MCU Sunday #3: Iron Man 2

 

 

 Preface: As promised last year, I plan to review every single currently available movie in what is known as the  Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) over the year 2024. These will appear in order of their release over that time period. This is the third installment. (Oh, and by the way, after I've exhausted all of the currently available MCU movies I will be rounding out the year with some of the other available movies made from the Marvel comics pantheon.)

Notes: In each of the MCU installments you will be seeing references to two recurring events that occur in nearly every MCU movie.

Where is Stan Lee?: Stan Lee was the driving genius behind Marvel Comics.  He usually shows up in a cameo.  Sometimes these are so quick you gotta be sure you don't blink. Occasionally he gets a line  of dialogue.

And the Credits Roll: You should always stay in the theater for the credits when watching a MCU movie, because during the credits and at the end there is a teaser (or two) that is worth the wait.  Often they were a teaser for the next installment of the films.

 

 

 

 MCU Sunday Part III

The MCU didn't waste any time with a new installment of the Iron Man saga. Unfortunately in the process of casting some things had to change.  Trevor Howard, the original cast member who played  the role of Tony's friend and liaison in the military, Col. Rhodey Rhodes, was too expensive.  So the role was taken over by Don Cheadle.

But Cheadle manages to acquit himself as the replacement, still playing Rhodes. Not without some controversy. however. In replacing him, one of the producers supposedly made the unfortunate faux pas of suggesting it didn't really matter who played Rhodes. The rumor, not substantiated as near as I can tell by actual proof, was that he had said all black people look the same. (Note: I don't actually know if it's true that he actually said it, which is why I'm leaving this person's name off this blog entry).

Other than that, the rest of the cast came back for the second round.  What is interesting is some information I read in a previously mentioned book I am currently reading MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios. Apparently the powers that be behind the scenes made some exerted effort to ensure that most of the actors and actresses who signed on would commit to a long term deal, thus ensuring we wouldn't have a new actor taking over a familiar role due to contract negotiations or requests for beaucoup bigger salaries or any other such roadblocks.

That's why we could still see Downey as Iron Man over the course of the films, rather than, say, having him leave and be replaced by some other less appealing replacement. It would be the same for other actors as they stepped up to take on future roles. (Of course, heads up, in case you already didn't know (or didn't read the previous entry in this series on this blog), Edward Norton was replaced by Mark Ruffalo in future endeavors in the cycle as Bruce Banner/Incredible Hulk).

The best parts of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films are that consistency.  I cannot see anyone pulling off the role of Tony Stark/Iron Man like Downey. It would have been a real shame to see him replaced mid-series.  Even if the next actor did play it as well I would have been looking for every nuance to point out and say "See! You should have stuck with Downey!" But that's not just me.  I'm not a fanboy, but the fanboys would have been just as critical.

 

 

 

Iron Man 2 (2010):

The movie starts out with a brief encapsulation of the end of the first Iron man movie by having a telecast video of Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr) admitting that he is Iron Man. This news conference is broadcast into Russia  Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) and his father Anton (Eugene Lazarev) are watching, Before Anton dies he tells his son that it should have been him in that suit.  After Anton's death, Ivan begins work on his own suit.

Meanwhile, back in the US, Tony has launched a Stark Expo, a gala to present the future of Stark Industries.

Where is Stan Lee?: At the Stark Expo, Tony passes by a man whom he mistakes for Larry King. (It seems that Tony has a knack for this mistaken identity shtick. If you remember in the first film, Tony mistakes Stan for Hugh Hefner.  I wonder who he'll mistake him for in the next encounter... Arnold Schwarzenegger?)

 

 

Outside the Expo, Tony is given a subpoena to appear before the Senate.  At the appearance the senators try to make Tony turn over the technology in the interest of the people, but Tony refuses. As he tells the senators, not only is he Iron Man, but the suit is part and parcel of himself and the request would amount to making him a slave.

 

 

 

Tony becomes rather erratic (which is not entirely out of character anyway), and among other things, enters a car race at Monaco. During the race, however, Ivan appears in his modified suit and attempts to kill Stark.  He doesn't have it in for Iron Man himself, really.  He is exacting revenge for his family, in particular his father, whose destiny was sealed by Tony's father, Howard years ago.  But Ivan is defeated and arrested.

 

 

A rival to Stark Industries, in the person of   Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) uses his wherewithal to help Ivan escape from prison, Hammer has his own reasons for wanting Ivan free.  He intends to have Ivan create a suit of equal or better power than the one Tony has as Iron Man. Not entirely for his own purposes, although that does become a factor.  He really wants to sell the suit to the US military.

Back at home base Tony promotes Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) as CEO.  As such, he needs a new assistant.  Enter Natalie Rushman (Scarlett Johannson). The reasoning behind Pepper's promotion may not be readily apparent at this point, but as it develops it appears that the Iron Man suit, while initially saving his life (see the first movie) , may actually be killing him.  The toxicity of the materials used to keep him alive are not the best solution. 

So, while Tony  works on a new power source for his own suit, Ivan has exceeded his commission and instead of a suit for a human has created drones that can replace humans in battle.  Hammer is not entirely pleased, but goes ahead with his presentation at his own Hammer Expo.  But Ivan has more than just exceeded his bounds; he has complete control over the drones and unleashes them.  Tony's friend, Rhodes, has his own suit (which eventually becomes War Machine), but Ivan initially even has control over that suit, too, and sends the drones and War Machine after Iron Man.

 

 

 

Meanwhile, Natalie has revealed herself to be Natasha Romanoff, a Russian agent, and she with the help of a couple of allies, eventually makes her way to Ivan's lab.  And in the process, also reveals herself to be a consummate hand to hand fighter. (And we get introduced to yet another future superhero, Black Widow). The scenes where Black Widow has to fight off the security forces at Hammer labs made me highly anticipatory for a one off featuring the character. 

 

 

 

The climatic battle between Ivan and Iron Man and War Machine (who is eventually given control back of his own suit is the stuff of the finale these movies bring, of course.  While not nearly as good as the first Iron Man, it's still exciting.

And the Credits Roll: As the movie ends, Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg), who has been sent to New Mexico, comes upon a crater that is being investigated.  At the center of the crater is a hammer that is wedged into a rock. End movie.

The second Iron Man film does present some difficulties.  Given that he is in such dire straits in the middle of the movie, what with the impending death he is expecting from the stuff that is supposed to be keeping him alive, it may be pardonable that he seems to find solace in alcohol.  Personally I don't like the solution, being a recovering alcoholic myself.  Alcohol is never a solution. (But that's my high horse, so I'll leave it alone for now.)

Other than that one issue, I find no real fault in this second trip in to Tony's world.  And I do like the way that a couple of new future allies (War Machine and Black Widow) are introduced. Nothing, as yet, seems contrived, even though it was all mapped out as a story line before the whole thing got under way. Down the road to a future film, we did have to introduce some of the allies that would eventually form the super group of The Avengers.

Well, folks, time to fire up this old Plymouth and head home.  Fortunately I won't be trying to drive it in some race, so I'm safe from mishaps.  Drive safely.

Quiggy