04. Iron Man (Jon Favreau, 2008)
2008 saw the release of two very different superhero movies from the two largest comic book publishers known to man. DC released Batman Begins, a dark and harrowing look at there primary cash cow franchise, whereas Marvel typically took a much more lighthearted approach and introduced the world to an alcoholic, womanising billionaire of their own - Tony Stark, aka Iron Man. In Robert Downey Jr's first Iron Man outing, we learn a little of his back story, about how he came to need a magnetic chest plate and where the idea for the suit came from. We also get to see just how unreliable he is, how inconsistent he can be and how, in spite of it all, he does it all for the love of one woman - Pepper Potts, played with understated elegance by the usually drab Gwyneth Paltrow. Iron Man has been described as a tour de force, and is a massive achievement for Marvel. There is more excitement and charisma in Starks carefully sculpted facial hair than there is in Tobey Maguires wall crawler. A definitive popcorn movie that set a high standard for everything that followed.