Just like every other Marvel-helmed project, Iron Man 2 — the action-packed sequel to the widely successful flick that kickstarted the Marvel Cinematic Universe — has come under scrutiny over 10 years after its initial release in 2010. When Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man took to the skies in Jon Favreau’s Marvel entry of the same name, the film single-handedly renovated the superhero genre. It can be credited with putting Marvel Studios on the map as far as establishing a foundation for a future multiverse and garnering a loyal audience.
Although it wasn’t quite the breath of fresh air that its predecessor was, Iron Man 2 had an abundance of kick-ass combat sequences and a plethora of star power to boot. Joining Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow reprised her role as Pepper Potts, Don Cheadle made his on-screen debut as James Rhodes / War Machine, Scarlett Johansson also appeared for the first time as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, and Mickey Rourke stepped to the plate as Iron Man 2‘s Big Bad, Ivan Vanko / Whiplash. In Iron Man 2, Tony Stark crosses paths with the unsavory Ivan Vanko, whose father was a former Stark Industries employee. After Vanko’s father suddenly dies, it sets Whiplash on a vengeful mission to return the favor and kill Tony Stark, who has since been revealed to be the illusive Iron Man.
On Reddit, the excellence of Iron Man 2 has been questioned, which is already a crime in itself. In fact, while many critics suggested that Downey Jr.’s second outing as the genius, billionaire, playboy, and philanthropist paled in comparison to the first, Iron Man 2 stills hums along nicely like a well-oiled machine, checking all the boxes of “good enough” — and that was good enough. When the question is poised over a decade later, fans flocked to Reddit to answer once and for all: what do you think about Iron Man 2?
One easy-to-please Marvel fan noted that Iron Man 2 contains the “suitcase suit,” which any self-respecting Iron Man enthusiast will know as Mark V, which is the emergency suit used by Stark when fighting Whiplash on the Grand Monaco racing tracks after Tony decides to drive on the circuit. User Unclehomer69420 claims that “all arguments against the film’s greatness are rendered null and void” because the suitcase suit exists, and honestly, we wholeheartedly agree. The Mark V suit-up scene is one of the coolest, most seamless transitions that Marvel has ever produced.
Another Iron Man aficionado argues that Iron Man 2 had one too many storylines that are a tad jumbled when looked at as a whole but would otherwise work more effectively as individual plots. Sometimes, it’s nice to have a lot to think about when letting the many underlying themes of a film soak in, but other times, it can be distracting and confusing, therefore ruining the main takeaway, which is: Iron Man 2 is — at its core — a superhero flick, and that’s all it ever needs to be.
Many comments are comparing Iron Man 2 to its successor, Iron Man 3, in suggesting that the former outshines the latter by a long shot. Iron Man 3 has also been called “hot garbage” and “horsesh*t.”
Lastly, despite Rourke’s performance as Ivan Vanko, Iron Man fans are convinced that Marvel butchered Whiplash’s character and made him uninteresting compared to some of the latest MCU villains. Sadly, with Loki, Thanos, Hela, and even more legendary antagonists being introduced, Whiplash is extremely forgettable, which is, in turn, extremely sad.
What are your thoughts on Iron Man 2? Regardless of whether opinions are good or bad, the Iron Man sequel will always be the gold standard of Marvel films for its undeniably redeeming qualities, even if there are minor flaws here and there.