MCU Rank & Review: Part Three: Iron Man 2 (2010)

Runtime: 02:04:34

Total Runtime: 06:03:10

Here we are with the first sequel in the MCU as well as the first with cast changes - Don Cheadle replacing Terrance Howard as James Rhodes, for the better. The primary cast this go-around is slightly larger than Iron Man's last outing, with the additions of Sam Rockwell, Mickey Rourke, Samuel L. Jackson, and Scarlett Johansson. This proves to be a huge mistake.

The bloated cast of "Iron Man 2," most likely a result of studio interference is the main reason this is seen as one of the weaker entries in the franchise. Three new characters are introduced, one character's actor is replaced and written entirely different. Another character, while introduced at the end of "Iron Man," is expanded upon here for the first time. In trying to accomplish all of these character introductions Marvel has stifled the film, limiting its narrative capabilities. Storylines that could, and should have been, their own movies are thrown in here and seemingly thrown away as quickly as they came.

The movie opens with the now, somewhat, traditional MCU opening explaining the origins/reasons the villain hates our hero. In this case, Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) hates Tony because Tony's dad steals Ivan's dad's designs without sharing credit. We then see that Vanko is smart enough to create an arc reactor himself. Putting his genius close to, if not, on par with Tony's.

Following a big Stark Expo entrance, complete with a super-hero landing, we see Tony test his blood for the first time. The test shows he has a blood toxicity level of 19%, performing the test immediately after taking a drink. By having him test here we are lead to believe that it's alcohol, and not due to the palladium. A clear allusion to a famous Iron Man storyline.

"Demon in a Bottle" is a late 70's storyline in the comics that lasted nine issues. It's one of the best storylines in comics, in my opinion, and isn't done true justice here. Exploring Tony's alcoholism, with an actor like Downey who suffers from alcoholism himself could go miles and make a very interesting story. Instead, it's tossed aside after he gets too drunk once and doesn't show how he tries to fix his issues - if he even does.

Perhaps it's my own straight-edge ways leaning too much into an "alcohol bad" mentality, but that was definitely Favreau's intention with Tony's birthday party scene. While "Demon in a Bottle" uses a sort of PTSD of Iron Man's failings to drive him further into his alcoholism, the movie uses the fact that he is slowly dying of blood toxicity levels due to the Palladium core's of his arc reactor in his body.

We move on to a Senate meeting where, for the third film in a row, the evil US Government is trying to turn our heroes into weapons. This is also our introduction to two new characters, Sam Rockwell's Justin Hammer, and Don Cheadle's new and improved James Rhodes. Hammer, a bumbling genius, is the best character in the movie, and one of the best characters in the MCU. It's a shame that he has only been exhibited in this bloat of a movie.

Tony's snark and wit are in full swing. Don Cheadle's more reserved Rhodes in this opening scene is already superior to everything that Howard gave in the first film. And Rockwell's buffoonery is adorable and hilarious. Tony makes a joke of the government to the applause of everyone in the room, except for those that would immediately hurt, and his opponents.

I can't be the only one that finds it odd that these movies consistently portray the Government and military in a bad light. It pays off later when Tony eventually sides with the Government after their (the Avengers) failure to save a ton of lives. But until then every Government agent or member of the military (except for Rhodes) is shown to be looking for only their own best interest or to make the US military an unstoppable force to put the entire world at their heel.

The main reason I find this odd is that these movies cater to a few specific audiences. Nerds like me that love super-hero things. And the crowd that wants to turn their brain off and watch an action movie for the fun and explosions. The best of both worlds are typically met in all of the MCU movies at varying levels. I find that anyone I've talked to that is the "shut off brain" type of person, is a very pro-military, gung-ho type of person. Yet, they thoroughly also enjoy these movies that take a negative stance on military involvement. I digress.

Eventually, after learning what's really poisoning Tony, we learn that a goal of the movie is for him to find a new core to his arc reactor, but no known substance is known, according to Jarvis. Tony makes Pepper CEO of Stark Industries, to which she responds "Have you been drinking?" Shortly thereafter we get Scarlett Johannson's introduction as Natalie Rushman, in a fairly hypersexualized scene.

True to the meaning behind who and what Black Widow is, she is supposed to be sexualized. it's her way of infiltration, meant to seduce men into dropping their guard. Which she exhibits by easily taking Happy down. Further shown after her affiliation with SHIELD is revealed telling Tony in Latin, "Fallaces sunt rerum species," loosely meaning "the appearances of things are deceptive." She of course says it means for him to get back to the house before someone has to take him there.

We move on to the Grand Prix de Monaco, serving as the introduction of the central villain, Ivan Vanko's Whiplash. The design is simple, and I love it. It's the best look Whiplash has in the movie and I wish he didn't become Iron Monger with whips at the end and stayed closer to his slick comics design.

Ignoring how Tony survived the crash, this scene also has one of the coolest suit transformations in the MK.V briefcase. It's so simple, of an idea and so perfectly executed. No matter how little sense it makes in suggesting that the suit weighs at most twenty pounds. 

Vanko arrested after the battle with Iron Man is shown to know about Tony's Palladium poisoning, something Tony hasn't told anyone else: "Palladium poisoning is a painful way to die." We are then shown that Vanko is aided in escaping prison, even covering up his death. Hammer wants Vanko's help to show up Tony and get him rich by making suits for the military, Vanko agrees on one condition:

Tony's blood toxicity is at 89% prior to his party scene. This party is basically the extent of "Demon in a Bottle." We've gotten hints at Tony's recklessness, notably putting himself in the Grand Prix without having trained in how to drive the car. The party serves two purposes. Make Tony get drunk enough that it ruins his relationships across the board, and to suit of Rhodes for the first time in the MK I suit.  Rhodes and Tony fight, a drunk Tony loses and flies off. He stops to get donuts, wallowing in a pit of sorrow. 

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to exit the donut," says Fury in his first scene. In the donut shop, we get our first look at a full suit Black Widow (yay!) and the revelation that Tony hasn't exhausted every option he has. After Fury and Natasha (Black Widow's real name) temporarily treat the palladium poisoning, the "Demon in a Bottle" subplot is officially closed after having fifteen minutes of screentime, if that.

Rhodes takes the suit he stole to the military, when he finds out they want to weaponize it, he visibly regrets taking it to them. Hammer shows and offers some upgrades to the suit, which will serve to change the suit to the War Machine design.

Tony is given materials by SHIELD, Coulson is back and is assigned to watch after Tony. He watches an old video of his father involving "the city of tomorrow," which was also featured at the beginning of the movie, only this one has behind the scenes footage. Howard Stark gives Tony a message, stating "my greatest creation... is you" Tony sneaks out to his old office, to make amends with Pepper, his efforts fail. With Happy and Natalie now working for Pepper, he jokes "I've lost both the kids in the divorce." Leaving the office he spies a map that his father had in an old video and takes it home.

Using the scale map he is able to somehow "re-discover" a new element his father apparently also discovered and left how to find it using the map. This element serves to suitably replace the old Palladium core and also cure Tony of his current poisoning levels.

Back at the Stark Expo, Hammer's display of Vanko's robots goes wrong when Vanko betrays Hammer and causes the robots to go on the attack. A kid in an Iron man mask, later revealed to have been PETER PARKER (source), tries to fend them off with Iron Man saving the day. 

This leads directly to the climax of the film, with Tony having to fend off all the Vanko bots and War Machine, until Rhodes gains control. Once they're both in control they make quick work of the Vanko bots with Tony's "one-off" laser beams.

Vanko shows up in his new, way too big, Whiplash suit and beats up Iron Man and War Machine single-handedly with ease after "the ex-wife" fails to do anything. With both of them wrapped in electro-whips, they decide to blast at each other like they did back at the party causing an explosion that defeats Whiplash. This final fight lasts about three minutes.

The movie then goes on to end with Tony seemingly out of the Avenger's initiative as Iron Man is recommended but not Tony. Tony is kept on, "as a consultant." With Tony stating that they "can't afford [him]." Post credits we get our tease of the next MCU movie. I remember eighteen years old me, in May of my senior year of High School watching this and being the only one of my friends nerding out over Mjölnir. Jesus, that was ten years ago.

To put it bluntly, "Iron Man 2" has very bad bloating issues that keep it from being as good as "Iron Man." If they instead removed Black Widow and Nick Fury's involvement in the story and instead made a Black Widow movie (which we are getting now, eleven years later), that would have fixed everything. Studio interference has been heavily alluded to have been the reason that this film seems off, it's an issue that comes back every now and then with their movies, and just recently is the reason Scott Derrickson left the second Doctor Strange film, but we got Sam Raimi out of it. So maybe that's a yay? We'll find out in 2022 unless, of course, covid delays everything another year. 

That being said, it's issues are nowhere near as bad as that of "The Incredible Hulk." The cast is great, all with phenomenal chemistry. Tony and Pepper kiss at the end, continuing their believable romance without a stupid nothing of a love scene. Don Cheadle's Rhodes is a vast improvement on what is one of the only problems from "Iron Man." Rourke is a weaker main villain than Bridges, but the inclusion of Rockwell more than makes up for that.

Official MCU 23 film ranking:

1. Iron Man (2008)
2. Iron Man 2 (2010)
3. The Incredible Hulk (2008)

Coming Soon: Thor (2011)