On the surface, there doesn’t seem to be much shared ground between the MCU’s Iron Man 2 and the DCEU’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice other than the fact they’re the second installments in the respective cinematic universes and both ultimately suffered from trying too hard to expand the world around them instead of focusing on their own narratives.
However, because people will argue over just about anything on the internet these days, a debate has sprung up about whether or not Jon Favreau’s disappointing sequel or Zack Snyder’s overstuffed epic is the better movie. Iron Man 2 is widely regarded as one of the weaker entries in the MCU’s back catalogue, while DCEU supporters have always backed Batman V Superman as being underappreciated.
Both clearly have their supporters, but the more light-hearted return of Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark can’t be directly compared to the relentlessly grim and gritty aesthetic of Ben Affleck’s debut as Batman given the vast tonal difference between the two. Still, that hasn’t stopped folks from arguing over which is better and you check out some of the reactions to either side of the debate below.
Iron Man 2 has Tony Stark eating a donut inside of a donut…. Your argument is invalid.pic.twitter.com/drbqZttHox
— Marvelous ⎊ (@MarvelousRDJ) November 13, 2020
https://twitter.com/teyquerisi/status/1327366668163682306
You're right, Batman V Superman puts not only Iron Man 2 to shame but the entirety of the MCU.
— STEM (@steusmotus) November 13, 2020
https://twitter.com/JNaphtali1/status/1327367060075278336
I rewatched Iron Man 2 and it still holds up. Good movie. Not great, but good. pic.twitter.com/48al7NwD0c
— In My Mind (@MeAloneInMyMind) November 13, 2020
Them: "BvS is better than Iron Man 2"
Me: "COUNTERPOINT:" pic.twitter.com/z3UIA6GgDg
— The Scotthic Avenger (he / him / his) (@OGScottieT) November 13, 2020
Iron Man 2 Tony Stark the hottest Tony Stark pic.twitter.com/tiqT7CjeU7
— LILI (@noirarose_) November 13, 2020
The only thing we would like to add to the Iron Man 2 & Batman Superman discourse is Sam Rockwell.
That's it. That's the tweet. pic.twitter.com/Hi6FkJpjHb
— FilmsInBlackandWhite (@FilmsInB_W) November 13, 2020
Iron man 2 is better than endgame because Tony and Nat were alive pic.twitter.com/uzhn1SFAH7
— LILI (@noirarose_) November 13, 2020
https://twitter.com/daangerdaan/status/1327374406633488384
https://twitter.com/campbells911/status/1327383352056422401
Name one scene from iron man 2 that isn’t iconic I’ll wait pic.twitter.com/Iu34Oaw33j
— LILI (@noirarose_) November 13, 2020
https://twitter.com/Alex49359778/status/1327360486115921920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1327360486115921920%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fmovies%2Fnews%2Firon-man-2-trending-twitter-is-it-better-batman-v-superman%2F
There will be no Iron Man 2 slander in THIS house pic.twitter.com/7kCokb5etH
— Earth’s Mightiest Fangirls (@EMFangirls) November 13, 2020
The Ultimate Edition of Batman V Superman results in a much better and more cohesive movie, while Iron Man 2 remains pigeonholed by a theatrical cut that relies far too heavily on hinting at what’s to come. Of course, both blockbusters fall into many of the same traps that come with trying to rush an interconnected mythology into existence without laying enough of the groundwork beforehand, but when they combined to earn almost $1.5 billion at the box office, you can’t argue with the results regardless of which side of the divide fans are currently falling on.
