Iron Man 2 could have been an amazing film. It was coming off the back of Iron Man 1, it was leading towards the Avengers, and it was led by the charismatic Robert Downy Jr. The film had everything going for it but why is it not as remembered or liked as the first film?
Iron Man 2 Juggles MANY Interesting Ideas
Iron Man 2 introduces a lot of plot threads that could have been the focus of their own movie. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it does lead to a feeling that we could have seen a better movie if they’d just stuck to a few of these threads. All of these ideas do revolve around Tony Stark, which keeps the movie focused, but many of them needed further exploration.
Idea 1: The effect of superheroes in the real world
The first ideas introduced is the consequences of superheroes existing in the real world and how that would change people`s lives. We see this from Tony’s perspective where he is now a global superstar superhero who flies into events wearing his suit. He has become a larger than life figure and is loving that life.
We then see it from a government and military perspective as they want his suit for warfare. This is a realistic and logical action that a government would take and the fact that they’re going about obtaining the technology in a legal way, as opposed to breaking into his house to steal it, adds to the realism. They also discuss the consequence of other nations building their own Iron Mans which raises the bar, therefore requiring that they need their own suit in order to have a chance in the fight. This is a great idea that could have been a moral conundrum for Tony as he now has to weigh up the good that Iron Man brings vs the threat that he brings.
Back in 2010, the theme of superheroes in the real word hadn’t been looked at in great detail which is why I like it so much in this film. Watchmen and Batman Begins touched on it but it wasn’t the focus of those movies and Spiderman deals with consequences but it’s on a personal level. Iron Man 2 had the chance to dive deep into the real world consequences of a man going about as a hero, but it doesn’t go deep enough in my opinion.
Idea 2: The effect Iron Man has on Tony Stark
A bigger idea that the film plays with is the physical and moral consequences that being Iron Man has on Tony Stark. We see this through his arc reactor slowly killing him and his struggle to maintain the problem or even solve it. There’s never a sense of “this is the price I must pay”, similar to what Batman or Spiderman would say, and it’s more treated as an illness he must overcome. This is another missed opportunity as there could have been an exploration of the physical consequences that Tony accepts as the price of being Iron Man.
There is some discussion on Tony becoming obsessed with being Iron Man, to the point where his company is in disarray and several matters in his own life aren’t being dealt with. This is similar to Bruce Wayne, who would happily sacrifice everything to be Batman, but in Iron Man 2 the problem is quickly resolved by making Pepper the CEO. I feel like this would have been better if Tony had handed the reins to Pepper a bit later in the film, maybe halfway through after Ivan appears, since then it could have played into the theme of the price of being Iron Man.
Throughout the film, Tony uses his suits to party or show off and this escalates when he puts on his suit whilst drunk. This could give the impression that Tony struggles under the weight of being Iron Man or even that Tony doesn’t see the suit as a responsibility. As it stands, all it shows is that Tony is not yet ready to be a hero which is a good idea but there are no consequences from it. This could have been achieved if Tony had seriously injured someone whilst he was drunk in the suit or maybe even by approaching a situation carelessly.
Idea 3: Tony’s Dark Past vs his Brighter Future
Ivan Vanko (Whiplash) does a lot of the heavy lifting with this theme as he is able to replicate Tonys technology and brings the governments fears to life. His motivations are a bit of a reach, they would have been much better if Ivan was actually an employee of Stark Industries, but they show a mindset that Tony has to face several times throughout the MCU.
He cannot simply fly away from his past, no matter how much good he does.
The idea of Tony Starks past being a big black mark that’s always hanging over him is a very interesting one and it’s something that I wish was explored further. We never get a sense that Tony is trying to escape his past or that it haunts him or fills him with regret. In the jail cell, Ivan talks about how he has caused more destruction than he could ever repay, and, with the value of hindsight, this could have been a massive theme for Tony throughout the MCU.
Imagine if throughout the MCU films, from Iron Man 1 to Endgame, Tony Stark was tyring to make up for the wrongs of his past. In almost every film he appears in he attempts something, it goes wrong in some way, and then has to deal with the consequences of that to various degrees. We all know how Tony Starks story ends and at that point he would definitely have made up for his past crimes however the seeds of that moment could have been planted as early as Iron Man 2. Instead, the conversation in the cell was simply the villain trying to get inside the hero’s head which is a missed opportunity.
Idea 4: The villains are a Direct Consequence of Iron Man
The villains in Iron Man 2, that being Justin Hammer and Ivan Vanko, come about because of Iron Mans actions. This could have made for a great hero-villain relationship due to Tony being the cause of their being however the film glosses over this and treats the villains as cartoon characters.
Justin Hammer is a Discount Obadiah Stain
Justin Hammer is the head of Hammer Industries and is a younger version of Tony Stark. He is still in the business of making destructive weapons for profit and attempts to copy the Iron Man suit in order to get a contract with the military. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have the charm, charisma, or success, that Tony has had and is therefore second best to him at every turn. Reporters would rather speak to Tony, he gets almost no recognition at big events, and his company isn’t as successful or profitable as Stark Industries.
This is a very similar set up to Obadiah Stain who was always in the shadow of Tony Stark purely because his dad started the company. He too hadn’t seen the destruction that his weapons cause and whilst he does become evil in the end, for most of the film he was an understood antagonist. He wanted to keep the company making profit and he wanted the recognition that he deserved.
The problem that Iron Man 2 has is that it can’t just repeat Obadiah, but it also can’t do much with the set up that Justin Hammer has. The truth is that Justin is the governments fears brought to life, that companies will start upping their level of weaponry, and not a direct antagonist to Tony. He’s not a direct threat unless he does evil things, which he unfortunately starts doing, so he should have been used to prove the governments fears. I know that Ivan fulfils this role a bit, but Justin could have been the main player in this position with Ivan being a direct antagonist to Tony.
Ivan Vanko Should have Been a Serious Threat to Iron Man
In Iron Man 2, Whiplash is used as an argument for why Tony needs to hand over his suits to the government but nothing more. In fact, without the help of Justin Hammer he wouldn’t have achieved anything apart from ruining a race. He loses his first fight with Iron Man and is immediately imprisoned afterwards. Once he “escapes” the prison, he messes about in Hammer Industries and then controls some drones on a computer. He then suits up and loses a fight to Iron Man and War Machine. This is not a threatening villain.
Whiplash should have been Iron Mans first nemesis, arch enemy, big bad. He should have been a lesson to Tony about what being a superhero actually entails. If Tony wants to be Iron Man then he’ll have to go up against these incredibly dangerous forces and risk his own health as well as the wellbeing of those around him. Think of it like when Batman progresses from fighting mobsters to superpowered beings. Whiplash should have been a serious threat with Tony not knowing if he could defeat him or not.
Iron Man 2 does use Whiplash as proof of the governments theory about criminals escalating due to Tony. He is an ex prisoner with lethal hand to hand skills, engineering skills, computer skills, and a serious threat all around. All of these skills are never brought up in any argument, only that he was able to replicate Stark Industries top secret designs from years ago (which even then was only possible because of his dad). The argument should have been that if one dangerous criminal could do it, then what’s stopping others from doing the same and then putting civilians at risk. Iron Man can’t be everywhere at once and it would have made for a great dilemma for Tony.
How Iron Man 2 Could have Been Great
The seeds of greatness are already in Iron Man 2, hence the title of this article, but they’re buried under too many great ideas that don’t get the development that they deserve. Obviously, I am gifted with hindsight of where Tony Starks story and the MCU as a whole go which I will factor into this section.
All of the stuff with Shield, Natasha, his dad, and him dying will stay the same so aren’t mentioned in the rewrite. The handover to Pepper happens just before the race after Tony struggles to handle all the responsibilities of being Iron Man. I mostly focus on the themes and what the major players would be doing throughout the film which is why I’ll skip over any scenes that don’t help towards this.
My Iron Man 2 Rewrite
Iron Man 2 should have been a story about how the world reacts to someone developing a weapon and taking crime into their own hands. It would have focused on the government’s fears of an escalation from criminals or foreign nations which they would not be equipped to fight. After the first whiplash fight, Tony would seriously think about the governments concerns and consider handing over some tech.
Justin Hammer would have been the governments concerns come to life, a CEO with the capabilities to build Iron Man suits but also the incentive to give them to the highest bidder. He would have been an ally to the military but also a potential threat if he chose to start selling to other nations. He would not have been a direct antagonist to Tony but more of a consequence of Iron Mans existence. Justin could also have sold weapons to Ivan or some gangsters who then cause havoc with them, which gives further reason for Tony to consider his actions.
Whiplash would have been similar to Bane, an unstoppable force that Iron Man must overcome. Their first fight would have resulted in Tony realising that he can’t win and focusing on evacuating everyone safely. Ivan would then have taunted Tony whilst he was down, and this is where the prison talk would happen. Tony is saved but has to take time to process the event and understand what it takes to be Iron Man.
During this time, Justin could get close to finishing his suits and then sells them to a mysterious buyer who turns out to be Whiplash. This allows for the end sequence to play out much the same, but this time Justin is not a villain, just a morally grey character.
Overall
- Iron Man 2 has many great ideas but doesn’t focus on them or develop them
- There is a lot of missed potential in the film, especially with the villains
- Iron Man 2 should have stuck to two core themes and played with them
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