Iron Man will forever be a beloved entry to the MCU. It’s just a good movie, even outside of the MCU context, and it helped kick off one of the biggest franchises in movie history while also revitalizing the career of the always-fantastic Robert Downey Jr. The later Iron Man films would be a bit more contentious amongst MCU fans and Iron Man 3,which is streaming on Disney+, was the film that divided fans the most.
Iron Man 3 sees Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark dealing with his own PTSD from the events of 2012’s TheAvengerswhile also facing a new threat in the form of the terrorist organization led by the mysterious Mandarin.
While fans may have had some problems withIron Man 3, it was definitely important to Tony Stark’s arc in the MCU as he dealt with his trauma of almost dying inThe Avengers.
Along with Robert Downey Jr., the film starred Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale, William Sadler, Miguel Ferrer, Jon Favreau, Ty Simpkins, and Ben Kingsley. Interestingly, Emilia Clarke was actually cast for an unknown role before the script changed, though she would make her MCU debut much later as a different character in 2023’s Secret Invasion.
Iron Man 3 brought Robert Downey Jr. back together with his Kiss Kiss Bang Bang director Shane Black, who took over directing duties from Jon Favreau and co-wrote the screenplay with Drew Pearce. While the MCU can sometimes mute the usual creative quirks of its directors, Black’s unique style still shines through in this film. It’s even set during Christmas, which Black frequently utilizes in his films.
The twist inIron Man 3is divisive, to say the least.
However, Shane Black’s unique directing style is hardly to blame for the divisiveness of the film; rather, the Iron Man 3 screenplay that he co-wrote with Drew Pearce is what people took umbrage with. Specifically, many people didn’t care for the way that the villain was handled and the twist in the film. On the other hand, some people absolutely loved the twist and thought it was a fresh way to take the plot.
Without spoiling things, the twist in Iron Man 3 is divisive, to say the least. With hindsight and the MCU addressing certain things in the movie that people didn’t like since then, the twist might go down easier for some people now.
Also, it’s a big-budget Marvel film with an endlessly charming cast, so it’s safe to say that you’ll have a pretty good time watching it regardless of your problems with the plot. Even with mixed reviews, it, unsurprisingly, was a massive success for Marvel.
Emilia Clarke was actually cast for an unknown role inIron Man3 before the script changed, though she would make her MCU debut much later as a different character in 2023’sSecret Invasion.
One reason to revisit Iron Man 3 is its spectacular Air Force One rescue, which mixed real skydiving with digital effects. As Digital Domain’s Erik Nash explained to fxguide, the Red Bull freefall team jumped in civilian and military clothing with parachutes underneath, while a camera operator filmed with a helmet-mounted RED EPIC. The effects team added the plane, Iron Man, and the Miami backgrounds. Those real falling bodies and the camera’s movement give the sequence a physical urgency that an entirely digital rescue could easily lose.
Iron Man 3raked in over $1.2 billion at the worldwide box office, which made it the second-highest-grossing film of 2013 and the sixteenth film ever to gross over $1 billion. It also finished its theatrical run as the fifth-highest-grossing film of all time and nabbed the record for the sixth-highest opening weekend of all time. It even got nominated at the Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects.
Iron Man 3 did end up being the final Iron Man film in the MCU, but it was far from the last time that we saw Robert Downey Jr. in the role. Tony Stark would return numerous times for Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame.
Robert Downey Jr. closed Tony Stark’s main MCU story with Avengers: Endgame and later starred in the Christopher Nolan epic Oppenheimer. His Marvel career did not end there, however: Marvel announced his return as Doctor Doom in 2024.
While fans may have had some problems with Iron Man 3, it was definitely important to Tony Stark’s arc in the MCU as he dealt with his trauma of almost dying in The Avengers. Now that everyone knows that Tony’s story ends in an immensely satisfying way in Avengers: Endgame, people may look more fondly at Iron Man 3 now. If you’re one of the fans who didn’t like the film when it first came out, it’s worth giving it another chance.
You can stream Iron Man 3 on Disney+. Availability can vary by region.
