As the first self-funded release from a fledgling movie studio, Iron Man was an incredibly risky project; a $140m blockbuster based on a second-tier character, directed by the guy that made Elf and a star that had never taken the lead role in a big-budget movie before. However, Iron Man turned out to be one of the most important blockbusters of the 21st Century; a critical and commercial hit, Robert Downey Jr's instantly-iconic turn as Tony Stark shot him to the top of the Hollywood A-list and laid the foundations for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which in the six years since has firmly established itself as the biggest brand in the industry. The sequel upped the budget to $200m yet turned out to be a disappointment; with a slate of upcoming movies on the calendar it seemed that Iron Man 2 was more concerned about expanding the greater Marvel mythology than providing the title character with the best possible standalone feature. With Tony Stark firmly established as the crown jewel in the MCU character-wise, Shane Black's Iron Man 3 hit theaters a year after the Avengers, with the goodwill towards Joss Whedon's epic team-up and the popularity of Downey Jr's portrayal of the title character turning the threequel into one of the highest-grossing movies of all time. Given that Marvel Studios have announced their movies through to 2019, and the status of RDJ's contract (not to mention the $40m it took to get him to sign on to Captain America: Civil War), a fourth solo outing for Iron Man seems increasingly unlikely.
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