Every Billion Dollar Comic Book Movie Ranked Worst To Best

6. Iron Man 3 (2013)

Box Office: $1,214,811,252

It's always been a shame that the critical response to Shane Black's wonderfully charming Iron Man threequel has typically been a little obsessively focused on the twist ending that apparently "ruined" a great character in The Mandarin. The reality is that that character was never great - he was a racist stereotype who simply wouldn't have worked in 2013. And shouldn't have even been considered.

Looking beyond that divisive twist, you get a lot of rewarding elements: Robert Downey Jr is brilliant as the newly fractured Tony Stark who is more overtly dealing with demons that would blossom into his Civil War mentality, his relationship with Rhodey is FINALLY believable and there's bags of 1990s action movie nostalgia to enjoy.

Black was having fun here, even as the material showed darker edges, and while there are story issues (including Marvel's insistence on relegating Maya Hansen to a bit-part), it's still a great watch.