Some of you may know this and some of you may not. One of the first superhero movies I saw in theaters was Iron Man. I had seen Batman Forever and a bevy of others but this was my first experience with action echoing around me while superhero music played lightly under a fight scene.
I was introduced to Robert Downey Jr. via my mom. She is a 70’s baby but 80’s movies, TV and music is where she lives. So I remember watching Less Than Zero and he was the out of control friend who had a drug problem and not knowing the man really had a drug problem. This movie probably mirrored his life. Later, I see Iron Man and think, “This actor is phenomenal” and he is but his past is more than messy. This is probably one of the best comeback stories in Hollywood.
Let’s be honest, does anyone really like Tony Stark or Iron Man, for that matter? Not wholeheartedly. He’s an asshole. When we meet him, Stark is ALL about himself and even as he starts his journey as Iron Man, he’s still about what Tony wants and what Tony will allow. However, as he continues his journey with himself, Pepper and Rhodey, he starts to change for the better. I honestly think, although he was still an asshole, that he saw something special in Peter Parker and chose him specifically to take his spot should he decide to retire, which if he didn’t die he probably would have retired and pasted the mantle down.
The progression of Tony Stark was not really one that was blatant because Tony was always who he was–he just got a little softer. The most significant change I saw in Tony was when they came to him in Endgame and asked him to join then in finding a way to reverse the snap. Normally, I would think, Tony would jump at the chance to stretch himself and see what he could come up with. He was always good at that, but for him to flat out say no was surprising to me. But of course, in true Hollywood fashion, they had to make a way for him to join them because they needed his help and he knew it which was also why he had to come to that conclusion himself. True Marvel fashion. No one ever told Tony what he was going to do….except maybe Pepper and hers was a strong suggestion.
From the crafting of the movies to the comeback story of the actor who played him, the arc of Tony Stark playboy billionaire to Tony Stark the genius family man who saved the universe is one of my favorites and is why Iron Man will forever be my favorite Avenger.
I want to hear it! Who is your favorite Avenger? I will, I guess, do my favorite Justice League character even though the new movies man….smh. We’ll get there but let me know in the comments!
BLACK WATCH 