Jump to content

Iron Man (2008 film)

This is a good article. Click here for more information.
Checked
Page protected with pending changes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Iron Man
The film's title is shown below juxtaposed images of Tony Stark and Iron Man.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJon Favreau
Screenplay by
Based on
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMatthew Libatique
Edited byDan Lebental
Music byRamin Djawadi
Production
company
Distributed byParamount Pictures[a]
Release dates
  • April 14, 2008 (2008-04-14) (Sydney)
  • May 2, 2008 (2008-05-02) (United States)
Running time
126 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$130–140 million[2][3][4]
Box office$585.8 million[5]

Iron Man is a 2008 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures,[a] it is the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Directed by Jon Favreau from a screenplay by the writing teams of Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, and Art Marcum and Matt Holloway, the film stars Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man alongside Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow, Leslie Bibb, and Shaun Toub. In the film, following his escape from captivity by a terrorist group, world-famous industrialist and master engineer Stark builds a mechanized suit of armor and becomes the superhero Iron Man.

A film featuring Iron Man was in development at Universal Pictures, 20th Century Fox, and New Line Cinema at various times since 1990 before Marvel Studios reacquired the rights in 2005. Marvel put the project in production as its first self-financed film, with Paramount Pictures distributing. Favreau signed on as director in April 2006 and faced opposition from Marvel when trying to cast Downey in the title role; the actor was signed in September. Filming took place from March to June 2007, primarily in California to differentiate the film from numerous other superhero stories that are set in New York City. During filming, the actors were free to create their own dialogue because pre-production was focused on the story and action. Rubber and metal versions of the armor, created by Stan Winston's company, were mixed with computer-generated imagery to create the title character.

Iron Man premiered in Sydney on April 14, 2008, and was released in the United States on May 2, as the first film in Phase One of the MCU. It grossed over $585 million, becoming the eighth-highest grossing film of 2008, and received praise from critics, especially for Downey's performance as well as Favreau's direction, the visual effects, action sequences, and writing. The American Film Institute selected it as one of the ten best films of 2008. It received two nominations at the 81st Academy Awards for Best Sound Editing and Best Visual Effects. In 2022, the Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Two sequels have been released: Iron Man 2 (2010) and Iron Man 3 (2013).

Plot

[edit]

Tony Stark, who has inherited the defense contractor Stark Industries from his late father Howard Stark, tours in war-torn Afghanistan with his best friend and military liaison, James Rhodes, to demonstrate the new "Jericho" missile. After the demonstration, his convoy is ambushed by a terrorist group, the Ten Rings and Stark is gravely wounded by a missile used by the attackers—one of his company's own. He is captured and imprisoned in a cave by the Ten Rings. Yinsen, a fellow captive and doctor, implants an electromagnet into Stark's chest to keep the shrapnel shards that wounded him from reaching his heart and killing him. Ten Rings leader Raza offers Stark freedom in exchange for building a Jericho missile for the group, but he and Yinsen believe that Raza will not keep his word.

Stark and Yinsen secretly build a small, powerful electric generator called an arc reactor to power Stark's electromagnet and construct a prototype armored suit to aid in their escape. Although they keep the suit hidden, the Ten Rings discover their intentions and attack the workshop. Yinsen sacrifices himself to divert them while the suit powers up. The armored Stark battles his way out of the cave to find the dying Yinsen, then burns the Ten Rings' weapons and flies away, crashing in the desert and destroying the suit. After being rescued by Rhodes, Stark returns home and announces that his company will cease manufacturing weapons. Obadiah Stane, his father's old partner and the company's manager, advises Stark that this will bankrupt Stark Industries and ruin his father's legacy. In his home workshop, Stark builds a sleeker, more powerful version of his improvised armor suit as well as a more powerful arc reactor for it and his chest after testing a prototype. Personal assistant Pepper Potts places the original reactor inside a small glass showcase. Though Stane requests details, a suspicious Stark decides to keep his work to himself.

At a charity event, reporter Christine Everhart informs Stark that his company's weapons were recently delivered to the Ten Rings and are being used to attack Yinsen's home village. Stark dons his new armor and flies to Afghanistan, where he fends off the terrorists and saves the villagers. While flying home, Stark is intercepted by the Air Force. He reveals his secret identity to Rhodes over the phone in an attempt to end the attack. Meanwhile, the Ten Rings gather the pieces of Stark's prototype suit and meet with Stane, who has been trafficking arms to the Ten Rings and has staged a coup to replace Stark as Stark Industries' CEO by hiring the Ten Rings to kill him. He subdues Raza and has him and the rest of the group killed. Stane has a massive new armor suit reverse-engineered from the wreckage. Seeking to track his company's illegal shipments, Stark sends Potts to hack into its database. She discovers that Stane hired the Ten Rings to kill Stark, but the group reneged when they realized they had a direct route to Stark's weapons. Potts meets with Agent Phil Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D., an intelligence agency, to inform him of Stane's activities.

Stane's scientists are unable to duplicate Stark's miniaturized arc reactor, so Stane enters Stark’s home and steals the one from his chest. Stark manages to replace it with his original reactor. Potts and several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents attempt to arrest Stane, but he dons his suit and overpowers them. Stark fights Stane but is outmatched without his new reactor to run his suit at full capacity. The fight carries Stark and Stane to the top of the Stark Industries building, where Stark instructs Potts to overload the large arc reactor powering the building. This unleashes a massive electrical surge that causes Stane to fall into the reactor and he is killed in the explosion. The next day, at a press conference, Stark publicly admits to being the superhero the press has dubbed "Iron Man".

In a post-credits scene, S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury visits Stark at home, telling him that he has become part of a "Bigger Universe", and that he wants to discuss the "Avenger Initiative".

Cast

[edit]
Downey promoting the film at the 2007 San Diego Comic-Con
Howard preparing for the role by riding an F-16 flight simulator
  • Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man:
    An industrialist, genius inventor, and playboy, he is CEO of Stark Industries and chief weapons manufacturer for the U.S. military. Director Jon Favreau felt that Downey's past made him an appropriate choice for the part[9] and that the actor could not only make Stark a "likable asshole," but also portray an authentic emotional journey, once he had won over the audience.[10] Favreau was also attracted to Downey because of his performance in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Downey frequently spoke with that film's director, Shane Black, about the script and dialogue in Iron Man.[11] Downey had an office next to Favreau during pre-production, which allowed him greater involvement in the screenwriting process,[12] especially when it came to adding humor to the film.[13] Downey 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."[14] To get into shape, Downey spent five days a week weight training and practiced martial arts,[9] which he said benefited 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."[15]
  • Terrence Howard as James "Rhodey" Rhodes:
    A friend of Stark's and the liaison between Stark Industries and the United States Air Force in the department of acquisitions, specifically weapons development. Favreau cast Howard because he felt he could play War Machine in a sequel.[16] 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.[17] While Rhodes is roguish in the comics after he meets Stark, his previous role as a disciplinarian creates a dynamic tension with Stark's character. He is unsure whether 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?"[15] Howard and his father are Iron Man fans, partly because Rhodes was one of the few black superheroes when Howard was a child.[18] Howard admired Downey as an actor since the latter appeared in Weird Science (1985); the two competed physically on set.[19] Howard signed a three-picture deal with Marvel Studios.[20][21]
  • Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane:
    Stark's business second-in-command, mentor, and friend, who turns on him to take over the company, eventually building a giant exosuit to fight Stark. Bridges read the comics as a boy and liked Favreau's modern, realistic approach. He shaved his head, something he had wanted to do for some time, and grew a beard for the role. Bridges researched the Book of Obadiah, and was surprised to learn retribution is a major theme in that book of the Bible, something that Stane represents.[22] Many of Stane's scenes were cut to focus more on Stark, but the writers felt Bridges's performance allowed the application of "less is more" when editing the film.[23]
  • Gwyneth Paltrow as Virginia "Pepper" Potts:
    Stark's personal assistant and budding love interest. Paltrow asked Marvel to send her any comics they would consider relevant to her understanding of the character, whom she considered to be very smart, level-headed, 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 an "innocent yet sexy" way.[24]
  • Leslie Bibb as Christine Everhart: A reporter for Vanity Fair.[25]
  • Shaun Toub as Ho Yinsen: Stark's fellow captive, who grafts an electromagnet to Stark's chest "to keep the shrapnel shell shards that wounded him from reaching his heart and killing him" and helps Stark build the first Iron Man suit.[26][27]

Additionally, Faran Tahir appears as Raza, the leader of the Ten Rings;[28] Paul Bettany voices J.A.R.V.I.S., Stark's personal AI system;[29] and Clark Gregg appears as Phil Coulson, an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.[30] Will Lyman provides the voice-over during the opening award ceremony.[31] Director Jon Favreau plays Harold "Happy" Hogan, Stark's bodyguard and chauffeur,[13] and Samuel L. Jackson makes a cameo appearance as Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D., in a post-credits scene.[32] Jackson's face was previously used as the model for the Ultimate Marvel imprint version of Nick Fury.[33] Other cameos in the film include Stan Lee as himself, being mistaken for Hugh Hefner by Stark at a party;[34] Peter Billingsley as William Ginter Riva, a scientist who works for Stane;[35] Tom Morello, who provided guitar music for the film, as a terrorist guard;[36] and Jim Cramer as himself.[37] Ghostface Killah, who often adopted Iron Man's name as an alias, had a cameo in a scene where Stark stays in Dubai, but the scene was cut for pacing reasons.[38]

Production

[edit]

Development

[edit]

In April 1990, Universal Pictures bought the rights to develop Iron Man for the big screen,[39] with Stuart Gordon to direct a low-budget film based on the property.[15] By February 1996, 20th Century Fox had acquired the rights from Universal.[40] In January 1997, Nicolas Cage expressed interest in portraying the character,[41] while in September 1998, Tom Cruise expressed interest in producing as well as starring in an Iron Man film.[42] Jeff Vintar and Iron Man co-creator Stan Lee co-wrote a story for Fox, which Vintar adapted into a screenplay. It included a new science-fiction origin for the character, and featured MODOK as the villain. Tom Rothman, President of Production at Fox, credited the screenplay with finally making him understand the character. In May 1999, Jeffrey Caine was hired to rewrite Vintar and Lee's script.[43] That October, Quentin Tarantino was approached to write and direct the film.[44] Fox sold the rights to New Line Cinema the following December, reasoning that although the Vintar/Lee script was strong, the studio had too many Marvel superheroes in development, and "we can't make them all."[45]

We worked with Michael Crichton's researchers to find a grounded realistic way to deal with the suit. The idea was he needed the suit to stay alive. He's the same guy we used with Spider-Man 2 to come up with Doc Ock's inhibitor chips and what the arms are made of and how they work. ... Mandarin was an Indonesian terrorist who masqueraded as a rich playboy who Tony knew.

—Alfred Gough on his draft for Nick Cassavetes' and New Line's aborted version[46]

By July 2000, the film was being written for New Line Cinema by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio,[43][47] and Tim McCanlies.[48] McCanlies' script used the idea of a Nick Fury cameo to set up his own film.[43] In June 2001, New Line Cinema entered talks with Joss Whedon, a fan of the character, to direct,[49] and in December 2002, McCanlies had turned in a completed script.[50] New Line took a "unique" approach to writing the film's script, hiring David Hayter, David S. Goyer, and Mark Protosevich to "sit in a room and simply talk on camera about Iron Man for a few days". After this, Hayter was hired in 2004 to write a script.[51] He reworked scripts that had been written by Jeff Vintar and Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, which had included the villain the Mandarin and Pepper Potts as a love interest.[51][52] Hayter removed the Mandarin and instead chose to pit Iron Man against his father Howard Stark, who becomes War Machine. Hayter said "you want to try to mirror your hero with your villain as much as possible" for his reasoning behind making Howard the villain.[51] He also made Bethany Cabe the film's love interest over Potts.[52] In December 2004, the studio attached director Nick Cassavetes to the project for a target 2006 release.[53] However, this deal ultimately fell through, and Iron Man's film rights returned to Marvel.[51]

In November 2005, Marvel Studios worked to start development from scratch,[54] and announced Iron Man as their first independent feature, because the character was their only major one not already depicted in live action. Paramount Pictures was announced as Marvel's distribution partner for Iron Man.[12] According to associate producer Jeremy Latcham, "we went after about 30 writers and they all passed," saying they were uninterested in the project due to both the relative obscurity of the character and the fact that it was solely a Marvel production. When the film did have a script, even the requests for rewrites met with many refusals.[55] Early scripts for the film also directly referenced Sony Pictures' Spider-Man 2 (2004) by identifying Stark as the creator of Otto Octavius's bionic arms.[56] In order to build the general public's awareness of Iron Man and elevate him to the same level of popularity as Spider-Man or Hulk, Marvel conducted focus groups, trying to find a way to remove the general perception that the character is a robot. The information Marvel received from the focus groups was used to formulate an awareness-building plan, which included releasing three animated short films ahead of the film's release. The shorts were called "Iron Man Advertorials", and were produced by Tim Miller and Blur Studio.[57]

Pre-production

[edit]

Jon Favreau was hired to direct the film in April 2006,[58] celebrating getting the job by going on a diet, losing 70 pounds (32 kg).[15] Favreau had wanted to work with Marvel producer Avi Arad on another film after they both worked on Daredevil.[12] The director found the opportunity to create a politically ambitious "ultimate spy movie" in Iron Man, citing inspiration from Tom Clancy, James Bond, and RoboCop,[59] and compared his approach to an independent film—"[i]f Robert Altman had directed Superman"—and Batman Begins.[12][60] Favreau wanted to make Iron Man a story of an adult man literally reinventing himself after discovering the world is far more complex than he originally believed.[61] He changed the Vietnam War origin of the character to Afghanistan, as he did not want to do a period piece.[16] Art Marcum & Matt Holloway were hired to write the script,[58] while Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby wrote another version, with Favreau compiling both teams' scripts,[62] and John August then "polishing" the combined version.[63] Comic book staff Mark Millar, Brian Michael Bendis, Joe Quesada, Tom Brevoort, Axel Alonso, and Ralph Macchio were also called upon by Favreau to give advice on the script.[64] In May 2006, Arad left Marvel Studios to become an independent producer.[65] Because he was on staff when the deal was made for Iron Man, he retained producer credit on the film.[66]: 59  By July 2006, Matthew Libatique was attached to serve as cinematographer.[67]

Favreau planned to cast a newcomer in the title role, as "those movies don't require an expensive star; Iron Man's the star, the superhero is the star. The success of X-Men and Spider-Man without being star-driven pieces reassures [executives] that the film does have an upside commercially."[68] Those considered for the role included Jim Caviezel, Timothy Olyphant, and Sam Rockwell.[21] Rockwell was approached and was interested,[69] but Favreau then met with Robert Downey Jr., who he was convinced was the right actor for the role.[21] Favreau chose Downey, a fan of the comic, because he felt the actor's past made him an appropriate choice for the part, explaining "The best and worst moments of Robert's life have been in the public eye. He had to find an inner balance to overcome obstacles that went far beyond his career. That's Tony Stark."[9] Favreau faced opposition from Marvel Entertainment executives in casting Downey,[21][70] but would not take no for an answer, saying, "It was my job as a director to show that it was the best choice creatively ... everybody knew he was talented [and] certainly by studying the Iron Man role and developing that script I realized that the character seemed to line-up with Robert in all the good and bad ways."[70] Casting director Sarah Halley Finn suggested Downey create an audition tape to help persuade them. The executives were still not convinced, despite Favreau and Feige recommending Downey for the role, which resulted in Favreau leaking the news that Downey was in talks to the press; the positive reaction and enthusiasm to this story helped convince the executives,[21] with Downey cast in the role in September 2006.[71] Rockwell would later portray Justin Hammer in Iron Man 2 (2010).[69] Downey earned $500,000 for the role.[72] While preparing for filming, Favreau and Downey were given a tour of SpaceX by Elon Musk. Downey said, "Elon was someone Tony probably hung out with and partied with, or more likely they went on some weird jungle trek together to drink concoctions with the shamans."[73]

Additional casting for the film occurred over the next few months: Terrence Howard was announced in the role of Stark's best friend James "Rhodey" Rhodes in October 2006.[74] He had been the first actor cast for the film;[21] Gwyneth Paltrow was cast as love interest Virginia "Pepper" Potts in January 2007;[75] and Jeff Bridges was cast in an undisclosed role in February.[76] Don Cheadle had also been approached for the role of Rhodes, and would eventually replace Howard in the role starting with the sequel, Iron Man 2.[77] Choosing a character to be the villain of the film was difficult, as Favreau felt Iron Man's arch-nemesis the Mandarin would not feel realistic, especially after Mark Millar gave his opinion on the script.[64] The Mandarin had originally been envisioned as a rival to Tony Stark with a building of his own right next to Stark Industries, with the Mandarin eventually drilling a hole underneath Stark Industries to steal all of Stark's technology for himself; associate producer Jeremy Latcham described such story as "crazy terrible" and "underwhelming".[78] Favreau felt only in a sequel, with an altered tone, would the fantasy of the Mandarin's rings be appropriate.[79] The decision to push him into the background is comparable to Sauron in The Lord of the Rings,[60] or Palpatine in Star Wars.[79] Favreau also wanted Iron Man to face a giant enemy. The switch from Mandarin to Obadiah Stane was done after Bridges was cast in that role,[38] with Stane originally intended to become a villain in the sequel.[64] The Crimson Dynamo was also a villain in early drafts of the script,[13] including at one point combining the character with the Mandarin.[21] Favreau felt it was important to include intentional inside references for fans of the comics, such as giving the two fighter jets that attack Iron Man the call signs of "Whiplash 1" and "Whiplash 2", a reference to the comic book villain Whiplash, and including Captain America's shield in Stark's workshop.[80]

The scale model of the Iron Monger suit as seen in the film,[38] based on the larger animatronic version built by Stan Winston Studios.[22]

Favreau wanted the film to be believable by showing the construction of the Iron Man suit in its three stages.[16] Stan Winston, a fan of the comic book, and his company, who Favreau worked with on Zathura, built metal and rubber versions of the armor.[22] The Mark I design was intended to look like it was built from spare parts. The back is less armored than the front, because Stark would use his resources for a forward attack. It also foreshadows the design of Stane's armor. A single 41-kilogram (90 lb) version was built, causing concern when a stuntman fell over inside it, though both the stuntman and the suit were unscathed. The armor was also designed to have only its top half worn at times.[22] Stan Winston Studios built a 3.0-metre (10 ft), 360-kilogram (800 lb) animatronic version of Iron Monger (Obadiah Stane),[22] a name which Obadiah Stane calls Tony Stark and himself earlier in the film as a reference, but is never actually used for the suit itself in the film. The animatronic required five operators for the arm, and was built on a gimbal to simulate walking.[22] A scale model was used for the shots of it being built.[38] The Mark II resembles an airplane prototype, with visible flaps.[38] Iron Man comic book artist Adi Granov designed the Mark III with illustrator Phil Saunders.[81] Granov's designs were the primary inspiration for the film's, and he came on board the film after he recognized his work on Jon Favreau's MySpace page.[60] Saunders streamlined Granov's concept art, making it stealthier and less cartoonish in its proportions,[22] and also designed the War Machine armor, but it was "cut from the script about halfway through pre-production." He explained that the War Machine armor "was going to be called the Mark IV armor and would have had weaponized swap-out parts that would be worn over the original Mark III armor," and that it "would have been worn by Tony Stark in the final battle sequence."[82]

Filming

[edit]

Production was based in the former Hughes Company soundstages in Playa Vista, Los Angeles, California.[83] Howard 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 was built.[22] Favreau rejected the East Coast setting of the comic books because many superhero films had already been set there.[16]

Filming began on March 12, 2007,[84] with Matthew Libatique serving as director of photography.[67] The first few weeks of filming were spent on Stark's captivity in Afghanistan.[85] The cave where Stark is imprisoned was a 150-to-200-yard (140–180 m) long set, which had movable forks in the caverns to allow greater freedom for the film's crew.[16] 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 makeshift objects in prison, such as a sock being used to make tea.[22] Afterwards, Stark's capture was filmed at Lone Pine, and other exterior scenes in Afghanistan were filmed at Olancha Sand Dunes, where the crew endured two days of 40-to-60-mile-per-hour (64–97 km/h) winds.[22] Filming at Edwards Air Force Base began in mid-April,[86] and ended on May 2.[87] In return for production assistance, the United States Department of Defense consulted on the film regarding certain scenes and dialogue depicting the military.[88] This included changing Stark from being opposed to arms deals, to instead becoming one who sells his technology to the U.S. military.[89] Exterior shots of Stark's home were digitally added to footage of Point Dume in Malibu,[38] 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".[22] Filming concluded on June 25, 2007, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada.[90] 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".[15]

There was much improvisation in dialogue scenes, because the script was not completed when filming began (the filmmakers had focused on the story making sense and planning the action). Favreau felt that improvisation would make the film feel more natural. 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 each time.[38] It was Downey's idea to have Stark hold a news conference on the floor,[15] and he created the speech Stark makes when demonstrating the Jericho weapon.[10] Downey improvised the film's final line, "I am Iron Man", which Feige felt was inline with the character's personality.[91] Bridges described this approach as "a $200 million student film", and noted that it caused stress for Marvel executives when the stars were trying to come up with dialogue on the day of filming scenes. He also noted that in some instances, he and Downey would swap characters for rehearsal to see how their own lines sounded.[92] Paltrow was less comfortable with improvisation, so Favreau would take notes on things she said during rehearsals or in off-handed moments that were in line with the character to incorporate into Potts' dialogue.[66]: 76 

Samuel L. Jackson appears as Nick Fury in the film's post-credits scene

The crew conceived a post-credits scene featuring Nick Fury and called Samuel L. Jackson to ask him if he would be interested in playing Fury, as Jackson had learned a few years earlier that his likeness had been used for Fury in the Ultimate Marvel comics imprint. However, according to Latchman, Jackson originally appeared without any deal for him to reappear in later films: "It was just this weird idea that maybe people give a shi-- if we stick it on the end".[78] The dialogue for the scene was also changed on set, with comic writer Brian Michael Bendis providing three pages of dialogue for the part, and the filmmakers choosing the best lines for filming on set.[64] It was filmed with a skeleton crew in order to keep the cameo a secret, but rumors appeared on the Internet only days later. Feige subsequently had the scene removed from all preview prints in order to maintain the surprise and keep fans guessing.[93] An alternate version of the Nick Fury post-credits scene was filmed in which he specifically mentions "gamma accidents, radioactive bug bites and assorted mutants", referencing Hulk, Spider-Man and the X-Men, but this was cut due to Sony Pictures and 20th Century Fox holding the respective film rights to Spider-Man and the X-Men at the time.[94]

Post-production

[edit]

Favreau's main concern with the film's effects was whether the transition between the computer-generated and practical costumes would be too obvious.[95] He hired Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) to create the bulk of the visual effects for the film after seeing Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End and Transformers. The Orphanage and The Embassy did additional work,[22] with the latter creating a digital version of the Mark I armor.[96] To help with animating the more refined suits, information was sometimes captured by having Downey wear only the helmet, sleeves and chest of the costume over a motion capture suit,[22] and skydivers were filmed in a vertical wind tunnel to study the physics of flying.[97] For shots of the Mark III flying, it was animated to look realistic by taking off slowly, and landing quickly. To generate shots of Iron Man and the F-22 Raptors battling, cameras were flown in the air to provide reference for physics, wind and frost on the lenses.[98] Favreau conceived of the head-up display shots so audiences would not become disconnected from Stark when watching scenes with the CG Iron Man.[66]: 81 

When editor Dan Lebental started compiling an initial edit of the film in late 2007, it was quickly realized that the final act of the film was not working, as it was "basically two robots punching each other". They tried shortening the sequence, which did not help as it became "both emotionally unsatisfying and abruptly anticlimactic". Marvel rehired Marcum and Holloway, as all of the screenwriters had been released from their commitments at the end of filming, who suggested the act should call back to earlier in the film when Stark was learning that one of the limitations of the suit was it freezing at high altitudes. Favreau was hesitant to commit to this change, as it would cost an additional $6 million dollars. However, the impending writers' strike forced him to move forward with this idea, with Marcum and Holloway submitting a draft of the ending on November 4, 2007, a day before the strike began. Given no further rewrites could occur because of the strike and Bridges unable to participate in shooting new material, ILM worked with as much previously-shot footage as possible to rework the film's ending.[66]: 82–84 

Music

[edit]
Further information: Iron Man (soundtrack)

Composer Ramin Djawadi had been a fan of the character Iron Man as a child, saying that he always liked superheroes "that actually don't have any superpowers". After Favreau's previous collaborator John Debney was unavailable to score the film,[99] Djawadi sought out the role himself.[100] Favreau had a clear vision of heavy metal music and guitars for the project,[100] saying that Tony Stark was more of a rock star than a traditional superhero.[101] Djawadi subsequently composed most of the film's score on guitar, before arranging it for orchestra.[100] Djawadi had help with arrangements and additional cues from Hans Zimmer and Remote Control Productions,[100] and Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, who also makes a cameo appearance in the film, contributed guitar performances to the score.[36] The film also features a big band-style arrangement of the Iron Man theme song from the 1966 cartoon The Marvel Super Heroes from frequent Favreau collaborators John O'Brien and Rick Boston.[102] A soundtrack featuring Djawadi's score was released by Lions Gate Records on April 29, 2008.[103]

Marketing

[edit]
Downey promoting the film in Mexico City

In July 2006, with the film still in pre-production, Favreau and Arad attended San Diego Comic-Con to promote the film, where the film's armor design, drawn by Adi Granov, was revealed along with the announcement that the Mandarin was intended to be the antagonist of the film. The following year, Favreau returned to San Diego Comic-Con to once again promote the film with Downey and Feige, where a teaser trailer was shown. With much of the visuals not yet ready, Favreau worked with ILM to have the flying shots ready, saying "I knew that I had to make a splash because there was zero anticipation for the film at the time".[104] Stan Winston Studios also brought a life-sized replica of the film's armor to display at the convention.[105]

Marvel and Paramount modeled their marketing campaign for Iron Man on that of Transformers.[106] In May 2008, Sega released an official tie-in video game based on the film on multiple gaming platforms. Downey, Howard and Toub reprise their roles from the film.[107] A 30-second spot for the film aired during a Super Bowl XLII break.[108] Hasbro created figures of armor from the film, as well as Titanium Man (who appears in the video game) and the armor from the World War Hulk comics.[109]

The 7-Eleven convenience store chain helped promote the film across the United States, and LG Group also made a sponsorship deal with Paramount.[106] Worldwide, Burger King and Audi promoted the film. Jon Favreau was set to direct a commercial for the fast-food chain, as Michael Bay did for Transformers.[106] In the film, Tony Stark drives an Audi R8, and also has an "American cheeseburger" from Burger King after his rescue from Afghanistan, as part of the studio's product placement deal with the respective companies. Three other vehicles, the Audi S6 sedan, Audi S5 sports coupe and the Audi Q7 SUV, also appear in the film.[110][111] Audi created a tie-in website, as General Motors did for Transformers.[106] Oracle Corporation also promoted the film on its site.[112] Several tie-in comics were released for the film.[113]

Release

[edit]

Theatrical

[edit]

Iron Man premiered at the Greater Union theater at George Street, Sydney, on April 14, 2008.[114] The film began releasing in international markets on April 30,[115] and was released in the United States on May 2, 2008.[116] Iron Man was the first film released in Phase One of the MCU.[117] The film was re-formatted and screened in IMAX for the first time on August 30, 2018, as part of Marvel Studios' 10th anniversary IMAX festival.[118]

Home media

[edit]

The film was released by Paramount Home Entertainment on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on September 30, 2008, in the United States and Canada, and October 27, 2008 in most of Europe.[119] DVD sales were very successful, selling over 4 million copies the first week and generating a gross of over US$93 million.[120][121] There were a total of 9 million copies sold and an accumulated total sales of over $160 million (not including Blu-ray).[120] For the home releases of the film, the image on the newspaper Stark reads before he announces he is Iron Man had to be altered because of amateur photographer Ronnie Adams filing a lawsuit against Paramount and Marvel for using his on-location spy photo in the scene.[122] A Walmart-exclusive DVD release included a preview of Iron Man: Armored Adventures.[123]

The film was also collected in a 10-disc box set titled "Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One – Avengers Assembled" which includes all of the Phase One films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.[124] It was released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on April 2, 2013.[125] The IMAX Enhanced version of the film was made available on Disney+ beginning on November 12, 2021.[126]

Reception

[edit]

Box office

[edit]

Iron Man earned $319 million in the United States and Canada and $266.8 million in other territories, for a worldwide gross of $585.8 million.[5]

In its opening weekend, Iron Man grossed $98.6 million in 4,105 theaters in the United States and Canada, ranking first at the box office,[127] giving it the eleventh biggest-opening weekend at the time,[128] ninth-widest release in terms of theaters,[129] and the third highest-grossing opening weekend of 2008 behind Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and The Dark Knight. It grossed $35.2 million on its first day, giving it the thirteenth biggest-opening day at the time.[130] Iron Man had the second-best premiere for a non-sequel, behind Spider-Man, and the fourth biggest-opening for a superhero film.[131] Iron Man was also the number one film in the United States and Canada in its second weekend, grossing $51.2 million,[127] giving it the twelfth-best second weekend and the fifth-best for a non-sequel.[132] On June 19, 2008, Iron Man became that year's first film to pass the $300 million mark for the domestic box office.[133]

Critical response

[edit]

The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 94%, with an average score of 7.7/10, based on 282 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Powered by Robert Downey Jr.'s vibrant charm, Iron Man turbo-charges the superhero genre with a deft intelligence and infectious sense of fun."[134] On Metacritic, the film has an average score of 79 out of 100, based on 38 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[135] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[136]

Among the major trade journals, Todd McCarthy of Variety called the film an "expansively entertaining special effects extravaganza" with "fresh energy and stylistic polish",[28] while Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter praised the film, while nonetheless finding "disappointment [in] a climatic [sic] battle between different Iron Man prototypes ... how did Tony's nemesis learn how to use the suit?"[137] In one of the first major-daily newspaper reviews, Frank Lovece of Newsday lauded the film's "emotional truth ... pitch-perfect casting and plausibly rendered super-science" that made it "faithful to the source material while updating it – and recognizing what's made that material so enduring isn't just the high-tech cool of a man in a metal suit, but the human condition that got him there".[138] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film four out of four stars, praising Downey Jr.'s performance and stating, "At the end of the day it's Robert Downey Jr. who powers the lift-off separating this from most other superhero movies".[139] A. O. Scott of The New York Times called the film "an unusually good superhero picture. Or at least – since it certainly has its problems – a superhero movie that's good in unusual ways."[140] Among the specialty press, Garth Franklin of Dark Horizons commended the "impressive sets and mechanics that combine smoothly with relatively seamless CG", and said, "Robert Downey Jr., along with director Jon Favreau ... help this rise above formula. The result is something that, whilst hardly original or groundbreaking, is nevertheless refreshing in its earnestness to avoid dark dramatic stylings in favor of an easy-going, crowd-pleasing action movie with a sprinkle of anti-war and redemption themes".[141]

Among major metropolitan weeklies, David Edelstein of New York magazine called the film "a shapely piece of mythmaking ... Favreau doesn't go in for stylized comic-book frames, at least in the first half. He gets real with it – you'd think you were watching a military thriller",[142] while conversely, David Denby of The New Yorker gave a negative review, claiming "a slightly depressed, going-through-the-motions feel to the entire show ... Gwyneth Paltrow, widening her eyes and palpitating, can't do much with an antique role as Stark's girl Friday, who loves him but can't say so; Terrence Howard, playing a military man who chases around after Stark, looks dispirited and taken for granted".[143] IGN's Todd Gilchrist recognized Downey as "the best thing" in a film that "functions on autopilot, providing requisite story developments and character details to fill in this default 'origin story' while the actors successfully breathe life into their otherwise conventional roles".[144]

Accolades

[edit]
Accolades received by Iron Man
Year Award Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
2008 MTV Movie Awards Best Summer Movie So Far Iron Man Won [145]
Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie: Action Iron Man Nominated [146]
Choice Movie Actor: Action Robert Downey Jr. Nominated
Choice Movie Actress: Action Gwyneth Paltrow Nominated
Choice Movie: Villain Jeff Bridges Nominated
Scream Awards The Ultimate Scream Iron Man Nominated [147]
Best Science Fiction Movie Won
Best Science Fiction Actor Robert Downey Jr. Won
Best Science Fiction Actress Gwyneth Paltrow Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Terrence Howard Nominated
Best Superhero Robert Downey Jr. Nominated
Best Villain Jeff Bridges Nominated
Best Director Jon Favreau Nominated
Best Comic Book Movie Iron Man Nominated
Best Scream-Play Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby and Art Marcum & Matt Holloway Nominated
Best F/X Iron Man Nominated
Best Line "I am Iron Man" Nominated
The Holy Sh!t Scene of the Year Iron Man's First Flight Nominated
The Holy Sh!t Scene of the Year Escape from Ten Rings hideout Nominated
2009 People's Choice Awards Favorite Movie Iron Man Nominated [148]
Favorite Male Action Star Robert Downey Jr. Nominated
Favorite Male Movie Star Nominated
Favorite Superhero Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble Nominated [149]
USC Scripter Awards USC Libraries 21st Annual Scripter Award Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby and Art Marcum & Matt Holloway Nominated [150]
British Academy Film Awards Best Special Visual Effects Shane Mahan, John Nelson, and Ben Snow Nominated [151]
Grammy Awards Best Score Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media Ramin Djawadi Nominated [152]
VES Awards Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Feature Motion Picture Ben Snow, Hal Hickel, Victoria Alonso, and John Nelson Nominated [153]
Best Single Visual Effect of the Year Ben Snow, Wayne Billheimer, Victoria Alonso, and John Nelson Nominated
Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Motion Picture Hal Hickel, Bruce Holcomb, James Tooley, and John Walker Nominated
Outstanding Models and Miniatures in a Feature Motion Picture Aaron McBride, Russell Paul, Gerald Gutschmidt, and Kenji Yamaguchi for "Suit Up Machine" Nominated
Outstanding Compositing in a Feature Motion Picture Jonathan Rothbart, Dav Rauch, Kyle McCulloch, and Kent Seki for "HUD Compositing" Nominated
Academy Awards Best Sound Editing Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes Nominated [154]
Best Visual Effects John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick, and Shane Mahan Nominated
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Movie Iron Man Nominated [155]
Empire Awards Best Film Iron Man Nominated [156]
Best Actor Robert Downey Jr. Nominated [157]
Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Superhero Iron Man Nominated [158]
Taurus World Stunt Awards Hardest Hit Iron Man Won [159]
Best Stunt Coordinator and/or 2nd Unit Director Thomas R. Harper, Phil Neilson, and Keith Woulard Nominated
Best Fire Stunt Mike Justus, Damien Moreno, and Timothy P. Trella Won
MTV Movie Awards Best Movie Iron Man Nominated [160]
Best Male Performance Robert Downey Jr. Nominated
Saturn Awards Best Science Fiction Film Iron Man Won [161]
[162]
Best Actor Robert Downey Jr. Won
Best Actress Gwyneth Paltrow Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Jeff Bridges Nominated
Best Director Jon Favreau Won
Best Screenplay Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby and Art Marcum & Matt Holloway Nominated
Best Score Ramin Djawadi Nominated
Best Visual Effects Iron Man Nominated
Hugo Awards Best Dramatic Presentation – Long Form Iron Man Nominated [163]

Roger Ebert and Richard Corliss named Iron Man as among their favorite films of 2008.[139][164] It was selected by the American Film Institute as one of the ten best films of the year[165] and by Empire magazine as one of The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time.[166] Tony Stark was also selected by Empire as one of The 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time,[167] and on their list of the 100 Greatest Fictional Characters, Fandomania.com ranked him at number 37.[168] The Library of Congress selected Iron Man to be added to the National Film Registry in 2022, deeming it "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Responding to the selection, Feige stated its inclusion on the Film Registry meant the film "has stood the test of time and that it is still meaningful to audiences around the world".[169]

Sequels

[edit]

Main articles: Iron Man 2 and Iron Man 3
Further information: List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films

A sequel written by Justin Theroux and released in the United States on May 7, 2010, saw Favreau, Downey, Paltrow, Gregg, and Jackson returning. Don Cheadle replaced Terrence Howard in the role of Colonel Rhodes, who is also seen as War Machine. Also starring are Mickey Rourke as villain Ivan Vanko, Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer, and Scarlett Johansson as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Natasha Romanoff.[170] Walt Disney Studios and Marvel Studios released a second sequel on May 3, 2013,[171] with Favreau opting to direct Magic Kingdom instead, but still reprising his role as Happy Hogan.[172] Downey, Paltrow, and Cheadle also return, while Shane Black took over directing,[173] from a screenplay by Drew Pearce. Guy Pearce also starred as Aldrich Killian, and Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery.[174]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ a b In July 2013, the film's distribution rights were transferred from Paramount Pictures to Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.[6][7][8]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Iron Man". British Board of Film Classification. April 9, 2008. Archived from the original on May 13, 2016. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
  2. ^ Carr, David (April 20, 2008). "Been Up, Been Down. Now? Super". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  3. ^ McClintock, Pamela (May 4, 2008). "'Iron Man' a box office marvel". Variety. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  4. ^ Kit, Borys (October 6, 2008). "Marvel Studios taking Manhattan (Beach, that is)". Reuters. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Iron Man". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Archived from the original on April 8, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  6. ^ Tadena, Nathalie. "Disney Acquires Distribution Rights to Four Marvel Films From Paramount". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on September 26, 2013. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
  7. ^ Finke, Nikki (July 2, 2013). "Disney Completes Purchase of Marvel Home Entertainment Distribution Rights". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
  8. ^ Palmeri, Christopher (July 2, 2013). "Disney Buys Rights to Four Marvel Movies From Viacom's Paramount". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on April 21, 2014. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
  9. ^ a b c Bowles, Scott (April 27, 2007). "First look: Downey forges a bond with 'Iron Man' role". USA Today. Archived from the original on May 8, 2022. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  10. ^ a b Allsletter, Rob (March 3, 2008). "Iron Man's Jon Favreau". Comics Continuum. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  11. ^ Svetkey, Benjamin (May 13, 2016). "'Lethal Weapon' Wunderkind (and Former Party Boy) Shane Black Is Back ... and Still Looking for Action". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  12. ^ a b c d Ambrose, Tom (July 26, 2007). "The Man in the Iron Mask". Empire: 69.
  13. ^ a b c Hewitt, Chris (April 2008). "Super Fly Guy". Empire: 66–72.
  14. ^ Carroll, Larry (March 18, 2008). "Iron Man Star Robert Downey Jr. Talks About Incredible Hulk Cameo, Controversial Tropic Thunder Pics". MTV. Archived from the original on October 9, 2014. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  15. ^ a b c d e f Shapiro, Marc (April 2008). "Pumping Iron". Starlog. pp. 47–50 – via Internet Archive.
  16. ^ a b c d e Quint (February 9, 2007). "Quint visits the IRON MAN production offices! Art! Favreau speaks about sequels (?!?), casting and more!!!". Ain't It Cool News. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  17. ^ Rolfsen, Bruce (March 21, 2007). "Iron Man pilot to hit big screen". Air Force Times. Archived from the original on July 20, 2012. Retrieved March 22, 2007.
  18. ^ Worley, Rob M. (April 22, 2008). "Iron Man: Terrence Howard lives the dream". Comics2Films. Archived from the original on December 2, 2008. Retrieved April 22, 2008.
  19. ^ Rotten, Ryan (April 1, 2008). "Iron Man: The Set Visit – Terrence Howard". Superhero Hype!. Archived from the original on March 17, 2016. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  20. ^ McMillan, Graeme (November 15, 2013). "Terrence Howard Accuses Robert Downey Jr. of 'Iron Man' Sabotage". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 27, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g Robinson, Johanna; Gonzales, Dave; Edwards, Gavin (October 24, 2023). "How Iron Man Changed Everything for Marvel". Time. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  22. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Iron Man Production Notes". SciFi Japan. April 30, 2008. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  23. ^ Adler, Shawn (September 30, 2008). "Iron Man Co-Writers Discuss Their Favorite Deleted Scenes, Plus An Exclusive DVD Bonus Clip". MTV. Archived from the original on May 7, 2016. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  24. ^ Douglas, Edward (May 1, 2008). "Gwyneth Paltrow Plays Pepper Potts". Superhero Hype!. Archived from the original on May 4, 2009. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  25. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (May 2, 2008). "Iron Man". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 22, 2022. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  26. ^ Harris, Scott (May 6, 2013). "'Iron Man 3': 7 Things You May Have Missed the First Time Around". Next Movie. Archived from the original on April 3, 2022. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  27. ^ Redding, Jordan (December 11, 2014). "Iron Man 2008". Moviepilot. Archived from the original on December 27, 2014. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
  28. ^ a b McCarthy, Todd (April 25, 2008). "Iron Man". Variety. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  29. ^ Davidson, Danica (April 26, 2011). "Paul Bettany Confirms 'Avengers' Role, Will Return As Voice of J.A.R.V.I.S. Splash Page". MTV. Archived from the original on October 14, 2022. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  30. ^ "'Sex And The City': Guest Stars Of Season 3". Access Hollywood. May 31, 2008. Archived from the original on February 13, 2018. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  31. ^ "Iron Man Award Ceremony Narrator". Behind The Voice Actor. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  32. ^ Itzkoff, Dave (March 25, 2011). "Modern Marvel". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
  33. ^ "Samuel L. Jackson". Copyright Kamal Larsuel, 2005. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved August 20, 2006.
  34. ^ Goldman, Eric (May 4, 2007). "Stan Lee's Further Superhero Adventures". IGN. Archived from the original on May 18, 2019. Retrieved May 14, 2007.
  35. ^ Riesman, Abraham (July 18, 2019). "'In a Cave! With a Box of Scraps!': How an Iconic Marvel Cinematic Insult Came to Be". Vulture. Archived from the original on July 18, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  36. ^ a b "RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE Guitarist Faces Iron Man". Roadrunner Records. May 6, 2008. Archived from the original on May 10, 2008. Retrieved May 8, 2008.
  37. ^ Dellaverson, Carlo (May 2, 2008). "Cramer In Iron Man". CNBC. Archived from the original on June 12, 2011. Retrieved May 8, 2008.
  38. ^ a b c d e f g Douglas, Edward (April 29, 2008). "Exclusive: An In-Depth Iron Man Talk with Jon Favreau". SuperheroHype. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  39. ^ Ryan, James (April 14, 1990). "Bam! Pow! Heroes take over the silver screen". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
  40. ^ Smith, Andrew (February 18, 1996). "Gen X kids not bad on screen". The Commercial Appeal.
  41. ^ "Film Clips Column". The Journal Gazette. January 3, 1997.
  42. ^ Radford, Bill (September 6, 1998). "Big screen gaining new ground as venue for comics creations". The Gazette.
  43. ^ a b c "Iron Man (Archive)". Comics2Film. Archived from the original on May 3, 2006. Retrieved October 1, 2008.
  44. ^ Vice, Jeff (October 3, 1999). "Comic books poised for film incarnations". Deseret Morning News.
  45. ^ Smith, Andrew (December 26, 1999). "Superheroes lining up for millennium movie debuts". The Commercial Appeal.
  46. ^ Ferrante, Anthony C. (February 15, 2007). "Alfred Gough on Smallville, Iron Man and The Mummy 3 – Part 3". Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved February 2, 2008.
  47. ^ Epstein, Warren (July 9, 2000). "X-guys could muscle up more Marvelous screen fare". The Gazette.
  48. ^ Richey, Rodney (September 25, 2000). "Warner Bros. goes Bat to the Future". Los Angeles Daily News.
  49. ^ Elder, Robert K. (June 1, 2001). "All work and lots of slay". Chicago Tribune.
  50. ^ Garcia, Chris (December 6, 2002). "A firsthand look at Secondhand". Austin American-Statesman.
  51. ^ a b c d Couch, Aaron (May 2, 2018). "What If Robert Downey Jr. Were Never Iron Man?". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 31, 2020. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  52. ^ a b Stax (November 2, 2004). "Exclusive: Who Will Love Iron Man?". IGN. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  53. ^ Harris, Dana (November 29, 2004). "Cassavetes to pump 'Iron' for New Line". Variety. Archived from the original on May 2, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  54. ^ Fritz, Ben (November 2, 2005). "Marvel steels itself for Iron". Variety. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved July 28, 2006.
  55. ^ Marvel Studios: Building A Cinematic Universe (documentary). 2012 – via The Avengers Blu-Ray.
  56. ^ Tyler, Adrienne (April 12, 2020). "Marvel Wanted Iron Man To Crossover With Spider-Man 2 (Using Doc Ock)". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  57. ^ White, Brett (February 16, 2016). "Quesada Reveals 'Deadpool' Director's Role in Making 'Iron Man' Film". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  58. ^ a b Kit, Borys (April 28, 2006). "Marvel Studios outlines slew of superhero titles". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved March 22, 2008.
  59. ^ "Ultimate Superhero Preview". Empire. September 29, 2006. pp. 90, 230.
  60. ^ a b c Vespe, Eric (July 28, 2007). "Quint goes one on one with Jon Favreau about Iron Man at Comic-Con!!!". Ain't It Cool News. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved July 29, 2007.
  61. ^ Ferris, Glen (April 29, 2008). "Empire: Interviews – Jon Favreau Video Interview". Empire Online. Archived from the original on February 8, 2012. Retrieved May 1, 2008.
  62. ^ Worley, Rob (June 21, 2006). "Jon Favreau talks Iron Man". Comics2Film. Archived from the original on May 5, 2008. Retrieved March 22, 2008.
  63. ^ Jensen, Jeff (April 17, 2008). "Iron Man: Summer's first Marvel?". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 22, 2013. Retrieved April 21, 2008.
  64. ^ a b c d Johnston, Rich (May 6, 2008). "Lying in the Gutters Volume 2 Column 156". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on October 8, 2012. Retrieved May 6, 2008.
  65. ^ Zeitchik, Steven; Fritz, Ben (May 31, 2006). "Marvel's 'X' man makes cushy exit". Variety. Archived from the original on May 11, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  66. ^ a b c d Robinson, Johanna; Gonzales, Dave; Edwards, Gavin (October 10, 2023). MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios. New York City: Liveright. ISBN 978-1-63149-751-3.
  67. ^ a b Douglas, Edward (July 25, 2006). "Exclusive: Jon Favreau on Iron Man". Super Hero Hype. Archived from the original on September 14, 2019. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  68. ^ Vejvoda, Jim (May 24, 2006). "The Unknown Iron Man". IGN. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  69. ^ a b Warmoth, Brian (January 15, 2009). "Sam Rockwell Confirms 'Iron Man 2' Role, Almost Played Tony Stark". MTV News. Archived from the original on April 17, 2022. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  70. ^ a b Eisenberg, Eric (June 3, 2014). "Jon Favreau Details His Fight With Marvel Studios To Cast Robert Downey Jr. As Iron Man". CinemaBlend. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  71. ^ Moriarty (September 29, 2006). "AICN Exclusive!! Iron Man Has Found Its Tony Stark!!". Ain't It Cool News. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  72. ^ Siegel, Tatiana; Kit, Borys (October 11, 2018). "Scarlett Johansson Lands $15 Million Payday for Black Widow Movie". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  73. ^ Ashlee, Vance (May 15, 2015). "Elon Musk's Space Dream Almost Killed Tesla". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on May 14, 2015. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  74. ^ "Terrence Howard cast in Iron Man!". GamesRadar+. October 12, 2006. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  75. ^ "Gwyneth Paltrow to Star in Iron Man". ComingSoon.net. January 17, 2007. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  76. ^ "Jeff Bridges Aboard Iron Man". Superhero Hype. February 5, 2007. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  77. ^ Harris, Will (April 10, 2020). "Don Cheadle got the Avengers call in the middle of his kid's laser tag party". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on April 12, 2020. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  78. ^ a b Bennett, Tara; Terry, Paul (2021). The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Abrams Books. ISBN 978-1419732447.
  79. ^ a b Worley, Rob M. (September 8, 2007). "Iron Man: Favreau on films, fans, and Fin Fang Foom". Comics2Film. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved August 8, 2007.
  80. ^ "Part 2 of Quint's interview with Jon Favreau! Iron Man 2, Stark's alcoholism, Empire Strikes Back and The Avengers!". Ain't It Cool News. October 29, 2008. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  81. ^ "Who Designed the Iron Man Suit?". Superhero Hype!. May 6, 2007. Archived from the original on May 8, 2007. Retrieved May 6, 2007.
  82. ^ Sciretta, Peter (October 21, 2008). "Iron Man: Official War Machine Concept Art". Slash Film. Archived from the original on October 22, 2008. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
  83. ^ Raab, Scott (February 21, 2007). "May God Bless and Keep Robert Downey Jr". Esquire. Archived from the original on January 14, 2014. Retrieved February 23, 2007.
  84. ^ "Funding Initiated for Iron Man Movie". Superhero Hype!. February 28, 2007. Archived from the original on March 2, 2007. Retrieved February 28, 2007.
  85. ^ Favreau, Jon (March 19, 2007). "Jon Favreau on Iron Man filming". Superhero Hype!. Archived from the original on March 22, 2007. Retrieved March 19, 2007.
  86. ^ "Flying with the stars". Edwards Air Force Base. April 6, 2007. Archived from the original on November 4, 2013. Retrieved April 16, 2007.
  87. ^ Miles, Donna (May 2, 2007). "Edwards team stars in Iron Man superhero movie". United States Air Force. Archived from the original on May 26, 2012. Retrieved May 14, 2007.
  88. ^ Chilton, Louis (October 23, 2021). "If this mega Chinese blockbuster is propaganda, what are Bond and Captain Marvel?". The Independent. Archived from the original on November 24, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  89. ^ Rose, Steve (May 26, 2022). "Top Gun for hire: why Hollywood is the US military's best wingman". The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 9, 2022. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  90. ^ Favreau, Jon (June 25, 2007). "Iron Man Movie Update!". Comingsoon.net. Archived from the original on June 29, 2007. Retrieved June 26, 2007.
  91. ^ Boucher, Geoff (July 19, 2018). "'Iron Man' At 10: How One Film Set A Dominant Path For Marvel, Kevin Feige, Robert Downey Jr. & Jon Favreau". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 19, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  92. ^ Ahern, Sarah; Roshanian, Arya (November 30, 2016). "What Jeff Bridges Learned From Difficulties on the 'Iron Man' Set". Variety. Archived from the original on May 14, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  93. ^ "Jon Favreau Talks Iron Man". Entertainment Weekly. May 5, 2008. Archived from the original on May 10, 2008. Retrieved May 6, 2008.
  94. ^ Bucksbaum, Sydney (September 14, 2019). "Deleted Iron Man post-credits scene references Spider-Man, X-Men". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 18, 2019. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  95. ^ Rotten, Ryan (April 1, 2008). "Iron Man: The Set Visit – Jon Favreau". Superhero Hype!. Archived from the original on April 2, 2008. Retrieved April 1, 2008.
  96. ^ Andrews, Marke (April 11, 2008). "Vancouver's visual effects makers bulk up". The Vancouver Sun. Canada. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
  97. ^ Giardina, Carolyn (May 5, 2008). "'Iron Man' crew had desired effects". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 18, 2014. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  98. ^ Vespe, Eric (April 21, 2008). "Quint visits ILM with Jon Favreau and sees some IRON MAN stuff!!". Ain't It Cool News. Archived from the original on April 23, 2008. Retrieved April 22, 2008.
  99. ^ Larson, Randall (July 22, 2010). "Of Superheroes and Predators: John Debney Returns to Sci-Fi". Cinefantastique. Archived from the original on March 26, 2014. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
  100. ^ a b c d "Ramin Djawadi: Compositore di Iron Man". Comicus. April 6, 2008. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  101. ^ Weedon, Paul (October 17, 2013). "Ramin Djawadi on Game of Thrones, Iron Man, Pacific Rim". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  102. ^ Boston, Rick. "Iron Man Theme by John O'Brien and Rick Boston". Rick Boston Artist Musician. Archived from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  103. ^ "Iron Man (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Apple Music. April 29, 2008. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  104. ^ Favreau, Jon (July 20, 2011). "Jon Favreau Shares Five Years of Comic-Con Memories". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  105. ^ Kit, Borys (July 22, 2022). "Hollywood Flashback: 15 Years Ago, Marvel Won Over Comic-Con With 'Iron Man'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 29, 2022. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  106. ^ a b c d Stanley, T. L. (January 7, 2008). "Tie-ins: LG, BK, 7-Eleven To Pump Paramount's Iron Man". Brandweek. Archived from the original on January 13, 2008. Retrieved January 8, 2008.
  107. ^ Geddes, Ryan (March 20, 2008). "Iron Man Film Cast To Voice Game". IGN. Archived from the original on April 3, 2015. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  108. ^ Graser, Marc (December 19, 2007). "Studios suit up for Super Bowl". Variety. Archived from the original on September 29, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2007.
  109. ^ Douglas, Edward (February 17, 2008). "Hasbro Previews G.I. Joe, Hulk, Iron Man, Indy & Clone Wars". Superhero Hype!. Archived from the original on February 18, 2008. Retrieved February 17, 2008.
  110. ^ Graser, Marc (July 25, 2007). "Iron Man rides with Audi". Variety. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved July 26, 2007.
  111. ^ Gorman, Steve (May 3, 2008). "'Iron Man' gets heavy start at box office". Reuters. Archived from the original on May 6, 2008. Retrieved May 4, 2008.
  112. ^ "Oracle is co-promoting Ironman". Oracle. Archived from the original on May 5, 2008. Retrieved May 2, 2008.
  113. ^ Tobin, Paul (October 20, 2008). "Paul Tobin on Iron Man: Fast Friends". Newsarama. Archived from the original on October 12, 2014. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  114. ^ "Iron Man Aussie Premiere Pics". Superhero Hype!. April 14, 2008. Archived from the original on April 20, 2008. Retrieved April 15, 2008.
  115. ^ Sciretta, Peter (March 12, 2008). "Iron Man NOT Coming Early". /Film. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
  116. ^ "Iron-Clad Date: MAY 2, 2008". Marvel.com. June 23, 2006. Archived from the original on March 1, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
  117. ^ McEwan, Cameron K.; Longridge, Chris (August 7, 2019). "Marvel's 'Phases' explained: What goes when & why". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on August 20, 2019. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  118. ^ Coggan, Devan (August 10, 2018). "All 20 Marvel Cinematic Universe movies are returning to theaters in IMAX". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  119. ^ Ault, Susanne (May 5, 2008). "Iron Man to kick off fourth quarter". Video Business. Archived from the original on July 25, 2008. Retrieved July 22, 2008.
  120. ^ a b "Iron Man". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Archived from the original on February 11, 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  121. ^ Paris, Arthur J. (October 15, 2008). "It just keeps on getting better and better for Iron Man". Rediff India Abroad. Archived from the original on August 25, 2009. Retrieved July 1, 2009.
  122. ^ Kemp, Cal (September 17, 2008). "Iron Man Censored". Collider. Archived from the original on January 9, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2008.
  123. ^ "Iron Man DVD (Review)". Comics Worth Reading. October 5, 2008. Archived from the original on July 7, 2012. Retrieved October 13, 2008.
  124. ^ Lee, Jason (June 6, 2012). "'Marvel Cinematic Universe' 10-disc Blu-ray set announced". HD-Report. Archived from the original on November 24, 2012. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  125. ^ Breznican, Anthony (September 6, 2012). "Briefcase lawsuit delays Marvel's 'Phase One' box set until next spring – Exclusive". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 7, 2012. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  126. ^ Byford, Sam (November 8, 2021). "Disney Plus is upgrading Marvel movies to IMAX aspect ratio". The Verge. Archived from the original on November 8, 2021. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  127. ^ a b "Iron Man (2008) – Weekend Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on April 5, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2008.
  128. ^ "Biggest Openings at the Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on March 9, 2007. Retrieved May 2, 2008.
  129. ^ "Movies With the Widest Openings at the Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on October 15, 2007. Retrieved May 6, 2008.
  130. ^ "Opening Day Records at the Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on October 16, 2007. Retrieved May 3, 2008.
  131. ^ Germain, David (May 4, 2008). "Marvel turns Iron Man into gold with $100M-plus debut". Forbes. Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 8, 2008. Retrieved May 4, 2008.
  132. ^ "Top Weekends:2nd-12th". Box Office Mojo. May 11, 2008. Archived from the original on December 17, 2008. Retrieved May 12, 2008.
  133. ^ DiOrio, Carl (June 19, 2008). "'Iron Man' bolts past $300 million at box office". NewsDaily. Archived from the original on June 27, 2008. Retrieved June 25, 2008.
  134. ^ "Iron Man". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on January 15, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2022. Edit this at Wikidata
  135. ^ "Iron Man". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Archived from the original on December 15, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  136. ^ Rich, Joshua (May 28, 2018). "'Indiana Jones 4' digs up big box office". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on June 10, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  137. ^ Honeycutt, Kirk (April 28, 2008). "Iron Man". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 30, 2008. Retrieved May 3, 2008.
  138. ^ Lovece, Frank (April 30, 2008). "Iron Man". Newsday. Archived from the original on May 5, 2008. Retrieved May 3, 2008.
  139. ^ a b Ebert, Roger (December 5, 2008). "The best films of 2008... and there were a lot of them". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on December 8, 2008. Retrieved December 9, 2008.
  140. ^ Scott, A. O. (May 2, 2008). "Iron Man (2008)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 2, 2008. Retrieved May 3, 2008.
  141. ^ Franklin, Garth (May 2, 2008). "Review: 'Iron Man'". Dark Horizons. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2008.
  142. ^ Edelstein, David (April 25, 2008). "A Hero for Our Times". New York. Archived from the original on May 6, 2008. Retrieved May 3, 2008.
  143. ^ Denby, David (May 5, 2008). "Unsafe". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on May 1, 2008. Retrieved May 3, 2008.
  144. ^ Gilchrist, Todd (April 29, 2008). "Iron Man Review". IGN. Archived from the original on May 5, 2008. Retrieved April 29, 2008.
  145. ^ Keck, William (June 2, 2008). "MTV Movie Awards full of pomp, promotion". USA Today. Archived from the original on December 23, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
  146. ^ "2008 Teen Choice Awards winners and nominees". Los Angeles Times. June 17, 2008. Archived from the original on September 12, 2008. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
  147. ^ Seijas, Casey (September 15, 2008). "Comics Take Over '2008 Scream Awards' As Nominees Announced". MTV News. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
  148. ^ "People's Choice Awards – 2009 Nominees & Winners". People's Choice Awards. Archived from the original on October 27, 2009. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
  149. ^ "'Doubt' Tops SAG Pack". CBS News. December 18, 2008. Archived from the original on October 29, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
  150. ^ King, Susan (January 7, 2009). "USC Scripter Award nominations announced". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
  151. ^ "Bafta Film Awards 2009: The winners". BBC. February 8, 2009. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
  152. ^ Seijas, Casey (December 4, 2008). "'The Dark Knight', 'Iron Man' Rock The Grammy Nominations". MTV News. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
  153. ^ "Iron Man Leads Visual Effects Society Awards Nominations". GamesRadar. January 20, 2009. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
  154. ^ "Academy Award winners and nominees". CNN. February 22, 2009. Archived from the original on February 24, 2009. Retrieved February 22, 2009.
  155. ^ "Nickelodeon Unfolds Luminous List of 2009 Kids' Choice Awards Nominees". Nick KCA Press. February 6, 2009. Archived from the original on February 22, 2009. Retrieved July 1, 2009.
  156. ^ "Empire Awards 2009 Best Film". Empire. Archived from the original on November 6, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  157. ^ "Empire Awards 2009 Best Actor". Empire. Archived from the original on November 6, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  158. ^ "Empire Awards 2009 Best Sci-Fi / Superhero". Empire. Archived from the original on August 14, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  159. ^ "'Doubt' Tops SAG Pack". Taurus World Stunt Awards. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
  160. ^ "MTV's 2009 Movie Award Nominations Are Packed With Comic Book Nods". MTV News. May 4, 2009. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
  161. ^ "Nominations for the 35th Annual Saturn Awards". saturnawards.org. Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films. Archived from the original on February 21, 2012. Retrieved March 17, 2009.
  162. ^ "'The Dark Knight' receives five Saturn Awards at the 35th Annual Saturn Awards". saturnawards.org. Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films. Archived from the original on July 11, 2009. Retrieved July 11, 2009.
  163. ^ "2009 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. Archived from the original on May 7, 2011. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
  164. ^ Corliss, Richard (December 9, 2008). "Top 10 Movies". Time. Archived from the original on December 10, 2008. Retrieved December 9, 2008.
  165. ^ "AFI Awards 2008". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on March 16, 2015. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  166. ^ "Empire's The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time". Empire. Cinema Realm. Archived from the original on May 19, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
  167. ^ "Empire's The 100 Greatest Characters of All Time". Empire. Archived from the original on September 5, 2011. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
  168. ^ "The 100 Greatest Fictional Characters". Fandomania.com. October 7, 2009. Archived from the original on June 20, 2010. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
  169. ^ McPherson, Christopher (December 14, 2022). "'Iron Man,' 'The Little Mermaid,' and More Added to National Film Registry". Collider. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  170. ^ Scott, A. O. (May 6, 2010). "The Man in the Iron Irony". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  171. ^ Ward, Kate (October 18, 2010). "Iron Man 3 to come to theaters in 2013". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 12, 2010.
  172. ^ Sneider, Jeff (December 14, 2010). "No Favreau? 10 Directors Who Could Take Over Iron Man 3". TheWrap. Archived from the original on December 17, 2010.
  173. ^ Finke, Nikki; Fleming, Mike Jr. (February 17, 2011). "Shane Black To Direct Marvel's 'Iron Man 3'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012.
  174. ^ Acuna, Kirsten (May 6, 2013). "Fans Are Torn Over The Big Twist In 'Iron Man 3'". Business Insider. Archived from the original on March 6, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Iron Man (2008 film).
Wikiquote has quotations related to Iron Man (2008 film).
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Iron_Man_(2008_film)&oldid=1256084175"