Final warning - thar be spoilers ahead!Tread lightly!
I am, admittedly, more of a fan of Marvel than of DC. I enjoy both companies, but I grew up with more exposure to Marvel than DC. I didn't get into comics until late in my 20's and early 30's and so I'm not a purveyor of comic history. I have lurked on this site for a long time and laughed, cried (ok, not really), flipped off my screen, and rolled my eyes with all of you while reading the comments on the site.
I have seen a rash of comments that seem to be split about 50/50 with how people felt about Iron Man 3. I tried hard to avoid the spoilers and really only knew there was a twist with The Mandarin, but didn't know exactly what it was. I had my guess that The Mandarin was not what he seemed. By the end of the movie I walked out actually very pleased with that Marvel Studios had opened up Phase 2 with!
"That's my secret Tony, I'm not that type of doctor!"
Those who stayed afterward for the post movie scene were treated to Tony Stark finishing up his story with a sleeping Bruce Banner. I'm sure many people here caught the significance of that scene, but there may be many who didn't. Tony Stark starts the movie out with a narration of events from the present being shaped by the past. I believe that the beginning narration was the beginning of Tony's story telling to Bruce Banner and this is why it ended with that scene of Banner asleep having not heard the majority of Tony's story. From some of the comments being said in many of the other articles, people were underwhelmed (or maybe just whelmed) by the post credits scene. I think that scene was just there as an added bit of humor, but also to show that Bruce and Tony are still great friends and to show that Iron Man had to deal with a big event without calling on his friends.
Iron Man and his Amazing Friends
In the movie there were several references to Tony being a member of the Avengers, the events of New York, and bigger and badder enemies. Even the kid, Harley, asked why Iron Man didn't just call his friends in the Avengers up. Tony seemed to brush it aside. I believe that the others were dealing with their own troubles and were unable to help. I also believe that Tony was trying to emulate what Captain America told him in the Avengers about always having a way out and never making the sacrifice. This was Tony's choice, and chance, to prove that he
is a hero and not just an ego!
Going back to the scene with Banner, Tony needed to tell his story as part of his perceived personal therapy to deal with the anxiety attacks he had throughout the movie. I think it also showed that Iron Man, or Tony Stark, isn't done with his connections with the Avengers. He's obviously still in contact with them because he's personally visiting Banner who seemed to be in a high rise - perhaps the Avenger's Tower?
The Mandarin - Shaken. Not Stirred and with a twist!
Wow. Many people think the twist about The Mandarin being played by an actor and the credit taken by Killian was terrible. I think it was awesome! Yes, we didn't get to see the
real Mandarin, but like Adrich Killian said, The Mandarin was his creation and idea to instill fear into the masses.
He was The Mandarin! His whole plan was to make Extremis soldiers and AIM a needed commodity to the American military (or perhaps world's military). Now, we all know he was defeated and the visual of The Mandarin was a fake, but like all bad things an
idea was seeded into the world.
This idea leaves the door wide open for a future villain to take up the idea of The Mandarin for real. Who knows? Perhaps this villain will be of an Asian decent and create tech to use in some rings and we'll get to see a true personification of the villain most of the die-hards wanted to see.
I also enjoyed the twist because even though we didn't see The Mandarin from the comics, we got to see a different type of villain. The last two movies were technology based and this villain was definitely more biological based. So what is truly better? Man or Machine? Aldrich's soldiers worked and Tony's tech was not doing so well throughout the majority of this movie. I also felt that this was the first time we truly saw Tony in trouble. He had to rely on what makes him super - his knowledge! He had so much taken from him and he had to deal with most of it alone. He was hit where it hurt most, his home and "family". It truly was personal and "darker" than the other films. I thought that was exciting and I was worried for Tony and how he was going to get out of certain situations.
Tony's Evolution
I actually saw this idea on the message boards for Iron Man 3 (seen here:
Tony's Arc). Basically, Iron Man 1 was about Tony taking responsibility for his actions. Iron Man 2 was about his ego. Avengers was Tony being confronted with something bigger than he is. Finally, Iron Man 3 is ultimately about Tony realizing he's human and vulnerable.
Going forward, we saw Tony pack up his robots and leave California, probably for New York. We all know that Tony's power is really Tony Stark's ability to adapt and his smarts. He created Iron Man, he is responsible for War Machine, and in the comics he uses his knowledge to solve problems by understanding science. He's an engineer, a mechanic, a builder and solver. Iron Man isn't done. The suits were destroyed, except for War Machine, but he can always build more. His expertise may be counted on by the Avengers in the future. This is where I see Avengers 2 and Iron Man 4 going regarding the character.
I do believe there was a lot more to this movie lying underneath it all, like all the subtle references to the universe (hint hint: Guardians of the Galaxy). No, it's not the same depth as Nolan's Batman trilogy, but then again Marvel doesn't want that. Neither does Disney because more $$ makes Mickey happy.
With all of that said, thanks for reading my first article and my first Comic Book Movie post:
As always, leave your comments as well as your hatred and tears below!