10 Most Irritating Subplots In The Marvel Cinematic Universe

6. Tony's Daddy Issues - Iron Man 2

One of the major subplots in Iron Man 2 was Tony Stark reflecting on the legacy of his father, Howard Stark, and how shaky his relationship with him was, believing that he never really loved him. At the end of the movie, as Tony views a message recorded by his father, Tony finally comes to realise that his father did in fact love him above all else, as he tells him, "What is, and always will be, my greatest creation...is you." Though this subplot had the potential to be affecting and develop Tony more as a character, it did come across as rather simplistic and emotionally shallow, implying that all of Tony's daddy issues can be taken care of with one nice sentence. That's not to say that we would have wanted to see Tony moping around forever more, but for it to be open-and-shut seems a little clumsy and convoluted. What we really take away from this plot is that Howard Stark was an emotional cripple rather than a flat-out a**hole.