10 MCU Storylines The Comics Did Better
7. Iron Man 2 Wastes The Pathos Of Demon In A Bottle
Iron Man 2 was the first sign that films based in a nascent cinematic universe would buckle under the weight of expanding said universe. The film had to juggle a lot of elements and set the stage for future instalments, and this meant that it could not do justice to its own story and sources of inspiration.
This was seen in its (admittedly loose) adaptation of Demon in a Bottle, the seminal 1979 Iron Man tale that explores Tony's struggles with alcoholism. The film depicts Tony's growing alcoholism as a side effect of grappling with his impending death as caused by his arc reactor. Although the film's concept was solid, the plot line simply had no room to breathe due to the film's many moving parts.
The comic on the other hand built up towards Stark's addiction in a manner that was more somber than expected. The hero's woes are explored in greater detail and his failures cannot be handwaved by a clever but convoluted invention.
Demon in a Bottle helped make the hero more relatable and its portrayal of Stark's allies showed that some of his greatest gifts in life are not always powered suits of armor