Iron Man is a 2008 superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Directed by Jon Favreau, the film stars Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, a billionaire industrialist and master engineer who builds a powered exoskeleton and becomes the technologically advanced superhero, Iron Man. Gwyneth Paltrow plays his personal assistant Pepper Potts, Terrence Howard plays military liaison James Rhodes and Jeff Bridges plays the villainous Obadiah Stane.
The film was in development from 1990 at Universal Studios, 20th Century Fox, and New Line Cinema, before Marvel Studios reacquired the rights in 2006. Marvel put the project in production as their first self-financed film. Favreau signed on as director, aiming for a naturalistic feel, and he chose to shoot the film primarily in California, rejecting the East Coast setting of the comics to differentiate the film from numerous superhero movies set in New York City-esque environments. During filming, the actors were free to create their own dialogue because preproduction was focused on the story and action. Rubber and metal versions of the armors, created by Stan Winston’s company, were mixed with computer-generated imagery to create the title character.
Marvel and Paramount Pictures, the distributor, planned a $50 million marketing campaign for the film, which is modeled on Paramount’s successful promotion of Transformers (2007); Hasbro and Sega will sell merchandise, and product placement deals were made with Audi, Burger King, LG and 7-Eleven. Reviews have been positive, particularly praising Downey’s performance. The film’s stars have signed on for two sequels, the first of them scheduled for release on April 30, 2010, and Downey also cameos as Stark in the upcoming The Incredible Hulk.
Plot
During a business trip to Afghanistan to demonstrate Stark Industries’ new weapon, the “Jericho” cluster missile, Tony Stark’s convoy is attacked and he is kidnapped by the terrorist group Ten Rings, who order him to build a Jericho missile for them. Instead, he and fellow captive Dr. Yinsen secretly build a crude but strong power armor fueled by a miniature “arc reactor”, a smaller version of a power source previously invented by Stark. The arc reactor supplies energy to an electromagnet which prevents embedded shrapnel from reaching Stark’s heart, which would kill him. Dr. Yinsen is killed in the ensuing escape attempt when he stalls the guards to buy Stark enough time to power up the suit. Using the suit, Stark kills several terrorists, destroys their weapons stockpile, and escapes, though his suit is destroyed as he crash lands in the desert. Upon being picked up by the Air Force and returning to the United States, Stark declares that his company will no longer manufacture weapons. His business partner, Obadiah Stane, tells him that this move is blocked by the board members shortly after.
Stark retreats from public view, focusing on the design of his power suit, refining its size and flight capability. He also builds a more powerful and reliable mini-arc reactor to power both his life support and the suit. During his first public appearance since his return to the United States, he is accosted by a reporter who shows him pictures of Stark Industries weapons in the hands of terrorist groups, including the Jericho missiles he refused to build for them. He also discovers that Stane has been “dealing under the table”, supplying weapons to both the U.S. troops and the terrorists, as well as being the one to shut Stark out of the board while he recovers. Faced with the realization of what his company has done, Stark dons the power suit and flies to Afghanistan, rescuing Yinsen’s village from the Ten Rings. In destroying their weapon stockpiles, he accidentally draws the attention of the United States Air Force and his friend and company military liaison, Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes.
Determined to make amends for his mistakes, Stark sends his assistant Pepper Potts to find the shipping records of Stark Industries, so he can track down the illicit shipments and destroy them. While hacking into the system she discovers that it was Stane who hired the Ten Rings to kill Stark, but they had reneged on the deal when they realized who the target was. She also discovers that Stane has recovered the power suit prototype and has reverse engineered his own version. Stane, upon realizing Pepper’s discovery, steals Stark’s arc reactor from his chest to power his new suit, leaving Stark to die. Using his first reactor, which was not designed to power his latest armor, Stark does battle with Stane atop Stark Industries and the surrounding streets, defeating him when the full-sized arc reactor that powers the lab is deliberately overloaded. Afterwards, Stark’s alter ego is dubbed “Iron Man” by the press. Stark holds a press conference where his S.H.I.E.L.D. contacts advise him to state that Iron Man is Stark’s bodyguard (the cover story used for years in the comics). However, he ultimately ends up going public with revealing his secret identity.
After the credits, S.H.I.E.L.D. director General Nick Fury visits Stark some time later to discuss the Avenger Initiative.
Cast
Robert Downey Jr. plays Anthony “Tony” Stark / Iron Man: A billionaire industrialist, genius inventor, and consummate playboy, he is CEO of Stark Industries, a chief weapons manufacturer for the U.S. military. The son of a Manhattan Project engineer, Stark is an engineering prodigy, having built a circuit board at 4 years old and an engine at 6 years old, as well as graduating from MIT summa cum laude at the age of 17, shortly after which he inherited Stark Industries following his parents’ deaths. He builds a suit of power armor to escape his Afghan captors after being kidnapped while performing a weapons test in the country and decides to help mankind as Iron Man.
Favreau had planned to cast a newcomer in the role,[3] but ultimately chose Downey (a fan of the comic)[4] because he felt the actor’s past made him an appropriate choice for the part. “The best and worst moments of Robert’s life have been in the public eye,” the director explained. “He had to find an inner balance to overcome obstacles that went far beyond his career. That’s Tony Stark. Robert brings a depth that goes beyond a comic book character who is having trouble in high school, or can’t get the girl.”[4] Favreau also felt Downey could make Stark a “likable asshole”, but also depict an authentic emotional journey once he won over the audience.[5]
Downey had an office next to Favreau during pre-production, which allowed him greater involvement in the screenwriting process.[6] He brought a deeper sense of humor to the film not present in previous drafts of the script.[7] He explained, “What I usually hate about these [superhero] movies [is] when suddenly the guy that you were digging turns into Dudley Do-Right, and then you’re supposed to buy into all his ‘Let’s go do some good!’ That Eliot Ness-in-a-cape-type thing. What was really important to me was to not have him change so much that he’s unrecognizable. When someone used to be a schmuck and they’re not anymore, hopefully they still have a sense of humor.”[8] To prepare, Downey spent five days a week weight training and practiced martial arts to get into shape,[4] which benefitted him because “it’s hard not to have a personality meltdown […] after about several hours in that suit. I’m calling up every therapeutic moment I can think of to just get through the day.”[9]
Terrence Howard plays Lt. Colonel James “Rhodey” Rhodes: A pilot friend of Stark, and the liaison between Stark Industries and the military in the department of acquisitions. Favreau cast Howard because he felt he could play War Machine in a sequel.[10] Howard prepared for the role by visiting Nellis Air Force Base on March 16, 2007, where he ate with the pilots and observed HH-60 Pave Hawk rescue helicopters and F-22 Raptors.[11] While Rhodes is roguish in the comics after he met Stark, his earlier disciplinarian character forms a dynamic with Stark, and he is unsure whether or not Stark’s actions are acceptable. “Rhodey is completely disgusted with the way Tony has lived his life, but at a certain point he realizes that perhaps there is a different way,” Howard said. “Whose life is the right way; is it the strict military life, or the life of an independent?”[9]
Howard and his father are Iron Man fans, partly because Rhodes was one of the few black superheroes when he was a child.[12] He was a Downey fan since he saw him in Weird Science, and they competed physically on set: “Robert and his competitive ass almost tore my shoulder trying to keep up with him. Because I’m forty or fifty pounds heavier than him, so I’m in there lifting and I pushed up about 225 and knocked it out ten times. Robert wanted to go about 235, and he did it. So I’m going to push it up to about 245. I took him out running and gave him some nice cramps. He couldn’t walk after a couple of days.”[13]
Jeff Bridges plays Obadiah Stane: Stark’s second-in-command, who wants control of the company. When Stark declares he will no longer manufacture arms, Stane steals the blueprints for the Mark I armor to create his own, bigger version. Bridges read the comics as a boy and liked Favreau’s modern, realistic approach. He shaved his hair and grew a gray beard for the role, which was something he had wanted to do for some time. Bridges googled the Book of Obadiah, and he was surprised to learn retribution is a major theme in that particular book of the Bible, something which Stane represents.[14] The character was called Iron Monger in the comics when he used his armor, but the codename is only referenced in the film when Stane describes himself and Stark as “iron mongers”.
Gwyneth Paltrow plays Virginia “Pepper” Potts: Stark’s personal secretary and budding love interest. Paltrow asked Marvel to send her any comics that they would consider relevant to her understanding of the character, which she considered to be very smart, levelheaded, and grounded. She said she liked “the fact that there’s a sexuality that’s not blatant.” Favreau wanted Potts’ and Stark’s relationship to be reminiscent of a 1940s comedy, something which Paltrow considered to be fun in a sexy yet innocent way.[15]
Shaun Toub plays Dr. Yinsen: Stark’s fellow captive in Afghanistan. He is a surgeon who has traveled the world and was kidnapped by the Ten Rings terrorist group. He saves Stark from death when Stark was injured by shrapnel, and uses an electromagnet to suspend the shards he couldn’t remove, lest they cause fatal damage to Stark’s heart. He assists Stark in creating the Mark I and keeping it a secret from their captors. He also acts as Stark’s mentor, showing him humility during their time together, and his death being one of the principal reasons behind Stark’s decision to change the direction of his company. In the comics, Yinsen is Chinese, but in the film, he comes from an Afghan village called Gulmira.
Faran Tahir plays Raza: A terrorist hired by Stane to kill Stark, who then orders Stark to build a Stark Industries missile system for his organization, the Ten Rings. Tahir is a fan of the comics,[14] and wanted to bring humanity to the henchman. “I tried to find ways to show that although he may be the bad guy, there might be a moment or just a hint of vulnerability at times, where he hasn’t made the right calculations or there’s a certain amount of doubt. Jon was very receptive to that kind of layering.”[16]
Paul Bettany voices J.A.R.V.I.S.: Stark’s personal AI, which assists him in the construction and programming of the Iron Man suit. The name of the character is a reference to the comic book character Edwin Jarvis, Stark’s butler. Bettany did the part as a favor to Favreau (whom he worked with in Wimbledon) and claimed he did not know what film he was recording the lines for during his two-hour recording session.[17]
Leslie Bibb plays Christine Everhart: A Vanity Fair columnist whom Stark sleeps with before he leaves for Afghanistan. Later, she appears again, to tell Stark of the Ten Rings in Gulmira and at the end, suspecting Stark of being Iron Man.
Clark Gregg appears throughout the film as Agent Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D.,[18] and Samuel L. Jackson appears as their head Nick Fury following the credits. Other cameos include Iron Man co-creator Stan Lee (whom Stark mistakes for Hugh Hefner at a party),[19] and director Jon Favreau as Stark’s bodyguard/chauffeur Happy Hogan.[7] Audioslave and Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, who provides additional guitar music for the film, has a brief cameo as a guard.[20] Jim Cramer, star of CNBC’s Mad Money also appeared as himself, commenting on the investment opportunities (”Sell, Sell, Sell”) of Stark Industries.[21] Rapper Ghostface Killah cameoed in a scene where Stark briefly stays in Dubai while returning to Afghanistan, but it was cut for pacing reasons.[22]
Production
Filming
Production was based in the former Hughes Company soundstages in Playa Vista, Los Angeles, California.[46] Favreau rejected the East Coast setting of the comic books as many superhero films were set there, and he wanted to avoid repetition in his film.[10] Hughes was one of the inspirations for the comic book, and the filmmakers acknowledged the coincidence that they would film Iron Man creating the flying Mark III where the Hughes H-4 Hercules “Spruce Goose” was built.[14]
Filming began on March 12, 2007,[47] with the first few weeks spent on Stark’s captivity in Afghanistan.[48] The cave where Stark is imprisoned was a 150-200 yard (150-200 m) long set, which was built with movable forks in the caverns to allow greater freedom for the film’s crew.[10] Production designer J. Michael Riva saw footage of a Taliban fighter in Afghanistan, and saw the cold breath as he spoke: realizing remote caves are actually very cold, Riva placed an air conditioning system in the set. He also sought Downey’s advice about make-shift objects in prison, such as a sock being used to make tea. All this created greater authenticity.[14] Afterwards, Stark’s capture was filmed at Lone Pine, and other exterior scenes in Afghanistan were filmed at Olancha Sand Dunes. There, the crew had to endure two days of 40 to 60-mile an hour (60 to 100 km/h) winds.[14]
Filming at Edwards Air Force Base began in mid-April,[49] and was completed on May 2.[50] Exterior shots of Stark’s home were digitally composited on footage of Point Dume in Malibu,[22] while the interior was built at Playa Vista, where Favreau and Riva aimed to make Stark’s home look less futuristic and more “grease monkey”.[14] Filming concluded on June 25, 2007 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada.[51] Favreau, a newcomer to action films, remarked “I’m shocked that I [was] on schedule. I thought that there were going to be many curveballs.” He hired “people who are good at creating action”, so “the human story [felt] like it belongs to the comic book genre”.[9]
There was much improvisation in dialogue scenes, because the script was not done when filming began (the filmmakers had focused on the story making sense and planning the action). Favreau acknowledged this would make the film feel more natural though. Some scenes were shot with two cameras to capture lines said on the spot. Multiple takes were done as Downey wanted to try something new.[22] It was Downey’s idea to have Stark hold a news conference on the floor,[9] and he created the speech Stark makes when demonstrating the “Jericho”.[5]
When shooting the Nick Fury cameo, Brian Michael Bendis had written three pages of dialogue for the scene, the best lines of which the filmmakers chose.[41] The cameo was filmed with a skeleton crew in order to keep it a secret, but rumours appeared on the Internet only days later. Marvel Studios’s Kevin Feige subsequently ordered the scene deleted from all preview prints in order to maintain the surprise and keep fans guessing.[52]
