10 MCU Plot Holes That Aren't Actually Plot Holes
8. Tony Doesn't Activate The House Party Protocol Sooner - Iron Man 3
During Iron Man 3's climactic battle, Tony and Rhodey both agree that they need a little backup, at which point, dozens and dozens of unmanned Iron Man suits fly onto the scene to assist the pair in taking down Aldrich Killian and rescuing the President.
Many people questioned why Tony didn't do this earlier in the battle, or even earlier in the film - like when he faced the Extremis soldiers in the small town, or when he invaded the Mandarin's headquarters. Why wait until the last possible second to summon help?
Something that a lot of people missed here is that Tony didn't wait until the last possible second to summon help. He actually activates the House Party Protocol while on the speedboat with Rhodey, which is a good chunk of time before the final battle even begins.
The reason the suits appear to arrive at the last possible second is because they have to travel from Stark's home all the way to the shipping container yard where the fight is happening.
And why didn't he activate the protocol even sooner than the speedboat scene? Well, he physically couldn't. Earlier in the film, his Malibu home is destroyed, covering the cellar in which all the unmanned suits were stored in a thick layer of rubble.
Tony couldn't summon the suits until the rubble was cleared, and Jarvis even mentions that cranes have arrived to clear the site just before Tony saves the passengers who fell from Air Force One.