Avengers: Endgame in 2019.
The MCU’s first three phases, collectively known as the Infinity Saga, have come to an end with Black Panther, others have received mixed reactions, most notably Iron Man 3.
Directed by Shane Black, Tony Stark’s third solo movie took place after the events of Iron Man 3 was mostly criticized for its villain twist and is regarded by many Marvel fans as the worst movie in the MCU – but there’s much more to it than bad criticism.
Iron Man 3 Is Crucial To Tony Stark’s Character Arc
Tony Stark was introduced as a selfish, genius billionaire who didn’t care what his company did as long as it made money. His biggest battle was against his ego, and it wasn’t until The Avengers that he proved to himself that he had what it took to be a real hero by literally saving Manhattan from total destruction – all it took was intercepting a missile and taking it through a wormhole toward the Chitauri fleet. By the time Iron Man 3 began, Tony Stark was dealing with the fact that he lived in a world where Gods, aliens, assassins, and more co-exist and fight each other, and it’s not one where he could continue working by himself.
Iron Man 3 saw Tony building different suits that would protect him and allow him to fight all those menaces he knew were out there, but all this obsessive work was rooted in PTSD. Tony’s main concern was that an attack like the one from the Battle of New York or a much bigger one could happen, and by the end of the movie, he finally understood that all that weight didn’t have to be exclusively on his shoulders, and that it was going to take more than one person to protect the world. All this preparation, both in of suits and psychologically, is what had him ready (as ready as one could be in that situation, of course) when Avengers: Age of Ultron took many steps back with Tony’s arc, everything he went through in Iron Man 3 eventually paid off in future movies, especially Infinity War and Endgame.
Iron Man 3 Has A Perfect Blend Of Action & Comedy
It couldn’t be an Iron Man movie without humor, as that’s a big part of Tony Stark’s character, and Thor: Ragnarok.
Iron Man 3’s Mandarin Switch Is One Of The MCU’s Best Twists
Iron Man 3’s most criticized moment is also one of the MCU’s best twists to date. The movie introduced The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley), a dangerous terrorist and leader of the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
While it’s understandable why the Mandarin twist was so criticized and one of the main reasons Iron Man 3 is so divisive, it’s still one of the best twists in the MCU. While Killian wasn’t one to trust from the very beginning, the revelation of the Mandarin not being the real one was definitely one that viewers didn’t see coming. In addition to that, Ben Kingsley’s performance is one of the highlights of the movie, as he successfully managed to fool the audience into thinking he was playing one of the most dangerous men in the MCU, when he was just a drunk English actor who had no idea he was being used as cover by an actual criminal.
Iron Man 3 Brilliantly Deals With Some Of The MCU’s Most Mature Themes
Perhaps one of the most underrated and often forgotten aspects of Iron Man 3 is how it addresses topics like anxiety and PTSD. The movie saw Tony coming face to face with his own vulnerability, in levels he hadn’t explored before – this wasn’t something physical that could heal with a couple of stitches, or a suit malfunction, but something deeper that required a different type of help. This not only reminded the audience that Tony, even with all the money and high-tech suits, was a human, but also showed a side of him viewers could (finally) relate to.
Iron Man 3 explored the aftermath of the Battle of New York under a different light through Tony’s anxiety, nightmares, and panic attacks, showing that superheroes are also affected by the wars they fight, even if most movies decide to ignore that. These topics were handled with care and respect, with specialized media like Psychology Today praising the movie’s accurate portrayal of Tony’s PTSD symptoms, and truly added to Tony’s character, even if subsequent movies (especially Age of Ultron) completely ignored all these new steps in Tony’s development.
Iron Man 3 did things differently very early on in the MCU with its blend of comedy, action, and more mature topics, and most viewers weren’t ready for such changes. Ultimately, Iron Man 3 was an important chapter in Tony Stark’s arc and a good continuation of his story following The Avengers, contrary to other solo movies that came after it that feel completely disconnected, and its often criticized villain twist made way for the proper introduction of one of Marvel’s most memorable bad guys in a movie that is much more fitting to the character.
