Iron Man 3: 10 Reasons Why It Should Be The Final Entry

9. Stark's Ego Is Starting To Fade

Iron Army The whole reason Iron Man existed in the first place was so that Tony Stark could escape imprisonment. Once he found his way back home, there really wasn't any reason for Tony to even build another suit or even worry about arc reactor technology besides keeping himself alive. If it wasn't for his discovery that Stark Technologies hardware was being used by terrorists, Tony might have just left well enough alone. But the news reports of other countries being terrorized by the weapons he once built lead him to stop building weapons and build himself the Mark II armor. While this was a philanthropic and humanitarian gesture, meant to atone for his years of ignorance involving where his money was actually coming from, it was ultimately an act of ego. This is only further demonstrated at the end of Iron Man, when he reveals his own identity to the press; and in Iron Man 2, where he revels in his identity enough that when he finds out the Paladium reactor is slowly killing him, he starts partying hard and slacking on the hero angle again. However, we do see Tony's ego begin to crack, and ultimately we see him wrestle with personal issues and improve his quality of life as well as his attitude towards said life. By the time he sends a nuclear rocket into deep space and almost dies doing so, the ego that was Tony Stark's has changed into something more fragile and introspective. It's this transformation that might, if current trends continue, ultimately find him hanging up the suit for good. Iron Man was born out of survival, fueled by atonement and ego, and ultimately seems to be heading on a collision course with Tony's more selfless nature. If he's a fraction of the hero he thinks he is, he'll want to mitigate the damage to himself and others. If he wants to truly protect those around him, he needs to hang up the suit.
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Mike Reyes may or may not be a Time Lord, but he's definitely the Doctor Who editor here at What Culture. In addition to his work at What Culture, Mr. Reyes writes for Cocktails and Movies, as well as his own personal blogs Mr. Controversy and The Bookish Kind. On top of that, he's also got a couple Short Stories and Novels in various states of completion, like any good writer worth their salt. He resides in New Jersey, and compiles his work from all publications on his Facebook page.