MCU: 10 Things You Learn Rewatching Iron Man 3

1. It's The Best Iron Man Film

Today, almost ten years on from the release of that first Iron Man film, it's actually quite difficult to think of the MCU as anything but the behemoth that it is. Ten years ago however, it would've been nigh-impossible to conceive that one superhero film would spawn an entire shared universe, certainly not on the back of Iron Man, who was - at that point at least - seen as a B-list character in the mainstream eye.

To that end, Jon Favreau's first superhero feature holds a massive degree of reverence among the Marvel faithful; it was the film that started it all - the one that kicked off the experiment that gave way to nineteen films in just one decade. Its contributions are innumerable, its influence incomparable, but can it really be considered the best Iron Man film, in light of the franchise's own progression?

Iron Man 3 is the better made movie, and that's because it operates with a degree of freedom not afforded to the MCU's earlier works. That first Iron Man film, while great in a whole host of respects, succumbs to some of the pitfalls commonplace to the genre at the time of its release. The third entry however, having released to and taken place in an entirely different context to that of its predecessor, is bolder in its strokes - because it can be.

A lot of that comes down to the foundations laid by that first Iron Man film, but irrespective of its prestige, Iron Man 3 just constructs something much greater. This is Tony Stark at his best, and while the character has somewhat regressed since, there's no denying the brilliance of this particular chapter of the genius, billionaire playboy philanthropist's life.

What do you think of Iron Man 3? Is it really the best one? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!