Iron Man 2 (2010)
Sequels are tricky business; just ask Halloween. How does one expand on what the first one did right, while excising what it did wrong, while ALSO telling a compelling story of its own? This is the common problem for movie sequels, but it’s also something that comics have been dealing with for decades. How will each run distinguish itself? How do we tell a compelling story from where the last run ended? What kinds of crossing threads do we need to consider? Some might even say that comics have it harder.
So when Iron Man 2 came out, I’m sure plenty of people said it’s not as good as the first one, and dismissed it with a solid “meh”. I’ll even admit that that used to be me. Being such a positive person about movies isn’t how I started - I was just as insufferable as plenty of other film bros are. However, I can definitively say that, after watching it again, I actually really like Iron Man 2.
This time around, Tony learns that the substance that he’s using to keep the shrapnel out of his heart is also starting to poison him. Facing mortality in the face, he starts acting like we always expect the wildly rich to: doing whatever he wants, with whoever he wants. At the same time, however, it turns out that someone from the Stark family’s past, Ivan Vanko. His father, a Russian scientist named Anton, helped Howard Stark build much of his tech, including the ever-present Arc Reactor. As Anton lay dying, he laments to his son that everything Tony has should instead be his, which starts Ivan on a rampage of revenge, hoping to bring the Iron Man low.
What this movie does that the first one didn’t is bring more personal stakes to Tony’s life. After all, once he left the cave, Tony technically didn’t have to do anything, but he instead sought to better the world. Now, he’s starting to act selfishly, but for a reason we can all understand. Think of it as learning that you have stage 3 cancer - you don’t know exactly when, but the end is closer than you expected, and what time you have left is more precious than platinum.
It’s through this lens that the old Tony, the gallivanting, playboy billionaire Tony, start to bubble back up from under the surface. The looming fear of death starts to make him more selfish, and those around him recognize it as such. He’s keeping his ailment a secret, so as far as they can tell, Tony has just started to be more like his old, asshole self. Two people can tell the difference, though - Rhodey and Pepper.
This movie really, really nails the feeling of people understanding you, even when you really wish they didn’t. His best friend, James “Rhodey” Rhodes (now played by Don Cheadle, who nails it), recognizes him acting out, and while he gets pretty pissed about it (even running off with one of the suits), he still clearly is unhappy to see that his friend is hurting. He even spots the poisoning lines that the palladium are causing on Tony’s chest.
Pepper Potts, on the other hand, knows Tony better than anyone else. As his assistant and the only person he really has in his corner, she never once thinks it’s about Tony relapsing into his old habits. She clearly gets annoyed, and she doesn’t put up with disrespect in any way, but it’s still apparent that she truly feels for him and doesn’t like seeing him this way. Even as he tries his damnedest to ruin everything around him in a warped attempt at making it easier for everyone, she doesn’t leave him twisting in the wind.
In that way, Iron Man 2 gets more to the heart of Tony Stark, no pun intended. It really examines the mindset of someone in his position, someone who used to only think of themselves, only to turn over a new leaf and attempt to help the world. Then, the very thing that makes it so you can save lives is the one taking yours. It’s sad, really. Robert Downey, Jr. probably knows a thing or two about what it’s like to hit such a clear bottom.
From what I understand, the original plan was to adapt Devil In A Bottle, an Iron Man run that sees Tony becoming an alcoholic. While they didn’t go for the throat quite as much as the comics did, the DNA of that comic is clear. Tony always has a bottle with him, though this one seems to have some kind of health drink in it. He also has withdrawal-like symptoms, brought on from poison in his blood. He even goes on a legitimate liquor bender, as an attempt to escape the sadness and to also drive the ones closest to him away.
While I’ll go to my grave saying that Steve Rogers is the definitive heart of the Avengers, Iron Man 2 showed me that, even if that’s true, Tony has had his own demons to grapple with. His are just a bit more internal than Steve’s.
