Superhero films are blockbusters designed to entertain families and escape from reality for a couple of hours. Turn off your brain, sit back, grab a bucket of popcorn, and enjoy the film. People want to be amazed and laugh while rooting for the hero to win. If everything is all doom and gloom, how can the audience enjoy themselves? But don't over do it. Worst Offender: Iron Man 3: IM3 suffers from, what I thought was impossible, an over-abundance of comedy. This should not be a problem, but the film's over-reliance eliminates its tension and negatively affects its serious moments. What should be a serious scene is immediately hurt by Tony telling a joke. Not only are these darker moments affected, but the film's tension is erased. At no moment was it expected the villains would win or challenge Tony. He is perfectly calm and constantly jokes every ten seconds ruining the villain's impact or the film's more heartfelt moments. Nearly every line is some kind of joke, whim, or snarky dialogue. Arguably the best scene is the House Invasion. This is the first scene where the jokes are non-existent and tension finally kicks in. Will Tony make it to the suit in time? Will Pepper survive? Everything we loved about Tony is quickly destroyed in a matter of minutes. His suits exploded one by one, all the history we've been together in flames. His Malibu home, there from the first film, crumbles around Tony, and sinks like the Titanic in the water. Even the dense but lovable Dum-E is crushed under the falling debris. This is the only time in the film where Tony is actually defeated. Best Example: Thor: The Dark World: 2013's other Marvel film improves on what IM3 relied heavily on. TDW blended both comedy and serious to create a film you can laugh at, but also feel sad during. Like for instance, Loki's conversations with Frigga and Odin, his adopted parents, are serious and heartfelt. He tries to invoke some kind of fatherly emotion from Odin. While with Frigga, he is cold to her even though she is showing motherly love towards him. Even after his betrayal, she still sees him as her son. None of these interactions involve any comedic moments. Those are saved for his moments with Thor. The most serious moment is the silent montage beginning with Frigga's death. Thor, Jane, and Odin grieve over her lifeless body, then she receives a beautiful funeral fit for a Viking, finally it ends when Loki receives the news and destroys his cell in a quiet rage. The next scene includes comedic relief featuring an insane Doctor Selvic teaching mentally ill patients, and Stan Lee. It's perfect, like something out of a Shakespeare play. Another similar scene is Loki's "death" scene. He sacrifices himself to save Thor. It's a touching scene where Loki finally appears to have redeemed himself. He quietly dies in Thor's arms. Shortly after, the film cuts to an amusing scene to help viewers cope with Loki's "death."
