MCU: 12 Things You Learn Rewatching Iron Man

1. Tony Stark Probably Has A Death Wish

The first time you watch Iron Man, Tony's arc seems pretty traditional: he goes from being a mostly bad person through a revelation that threatens his life and reshapes his morality and ends up being a hero. But such a simple reading misses the fact that Tony is fundamentally very broken for most of the film's run-time: all he does is replace one form of self-destruction and obsession (booze, partying, frivolous sex) with another (thrill-seeking and heroism).

And more worrying, it seems that Tony has a death wish. No rational person would escape the way he does, but that can be put down to him having no choice. The same can't be said of him being his own guinea pig to test the suit, or operate on himself or try and fly as high as possible while JARVIS warned him of the significant chance of death.

It's arguably Tony's recklessness that makes him a good hero - or at least an effective one, because he feels he has nothing to lose. He literally tells Pepper to overload the arc reactor while he's dangling above it and can't have had any hope of survival. But he knew it would stop Iron Monger - and when you don't care if you live or die as long as your enemy does, you're a whole new sort of threat to them.

What else did you learn rewatching Iron Man? Share your thoughts below in the comments thread.