
Guy Pearce as Aldrich Killian is one of the most underrated villains in the entire MCU, another example of an antagonist that isn't just an evil version of the protagonist. His progression through the story is almost like a mirror version of Tony's. When he introduces himself to Tony in Switzerland on New Years' Eve 1999, he's clumsy, awkward, and geeky, even if he is the head of his own thinktank, Advanced Idea Mechanics.
Tony understandably wants nothing to do with his proposal to be his partner but pretends to accept it, telling Killian to wait for him on the roof of the hotel they're both staying at. This understandably humiliates Killian, to the point that he briefly becomes suicidal, but it also triggers his dark quest for respect.
Cut to present day and Killian is handsome, successful, charismatic and has been cured of his bad leg, so much so that even Pepper can't help but be a bit smitten by him when he reveals his plans to improve peoples' brain functioning with something he has been developing called Extremis.
Modern-day Killiam is also a contrast to Tony's reaction to the events in New York. He mentions how subtlety used to manipulate people became obsolete ever since "the big guy with the hammer fell from the sky", meaning he needed a more theatrical decoy to make people afraid of him, which is why he created the Mandarin: a terrorist who pretends to commit large acts of violence that never even happen and gives menacing platitudes about fear and American culture.
Killian's return and thirst for revenge bring a unique conflict to this film than the previous two didn't have: Tony's flaws from the past, namely his ego and lack of compassion. For Tony to truly recover from these character defects, he has to fight a manifestation of them by gaining confidence and inner strength.
But all that tension is paid off in the final climax on the oil rig, where Killian threatens to kill the president so he can be truly feared by the world and taken seriously. Pepper is also held captive, being given a potentially lethal dose of Extremis. This is where Tony defeats his foe by using every single one of the Iron Man suits that he still has. It's the perfect summation of this series in an action-packed sense where we get to see the fruits of Tony's intelligence and labor save the day in amazing fashion in their own individual ways.
And now let's look at what is by far the most controversial aspect in the entire film: The Mandarin. In the comics, he was Iron Man's greatest adversary. In the movie, he's just a label. The intimidating terrorist who gives longwinded speeches is just an aspiring actor played by Ben Kingsley, meaning that The Mandarin is just Killian’s facade, like Tony's strong exterior. This revelation is proof that Marvel was starting to put themes and ideas-in this case, the meaning of labels and the power of manipulation-over giving fans what they want. It also is a good way of updating a notorious racial caricature of Chinese mysticism.
As tertiary characters go, Iron Man 3 succeeds as well, in terms of themes and having an impact in and of themselves.
Rhodey returns in this movie, still using the suit that Tony made but this time with the title of War Machine being replaced by the US Government with Iron Patriot. He shares Tony's lack of confidence in himself, thinking that his friend needs to show more strength when he's out in public like in the restaurant where he has his mental breakdown. What Rhodey discovers, later on, is that the company that created his suit just happened to have been Killian's thinktank, AIM.
Killian himself later holds Rhody hostage, takes his Iron Patriot suit, and has one of his lackeys put it on so he can pose as Rhody in Air Force One to take the president. This all teaches Rhody a lesson in putting his trust in the wrong people and maintaining his loyalty to his friend, who himself was skeptical of the new suit, which leads him to tag along with Tony for the rest of the movie.
Pepper naturally is the one more concerned for Tony's mental health at this point, especially when an Iron Man suit, triggered by his anxiety, tries to "defend" her in the middle of the night. In return, she is the one that he is more paranoid over protecting after the incident in New York. Unfortunately, she isn't safe for very long when Killian captures her after using Miya to gain her trust and given the Extremis to bait Tony into helping him with the substance.
But after falling into a fire with enough of it in her system to survive, she's the one who ultimately kills Killian with the enhanced fighting skills that came with the Extremis. That and her using the Iron Man tech to save Miya from the Malibu attack is what makes Pepper really shine in this movie. She sees the thrill of partaking in such combat and is more forgiving of Tony putting himself in so much danger.
Rebecca Hall plays Maya Hansen, a biochemist that Tony worked with in Switzerland who ends up helping created Killian's Extremis, based on her idea. She too represents his past by being his main flame before Pepper. Her descent into the villain's evil plan and her eventual death by his hands are both consequences of him not initially accepting his offer in Switzerland.
Even Happy Hogan, Tony's assistant, has something to prove of himself, starting off as the bumbling head of security at Stark Industries, but preventing other people from dying from one of Killian's suicide henchmen with his own initiative, even though he ends up watching Downton Abbey in the hospital.
One character that should also be mentioned is Tony's AI, J.A.R.V.I.S, voiced by Paul Bettany. He was also in the first two Iron Man movies, but his trademark sarcasm and deadpan delivery really shine in this outing. It's also a nice final bow before he would become another player in the Avengers.
Iron Man 3 is high among my list of favorite Marvel flicks. An all-around thrilling escapade that gives us exactly what we want from this character while still finding new depths of him to explore. It's also an essential step for his progression throughout the Infinity Saga. This may be the last time he would take center stage, but it's certainly an appropriate swan song to his own series. Now Thor and Captain America will have to carry on with their own trilogies.
