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Iron Man 2
Poster Analysis
Introduction
After a few articles focusing on other franchises outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe I should slowly come back to what inspired me to start this articles. Now, as the upcoming release of Thor – The Dark World gave me some time to take a closer look at the posters used for Thor it seemed like I should follow-up on the original Iron Man, which was the very first article I published. Some state that this movie has some issues as it was used as Avengers 0.5 building up more for the franchise through which the movie’s original storyline was devoured by the S.H.I.E.L.D. set up. As always this article isn’t meant to give my personal opinion on the film, as I write actual reviews to do so. Even have one on Thor – The Dark World if you click HERE! After the success of the original Iron Man it seemed to be the perfect push to expand on the marketing endeavors for its sequel. It ended up quite the success and proved that these franchises are the tent pole for the franchise, especially when one considers how much the third installment made after the release of the Avengers. Have they changed anything since the initial release? Did they still keep a consistent theme throughout the movies?
Analysis
How do you sell Iron Man 2? With two Iron Men of course! Alright, I am aware that this is not just any copy of Iron Man, but in reality his friend Rhodey donning the War Machine armor. This outright changes the game for the viewer. The effects on the first movie were incredible especially being able to believe that a man inside a very advanced armor. Now, take that concept without having any idea who that character is and imagine he has a giant Gatling gun on his shoulder. Any young boy will think that is the coolest he has ever seen and would want to know what he is capable of. Not only does this attract any fans of the character but also young viewers that just want to see what he is capable of. Furthermore this does state something new about the movie as well. Tony is a lone wolf and believes he can do anything on his own, but was confronted by reality when he was trapped in a cave, relying on Jensen. This time around he will have to learn to trust others, which not only works for the character but is the first step towards him becoming a team player for what all the films are leading up to.
The following poster actually shows how much of an icon Robert Downey Jr. has beocome as the character and also that without him, Iron Man wouldn’t be were it is today. Kevin Feige has proposed that he wants this character to become like James Bond so that any actor could take up the mantle, while I do trust his judgment as without him we wouldn’t be were we are, but there is a certainly an element to what Downey has managed with this character. Another aspect is showing him growing out of the armor and become one with the machine he created. Anyone who has seen the third installment will actually see a reflection on what he had become in that movie. Once believing he was untouchable he got hurt badly and became dependant on an armor that surrounded him. At this point he still believes he is fully in control, which is reflected in Avengers as well.
Finally we have the introduction of our villains in these movies. I understand that Loki had some relevance in the last movie, but it wasn’t pushing the type of character he was. Anyone who knows the mythology or the comics would know instantly while an average moviegoer thought he was just a mischievous brother of Thor. This time around we have Mickey Rourke play Whiplash, who actually shows a lot of character in this poster. He has an obsession with Tony visualized by the newspaper clippings in the background. Also, there is a connection between him and Tony’s past as for some reason this man also possesses the arc reactor that is powering his whips. Still, the way the costume falls also shows he is not a man of riches, he is born poor and may blame Stark in some way for it.
A blast from the past in this poster as it simply is a callback to the design for the originals, but also throwing more information at the same time. We get our first look a Black Widow played by Scarlet Johansson. Also, it shows the first recast of the franchise with Don Cheadle replacing Terrence Howard, which is a very glaring change. Still, it is handled well as it pushes the character into the posters while also making certain relevance alongside Widow and the return of Pepper Potts. My only complaint is the lack of Sam Rockwell, who is a major player in the movie. I have not found one poster featuring this character and his performance is one of my personal favorites that I hope he returns sometime in the future.
There are some character posters with some being kept simple, which work as for example giving Iron Man and War Machine their own posters simply to show the new designs for the movie. Most notably though is the redesign for the Iron Man armor as those that notice will realize that the arc reactor takes a triangle shape. Who has seen the movie will understand the relevance to not only the movie but also Tony’s health. What I do find interesting is also the one-sheet for Black Widow that shows her in a rather sexual stance. She isn’t fetured in this gear a lot throughout the film but it is still nice to see her try to be the character from the comics. Especially considering that many believe her to be a little young to play the role, but it did try to push forward that we will get to see another hero from the pages.
Conclusion
There is continuity with the Marvel franchise in Phase 1 as they are slowly building up their one-sheet character posters. Nowadays they push many characters into the foreground and this movie started this trend that does work. I loved the way they pushed War Machine to draw in people making them curious who the second Iron Man would be. My only complaint is the lack of Justin Hammer, especially considering that he is a major player in this film. Furthermore, I think it would have been interesting to also push the Stark Expo into the front, especially as a teaser for Comic-Con it would have been effective. Trying to bring that experience to the potential viewers and attendees so allowing that world to truly part of our own. Overall still it has some great decisions even though the character posters with some exceptions are rather plain.
So, what do you think? Have I missed anything? Discuss below! If I had missed any posters than don't hesistate and send them to my e-mail at [email protected] and maybe I'll get back to them in the near furture!