Movieman Madness: Cinema Spotlight VI - Jon Favreau (Part 5): "Iron Man"

Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man

By the mid-2000's, Marvel was in a bit of a rut. Their movies weren't doing well as they used to from Fantastic 4, Elektra, The Punisher and Ghost Rider. Even the greats like Spider-Man, X-Men and Blade didn't fare well with many on their third entries. When Kevin Feige, a producer who had been present since the first X-Men movie, became the new President of Marvel, he had a risky plan that could help the struggling studio

My introduction to Iron Man was with the Marvel vs Capcom arcade games
and the animated series from the 90's including his guest-appearance on Spider-Man.
At the time, the Secret Wars trilogy was the biggest superhero crossover event.

A series of solo superhero movies taking place in the same universe and band together in one big movie for the ultimate cinematic crossover. Seeing how their popular characters were already licensed with other studios like Spider-Man with Sony, and the X-Men and Fantastic Four with 20th Century Fox, Marvel went with a comic-book character who had never been in the limelight, outside of a cartoon series and arcade games.

If Bruce Wayne stayed true to his rich boy persona even as a superhero.

Billionaire genius and playboy, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) has it all. He is the head of Stark Industries, where highly advanced machinery is built, especially in weaponry. Has good friends like Air Force Officer Jim Rhodes (Terrence Howard), business partner Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges), and beautiful assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow).

Creating the fist suit with Finsen (Shaun Tomb)

All that changes when a terrorist group called the Ten Rings come into Tony's life. From there, he takes a look at the man he used to be and what he wants to be. The company that his father built, all that it stands for, and all that it's done. For the first time in his life, he wishes to apply his brilliant mind and talent, for something meaningful.

Adding the final touches.

Iron Man was made like an independent movie; a low-budget with the money coming out of Marvel's own pocket and no reliance on any major studio except with distribution. No one knew if the film would do well and if it didn't, then it would have been the end of Marvel's movie career. If anyone could do this film right, it was Jon Favreau. Even with three films on his track record, Feige and company were nonetheless impressed with his work especially with someone who started in the indie field.

The Mark I Iron Man Suit.

The comedy and zippy dialogue of Made, the emotion and atmosphere of Elf, the visual and technical flair of Zathura and the relatable characters in his movies; Favreau was the perfect fit for Iron Man.

Testing the Mark II suit.

We all know Robert Downey Jr. in his iconic role of Tony Stark aka Iron Man but he almost didn't get the part. During that time, he was going through a dark period of his life that made many studios hesitant to hire him, including Marvel. Favreau on the other hand, felt that he was perfect for the role. He was impressed with Downey Jr.'s performance in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and made sure that he got the part. Like with Favreau in Swingers, art imitated life, as Downey Jr. played a somewhat fictional version of himself that has a lot of truth to the performance; a man who despite having it all, chooses to waste his life but is ultimately given a second chance.

Tony sharing a dance with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow).

A hero is as good as his friends and like with any Favreau movie, it does not disappoint. Terrence Howard embodies Favreau's straight man characters from Made and Swingers who put up with their best friend's antics but still looks out for him. Gwyneth Paltrow is beautiful as Pepper Potts who like Rhodey cares for Tony, who in turn Tony starts to see Pepper as more than a loyal friend. Shaun Tomb, best known in roles like Crash and The Nativity Story is excellent as Finsen, a prisoner of the Ten Rings who plays a pivotal role in Tony's life.

Raza (Faran Tahir)

Faran Tahir has the honor of playing the first MCU villain Raza, the leader of the Ten Rings along with Jeff Bridges as the charismatic Obadiah Stane who dons the role of the Iron Monger. In the original script, Iron Man's arch-nemesis the Mandarin was set to appear as the main villain and the true leader of the Ten Rings. It was changed to Iron Monger, and have Raza and the Ten Rings hint at the Mandarin's presence.

Stane (Jeff Bridges) talking with Stark on the state of the company.

While a wise decision to save the ultimate enemy for another film like the Emperor from Star Wars, on my first viewing, I expected Raza to be revealed as the Mandarin or be the one to face Iron Man in the the final fight. The way his character is set-up seemed poised to show his eventual transformation. No disrespect to Jeff Bridges who plays the part of the back-stabbing best friend but the Ten Rings left a bigger impression since they affected Tony's life and continue to operate within the MCU. (It only makes the outcome in Iron Man 3 disappointing but that's another story). Bridges as Stane is more terrifying without the iron mask, like Micheal Keaton from Spider-Man: Homecoming. When in the suit it takes away the threat but when unmasked, it enhances the menace and makes the climax more effective.

Iron Monger. Reminds me of the robot from Zathura.

Iron Man premiered on May 2, 2008. It became the eighth highest-grossing movie of the year; earning praise from both critics and audiences. Robert Downey Jr's performance was especially commended, becoming the comeback performance of a lifetime and Hollywood's newest star. Among the accolades it received were three Saturn Awards (basically the Oscars but for nerds) for Best Science Fiction Film, Best Actor for Robert Doweny Jr. and Best Director for Jon Favreau. In addition, the movie was also nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Achievement in Sound Editing and Best Achievement in Visual Effects.

Suiting up in the Mark III armor.

The year may have belonged to DC with The Dark Knight, but the fuse had been lit. Thanks to Iron Man, the course was set for the Marvel Cinematic Universe and ushered in a new Renaissance for the superhero genre.

Trademarks:

Improvisation: Filming began without a finished script. While that was being worked on, Favreau allowed for the actors to improv on the set and make the scenes feel more natural. The ending was Robert's idea to ad lib the final line.

End Credits: Iron Man marks the first Favreau movie with no opening credits, but it doesn't deter the director to be creative like with Elf and Zathura, even if it's at the end.

Fatherhood: We get hints at what what type of relationship Tony had with his dad as he ponder's on what his dad would do and would he adhere on the current state of the company and Tony's decision on its future. (scene starts at 1:17)

Director Appearance

Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan, Tony Stark's bodyguard.

Swingers

Rhodey Rhodes (Terrence Howard) and Happy (Jon Favreau) bearing witness to Tony's latest win.
The roles are switched with the main character as the swinger and and the best friend
being the straight-faced companion.

Ray's Pizza

Food always seems to be highlight in Favreau's work.
This is the second time Ray's Pizza is in a Favreau movie with
the eatery mentioned in Elf by Santa when Buddy leave's for New York.

Foreshadowing:

Western

Iron Man getting ready to make a fast draw.

MCU

Tony meeting Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Cameos:

Stan Lee as a party guest.

Tom Morello, of rock-band Rage Against the Machine
as a Ten Rings Guard who gets first taste of the Iron Man suit.
He previously had a cameo as the best man at a bachelor party in Made

Ahmed Ahmed as Ahmed, a member of the Ten Rings (on the right) with Raza.
He previously had a cameo as a party guest in Swingers.

Peter Billingsley as Dr. William Ginta Riva talking with Obadiah Stane.
The last film Billingsley served as producer in Favreau's films who also had a cameo in Elf.

Behind-the-scenes: