Christopher Nolan’sThe Dark Nightoften gets credited as the greatest superhero film of all time. It is a great addition to the genre, and just a great film overall. However, there is another superhero film that deserves just as much recognition, if not more. TheMarvel Cinematic Universewould not be what it is today if Jon Favreau had decided not to take a huge risk in making the first-ever MCU film,Iron Man, almost 15 years ago in 2008. Favreau, alongside Robert Downey Jr., are responsible for bringing to life one of the most important comic book movies of all time. This one movie alone kick-started an entire cinematic universe and created the biggest film franchise in the world.
Many studios and directors approach certain types of movies with the intent of turning it into a large-scale cinematic universe filled with multiple movies and spinoffs. They are essentially trying toimitate the successful modelthat Marvel Studios and Kevin Fiege have formulated that has worked so well for them over the years. With the exceptions of franchises based on books such asHarry Potteror stupidly entertaining action franchises such as theFast and the Furious, many of these attempts to launch a cinematic universe fail. What’s interesting about studios trying to create these cohesive universes is that it was not the approach when makingIron Man. Favreau didn’t go after this project with the expectation of numerous movies following, he approached it with the intent to simply make a great film that could stand on its own.
Even if Marvel Studios stopped making movies after that,Iron Manwould still be a well-made film and an exciting entry into the superhero genre that would be more than worth the watch. It is a perfectly constructed origin story and will leave the viewer caring about these characters whether they like comic book media or not. It gives just enough background on Tony Stark that will help you understand him as a character without creating so much exposition that it’s overbearing. Marvel has made its fair share of solo character films, but none of them achieve what the first Marvel Studios film achieved. Let’s take a deep dive into whyIron Manis the best solo film in the MCU.
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Tony’s Arc Is Unlike Any Other Character’s
At the start of the movie, Tony is an arrogant, billionaire playboy without any meaningful responsibilities. He inherits ownership of his father’s massively profitable weapons company, Stark Industries, and continues profiting off the sales of their high-tech weapons without bothering to know where these weapons are actually going. It doesn’t directly effect him, so it’s not his problem. He gallivants around town in expensive, customized cars and basically does whatever he wants, whenever he wants. His attitude at the beginning of this movie is much different than it isin later movies.
It isn’t until his mentor and father-figure Obadiah has him kidnaped and set up for execution that Tony starts to realize the deplorable ways in which he was living his life. With just scraps of material lying around in the cave he was held captive in and his immense intelligence, he creates his very first mark of the Iron Man suit in order to free himself and get home to the States. From that moment on, Tony comes to terms with the fact that his company has been conducting business abhorrently and dedicates the rest of his life to saving others. Stark Industries is forever changed for the better and Tony doesn’t think twice about turning his life around. It’s really the only time in the MCU that we see one of our heroes start out to be a pretty selfish person, and completely turn himself around and become all about protecting others.
Obadiah is One of the Best Villains in the MCU
Before aliens, gods, and artificially intelligent robots, Marvel graced us with a simple yet masterful human villain in the form of Obadiah, played brilliantly by Jeff Bridges. After the death of Tony’s father, Obadiah assumed the role of his father-figure and became someone that Tony completely trusted and looked up to. He trusted him with his company, his home, and most importantly with his personal life. So when Obadiah betrayed him, it was a gut-wrenching shock to Tony’s core.
Having the villain be someone that Tony was so intimately close to cuts deep and sets the course for Tony’s redemption arc. The revelation that Obadiah wanted to steal his own company and was willing to hire terrorists to murder him over it is so deeply personal. Other MCU villains have had more sinister intentions, but Obadiah’s just hit home on an emotional level.
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Commentary on Real-World Issues
Most stories in the MCU and in Marvel Comics in general are usually an allegory for real-life people and problems. The X-Men, for example, have always been an allegory for marginalized people who are mistreated by society. However, the MCU movies have never really delved into a specific political or social justice issue the way thatIron Mandid.
Stark Industries was selling highly advanced weapons to the military and to terrorists for years, and the CEO of the company wasn’t even aware of some of the groups they were creating weapons for. They were feeding weapons of mass destruction to both the military and extremists who wanted to perpetuate war. The film serves as a perfect vehicle to comment at the then ongoing War on Terror and the military-industial complex that plagues the United States.
The MCU Could Not Have Started Any Other Way
At the time that firstIron Manmovie came out, audiences had already been introduced to widely popular characters such as Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, Daredevil, and the X-Men. While not all of their movies were received well, the characters were known to comic book fans and movie fans alike. What made these films different from the MCU’s first film is that Marvel Studios was not around to produce them.Iron Manhad the blessing of being produced by Marvel Studios and only having Paramount as a distributor. This allowed Favreau and the rest of the team to have complete creative control and cart blanche to take the story in any direction they wanted to. Tony Stark/Iron Man was one of the few major comic book characters to not have his own film yet, and his story was theperfect way to launch the MCU.
Using the character of Iron Man to start off this cinematic universe also allowed for a more gradual, grounded progression to where the MCU is currently. Tony Stark is a human man with no superhuman abilities. He is just an incredibly intelligent person who was able to figure out a scientific way to create a super powered suit. Instead of being abruptly thrown into a universe where magic, time travel, and genetically enhanced beings are the norm, we’re introduced to a character who is relatable to the average person in the sense that he has to make himself the person he is supposed to become. It’s an easier, more grounded way to be introduced into the world of superheroes.
