While Guardians of the Galaxy, Spider-Man, and Captain America are consistently great superhero trilogies within the MCU, Iron Man isn’t viewed in the same light. That’s mostly due to Iron Man 3, which a lot of people have mixed feelings on, which is putting it lightly. In many cases, some fans outright dislike the movie.
Iron Man 3 was the most successful entry in the trilogy commercially, grossing more than $1 billion thanks to the huge hit that was The Avengers. Fans were looking forward to what was next for Tony Stark but many left disappointed by some choices the film made.
That said, I think there’s a strong case to be made that Iron Man 3 isn’t only a great film but it’s actually the best movie in the trilogy, even surpassing Robert Downey Jr.’s rockstar performance in 2008’s Iron Man.
Tony’s PTSD Makes Iron Man 3 The Best Tony Stark Movie
2008’s Iron Man is a great Tony Stark movie since it’s the character’s origin story, but Iron Man 3 is actually a better Tony Stark film. A big reason for that is the events of The Avengers. At the end of that movie, Tony makes the sacrifice play to save Earth and nearly loses his life in the process.
That sets the tone for Tony to struggle with PTSD throughout Iron Man 3. One of the first scenes we see involving Tony has him suffer a panic attack while at a simple lunch with James Rhodes because of his PTSD. That allows the film to deal directly with Tony’s issues, giving us a different kind of character study.
Tony spends most of the movie obsessed with developing new suits and making sure he doesn’t lose Pepper. His desperation to avoid another incident like in The Avengers drives his actions throughout Iron Man 3. It also starts a trend, as that’s what drives him to create Ultron and put a “suit of armor” around the world.
The Mandarin Twist Was Actually A Great Decision
One aspect of Iron Man 3 that gets the most flak from fans is the Mandarin twist. The trailers and the first half or so of the movie built up the Mandarin as the most interesting villain in the franchise to this point. His voice was chilling, he was ruthless, and each scene he was featured in was captivating.
Then, the movie pulled the rug out from under the audience by revealing that the Mandarin was actually Trevor Slattery, an actor who was simply playing a part and getting paid in things like drugs. Many were let down by this revelation and considered it a slap in the face to the comic book character.
While the disappointment is understandable, the Mandarin twist was actually a good decision. The character in the comics is a bit too stereotypical to work properly and he’s not exactly the most interesting of villains. Although the initial appearances in Iron Man 3 of the Mandarin were interesting, the finished product may not have been.
At this point, the MCU was several movies in, so a twist was a nice change in the formula. On top of that, not having this Mandarin be the real one opened the door for the character to actually show up in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, who ended up as one of the best MCU villains.
Iron Man 3 Is The Best Movie For Pepper & Tony’s Relationship
The relationship between Tony Stark and Pepper Potts is the heart of the trilogy and a big part of the MCU. Iron Man 3 is the best movie for their romance. The first film showed their mutual attraction and set the table for them to get together, while Iron Man 2 expanded on that, but not by much.
In Iron Man 3, a major driving force of what Tony does is to protect the one thing he can’t afford to lose, which is Pepper. Even when his home is attacked, Tony’s first reaction is to send his suit to cover Pepper and keep her safe before he even tries to protect himself.
Iron Man 3 also allows for a role reversal, as Pepper is the one to save Tony at the end of the story. She takes down Aldrich Killian, further cementing their relationship as more equal than a lot of others in comic book movies.
Iron Man 3 Has The Trilogy’s Most Creative Action Scenes
After the events of Iron Man 3, Tony Stark was almost invincible in his suit. By Avengers: Infinity War, he’s even at a point where he can put the suit on by the simple touch of a button and he has so many gadgets that come in handy for almost any situation. Iron Man 3 doesn’t make things so easy.
This is the one movie where Tony spends most of his time outside of the suit since many of them are malfunctioning. That means Tony has to get creative and remind us that he’s a genius. He takes out an extremis soldier with only his wits and he only has access to parts of his suit for another fight.
It’s the kind of action that director Shane Black is well known for. Iron Man 3 is also home to one of the best Iron Man action scenes as he saves people falling out of an airplane. The way this is done is clever, exciting, and marks a true moment of heroism for Tony.
The Problems With Iron Man 3 Aren’t As Bad As People Suggest
Although I firmly believe that Iron Man 3 is the best entry in this MCU trilogy, I still fully understand that it’s a flawed movie. However, the problems that a lot of people have with it aren’t as bad as they seem.
The Harley Keener subplot is messy and feels shoehorned in, but it’s not something that ruins the film. The Mandarin twist, as noted, is actually a good call when you think about it. Aldrich Killian isn’t a great villain but that’s not unexpected for the MCU, which had plenty of mediocre antagonists.
Ultimately, the personal story of Tony dealing with PTSD, the creative action sequences, and the focus on the Tony/Pepper relationship make Iron Man 3 the highlight of the trilogy.
- Release Date
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May 3, 2013
- Runtime
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130 Mins
- Director
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Shane Black
- Writers
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Drew Pearce, Shane Black
