9. Iron Man 3
Tony Starks core as a character is innovation, but out of the entire film trilogy, Iron Man 3 uses this idea to the greatest extent, as it should. Tonys young friend and paperboy Harley Keener is a clear surrogate for the kids in the audience, and Tony shows him what Iron Man is really about. He is not a man about fighting aliens, but instead a man exploring science and its possibilities through open-minded ingenuity. He tinkers to learn for the sake of learning, and when Harley points out that Iron Patriot is a cool name, Tony is quick to counter, No its not. Also of particularly awesome note is the sequence where Tony, prompted by Harley, shops for and assembles his own tools to get himself into the Mandarins compound. Sure, this scene could have some scary real-life implications, but in Tonys case, its really exciting to watch. Its like if Bill Nye and MacGyver were occupying the same body for a few fleeting euphoric minutes. It makes me want to go out and make one of those little pencil helicopters. And the films climax involves a battle where all of Tonys work, his blood, sweat, and tears, defends him. Hows that for personal creativity paying off? Its a nice underlying message in many ways.