10 Movie Franchises That Have Backed Themselves Into A Corner

9. Completing Tony Stark's Story Arc - Iron Man

Robert Downey Jr. has talked down the idea of any future solo Iron Man movies, but given that he seems to change his mind on a regular basis, it seems okay to assume that - presented with a suitable monetary offer - he could be swayed by Marvel (should they deem such a thing necessary). That in mind, then, it seems somewhat odd that Marvel allowed Tony Stark to finalise what most will see as his definitive character arc at the end of Iron Man 3. One of the most interesting things about Stark's character, of course, was the accident that caused him to become Iron Man in the first place. That's where all of his hubris is drawn from, after all. That's to say, the finale of Iron Man 3 has Tony - in a scene that literally could be used to defines the term "deux ex machina" - suddenly able to remove the shrapnel that has been slowly killing him from his heart. At this point, he also overcomes his anxiety issues, and then becomes a perfect boyfriend for love interest Pepper Potts. This was all presumably worked into the movie on the chance that Downey Jr. refused to play Iron Man again; it feels like an ending of sorts for the character. Should Iron Man 4 ever find itself in production, though, Marvel have certainly left Stark with very few places to go on an internal level.