What I Think About Iron Man

This weekend I saw the latest Iron Man, Iron Man 3, in the theaters (in 3-D no less) and felt it was time to get my thoughts about the character out there for the world to enjoy.

I’ve been a huge fan of Iron Man for as long as I’ve been reading comics.

There’s lots to love about Iron Man, and I think younger Brad latched on to the very things that would make him such a computer geek later on in life:  the gadgets, the variations on the look and work of the armor, the flamboyant nature of the secret identity, the great fights between armored warriors.  The list goes on.  But looking at it now, with years of education and experience at my beck and call, I can see even more how alluring the character of Iron Man is.  Let’s take a look at a few key elements that make Iron Man so different from other superheroes:

 

1. He’s just a normal guy under the suit.  Perhaps the most intriguing thing about Iron Man to me was that he was never the great and perfect super hero.  He was selfish, self-centered, flamboyant, narcissistic, egotistical, an alcoholic (more on that in a bit), self-absorbed, self-indulgent … the list goes on and on.  He wasn’t clean cut like Captain America, Spider Man or most of the other heroes Iron Man fought beside.  He was an asshole, and a snob to boot.  And yet, this man (played brilliantly thus far by Robert Downey, Jr. in the movies, I might add) truly believes in fighting for what is right and to be a good guy.  It’s never in question that he fights for those who cannot fight, to make the world a better place and in some ways to atone for his own mistakes in life.  He has no mutant powers or superpowers obtained through other means.  He’s just a normal guy, gifted with intellect and the resources to carry out his visions.  Seriously, who couldn’t get caught up in the possibility of becoming a superhero just by being smart!?!
2. The armor keeps changing, so the character keeps evolving. With each new suit of armor that came out there were new features (obviously the Mark VII Silver Centurion armor is my favorite since it got the picture included, and I was THRILLED to see if make an appearance in Iron Man 3).  I couldn’t wait to see what the new suit could do that the old one couldn’t.  I like how the movies have latched onto that as well.  Iron Man is an ever-growing character, adapting to new technologies and approaches to them to incorporate them into his character.  Could his armor perform miraculous feats at just the right time?  Well, yeah, but what superhero isn’t guilty of that.  Besides, I know full well the mass and power required do to a fraction of what Iron Man could do would make the suit at least the size of Iron Monger, if not larger.  But who cares, the gadgets kept bringing me back.
3. He’s flawed, and I mean REALLY flawed.  Tony Stark is an alcoholic.  It’s hard to imagine in this day, much less back in the old days, that any superhero could be afflicted by something as debilitating as alcoholism.  And yet, Tony Stark and Iron Man have never shied away from it.  Considering the shit he’s seen and had to deal with, it’s no wonder he took to the bottle to deal with his problems.  That just makes Iron Man that much greater a hero.  He’s a man who overcomes his own problems and then goes out and saves the world.  Is Iron Man a role model?  I’d have to give that one a thumbs down on it’s own, but he does make the story of the hurt person making good, redeeming himself and making something out of his own life.  I’m sure future movies will delve into this to some extent, without killing the allure for kids.  But Tony’s flaws by far make him one of the most interesting heroes in all comics everywhere, even up there with Bruce Wayne’s violent approach to dealing with his post-traumatic stress disorder.
4. Did I mention the gadgets?  Iron Man can travel underwater, into outer space (he even had his own space station for a while there), wear massive jet packs and lately include his armor under his skin.  Who can’t get on board that train?  Better than a fucking shield, claws that never kill anyone or telepathy.

I like how the movies have depicted the character.  He’s flawed, but less than the 40+ years the comic character has been around.  They’ve taken aspects of the comics (the bad guys like Alistair Smythe, Justin Hammer and the Mandarin and good guys like Pepper Potts and Happy Hogan … even Jarvis the butler!) and used modern CG to make them all come to life.  I swear you believe Tony is wearing that indestructible armor and somehow surviving those crashes.  As I said, Downey’s Tony Stark is a great reflection of the comic book character, and the humor and brashness of his portrayal not only makes the movie more entertaining it makes the story that much better.  It’s clear the writers and creators of the movies were fans of Iron Man, and that’s why they work so well.  Do I like that Tony and Pepper got together instead of Pepper and Happy?  Not especially.  Tony Stark will never, ever be that happy.  Do I like how James Rhodes fits into the picture?  Very nicely, thank you, both actors.  Do I like the gadgets?  Sure, but some of my favorites are too great of leaps from the laws of physics to get behind (can anyone say pulse bolts and plasma shields?).  But for now I’m enjoying the movie and even the comics today (although they’ve retooled so much to follow the movies it’s a bit frustrating). 

Iron Man will forever be one of my favorite superheroes.  Where the future takes Tony and his armor, I don’t know.  But I’ll be along for the ride and coming up with my own stories and ideas along the way.