The
Dark Knight and
Iron Man trilogies have been two of the most popular, most important series in the history of superhero movies. Each franchise has enjoyed immense box office success and more critical acclaim than films in the genre typically receive. They are also responsible for some of the most grounded superhero storytelling ever seen onscreen. It should come as no surprise, then, that there are many similarities between all six films. This list examines 12 of the most interesting examples. Do not expect a simple rundown of the common traits between the characters of Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne that already exist in the comics. Everyone knows they're both billionaires with awesome tech. Instead, this list is comprised of commonalities in the pacing, plot points, story structure, and creative choices made in each series. Be forewarned, this article contains
MAJOR SPOILERS for
Iron Man 3, so if you are either of the two people who have not yet seen the film, you may want to wait until you get back from the theater to click "Next." For those of you who've seen all of the films in each trilogy, let's begin!