Iron Man 2
Two years afterIron Manwas the blockbuster it need to be in lodge to successfully found theMarvel Cinematic Universe , a sequel that served as a pregnant stepping stone toward the assembly of Earth ’s Mightiest Heroes inThe Avengershit theaters and made an even bigger splash at the box post .
Although Robert Downey Jr. continued to nail the role of Tony Stark and returning managing director Jon Favreau did his good in the face of Marvel ’s ceaseless meddling , there were a lot of problems withIron humans 2that made it something of a disappointment follow its biz - switch predecessor .
Right: Building On Tony’s Character Development
Although he grew a lot in the first moving picture , he ’s still far from staring at the start of the second , instance that changing for the good is n’t a straightaway fix ; it ’s a long , ongoing cognitive process .
Wrong: Recasting Terrence Howard
Don Cheadle is a marvelous actor and made for a great Rhodey for the remainder of the Infinity Saga . But Terrence Howard ’s take on the character in the firstIron Manmovie was much more charismatic , and the thespian had much better chemistry with Robert Downey Jr.
evidently , the role was remodel forIron Man 2because Marvel took some of the money they forebode to Howard and impart it to Downey . for sure the studio had enough money in their $ 200 million budget to keep their financial promise to Howard .
Right: Letting Robert Downey Jr. Do His Thing
After allowing Robert Downey Jr. the freedom to do his own thing with each scene inIron Man , Jon Favreau consider how well it work out and give him the same exemption — if not more — inIron mankind 2 .
Marvel fans know better than anyone that when an actor seems to be having fun on tv camera , like Chris Hemsworth inThor : Ragnarok , the audience is more likely to have playfulness see them .
Wrong: Whiplash
Aside from his nerveless introduction on the Monaco track , Whiplash conduce nothing toIron Man 2 . He could ’ve been veer entirely and not much would ’ve exchange .
Mickey Rourke seemed to try out a Modern easterly European accent in every setting , while the fact that Tony thought he was in prison house for most of the movie meantthere was no literal moral force between the hero and villain .
Right: Justin Hammer
As a wannabe Tony Stark in cahoots with the U.S. government to add down the real Stark ’s empire of privatized world heartsease , Justin Hammer was the complete villain forIron Man 2 . He never seemed like a real threat himself , but his horde of defective attempts at recreating Stark ’s suit of armor surely did .
Sam Rockwell ’s public presentation in the role of Hammer was typically superb . His attempt at Stark - esque flash , like trip the light fantastic goofily onto the stage at his own expo , are hilarious .
Wrong: Inventing A New Element
Tony Stark is suppose to beone of the smart people in the world , but the motion-picture show now and again expect audiences to set aside their disbelief to a nonsensical extent , like when he invents metre travelling all-night inAvengers : Endgame .
InIron Man 2 , Tony pass an good afternoon in his research lab and , after some tinker around , he literally invents a whole new chemical component .
Right: Black Widow’s Fight Scenes
Black Widow ’s unparalleled fighting expressive style was acquaint along with the role herself inIron Isle of Man 2 . Her fight scenes were all suitably intense and brilliantly performed .
Scarlett Johansson nail all the fight stage dancing , with one particular hallway set piece standing out as an all - meter classic : felicitous press one confederate in the time it involve Natasha to empty the rest of them .
Wrong: Unearned Final Payoff
Every movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe , and almost every blockbuster in oecumenical , culminate with a big engagement . InIron Man 2 ’s final battle , Tony and Rhodey take on Justin Hammer ’s army of robots and Ivan Vanko in his new unstoppable courting of armour .
Instead of using plant - and - wages to solve the battle like a well - written screenplay , Tony defeats the villain by suggesting on a whim that he and Rhodey fire their repulsors at each other and it just so happen to work .
Right: Exploring Tony’s Flaws
rather of get hold of the comfortable route and indulge Tony ’s hard - party lifestyle , Iron Man 2explores his flaws and their consequences . Although the final movieisn’t as dark as the original script , the sequel brings veridical nuance to its exploration of Tony ’s potomania .
The movie ’s study of Tony ’s fiber flaw comes to a top dog during his birthday political party panorama , in which he drunkenly fights with Rhodey and sets the stage for his own comeuppance in the third act .
Wrong: Emphasizing Worldbuilding Over Storytelling
The most egregious thing aboutIron Man 2is that it focalise on set up the MCU ’s extensive world , with Nick Fury and Black Widow taking up a huge ball of the runtime , at the disbursal of telling its own story . Many subsequent cinematic universe entries , likeBatman v Superman , would copy this mistake .
This is n’t the fault of Jon Favreau . It was the result of meddling by a pre - Feige , Ike Perlmutter - fronted Marvel Studios , which contribute tothe director ’s decision not to return for the third movie .
NEXT : Ant - Man : 5 Things It Got correct ( & 5 It Got unseasonable )
