With the release of Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World later this year, Marvel Studios will usher in a whole new era of Avengers movies, bringing a set of ground-breaking new solo instalments to provide a big build-up to their next ensemble outing. Rightly, the studio are kicking things off where they began in Phase One, starting Phase Two with the much-anticipated third entry in the Iron Man franchise. Yes, Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle and all of the rest of the gang will be back for more metal-clad adventures on the big screen this Summer, and it seems fair to say that fans can't wait to see what director Shane Black and his production team have up their sleeves for the new movie. Whilst we wait, though, impatiently scanning the lone teaser trailer we've had for Iron Man 3 until any wind of a new preview comes around, why don't we take a look back at what's come before? For each of the various solo-Avenger sequels coming our way between now and The Avengers 2's release in 2015, I'll be providing a guide to each prior movie that the hero of that particular film has starred in, recapping their role within the narrative and indeed evaluating the film as a whole. Let's start, then, with the Golden Avenger himself, Tony Stark. Robert Downey Jr's take on this self-proclaimed "genius, billionaire playboy, philanthropist" superhero has gone down a storm with fans of the comic-book character so far, and it'll be exciting to see where this new movie incarnation heads in his next solo adventure. Without further ado, let's go back to where the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe began. It's 2008, and viewers are walking into their cinema auditorium with little to reassure them that Marvel Studios can bring them a solid new superhero film, especially with just Spider-Man 3, Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer and Ghost Rider having released in the past twelve months. The odds aren't looking favourable for Iron Man at the moment. It would take a real curve ball to make this one work...
1. Iron Man (2008)
The Score: 4.5 StarsThe Avenger's Role: With the film's title solely focused on Tony Stark's alter-ego, it comes as little surprise to know that Iron Man was a back-to-basics origins story for Robert Downey Jr's take on the character. It's fair to say that the first film is intended as something of a narrative arc for Stark, as he climbs from a terrorist cell he's been imprisoned in, wielding a hefty silver metal suit capable of blasting his foes to smithereens. Soon enough, Tony arrives back home, only to find his own weapons and creations being turned slowly against the United States by his ex-friend and mentor Obidiah Stane. Thankfully, Stark equips his new and improved Iron Man suit to fight his battles, rescuing his love interest-in-waiting Pepper Potts from Stane's clutches and ultimately sending his oldest pal to oblivion after a shoot-out in the skies. Along the way, Stark encounters Agent Coulson of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Department (you'd think they'd find an acronym for that name, wouldn't you?), yet chooses to ignore his warnings when he unveils himself as Iron Man to the public. Enter Nick Fury, who Stark finds lurking in his penthouse, proposing something called the Avengers Initiative...
The Review: Although it falls prey to one or two of the basic tropes of superhero origins movies, Iron Man mostly manages to escape the pitfalls of its predecessors, creating an original and unique piece of cinema. Robert Downey Jr owns the limelight in every scene in which he appears, and Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeff Bridges both give it their all in their individual performances too.