A comics novice at his core, JT had never seen any of the MCU movies prior to 2019, when he decided to start this Journey Through Infinity from the start. Follow along for his thoughts, rankings and more!
The Movie: Iron Man 2 (2010)
Quick Thoughts: After how much I enjoyed Iron Man, I was excited to get the sequel so soon in my journey, especially now that Tony Stark was outed. They did a nice job of bleeding Tony's internal war out into the open as he is using the suit for good and to bring peace to the world but also is a superstar because of it. And he fully embraces that aspect of it, feeding the massive ego that never went away despite his recent experience. Of course, his behavior is also fueled by the fact that the reactor that powers his Iron Man persona is also slowly killing him. The acceptance of his creeping fatality is leading him to act aggressively and recklessly... more so than usual. And that is illustrated in the wild birthday party he throws himself where he gets shit faced hammered and ends up brawling with (the new) James Rhodes, tearing apart his home in the process.
Thankfully that piece of the Stark puzzle is wrapped up when Tony discovers some vintage blueprints in an old diorama of his father's and that leads to the generation of a new element and the enhancement of his technology, that allows him to swap out his own reactor and eliminate the palladium dependency that was poisoning him.
Anton Vanko is immediately set up as our foil and given a strong motive out of the gate as he works to avenge his father and gain the rightful credit he deserved for the arc reactor technology. He, along with the introduction of "Natalie Rushman" and Justin Hammer brought us three fun new characters to keep things moving along in an interesting way.
Hammer was a lot of fun, overcompensating constantly in his Stark dick measuring contest, with that insecurity just about leading to the end of the world. Chaos ensues as Vanko and Hammer are brought together and we end up with a couple mammoth showdowns between Tony and Anton, one of which is the finale of the movie.
It was that first showdown, however, during the race in Monaco, that stole the movie for me. The drama and intensity along with the effects were amazing. When Venko shows up with those giant whips and starts slicing cars in half, shit got real. It was a great way to intimidate Tony and let hm know this challenge was legit and Vanko was for real.
In that final fight, we find out that Rushman is actually S.H.I.E.L.D operative Natasha Romanoff and she works with Rhodes to aid Tony in bringing an end to Vanko's reign of terror. After that, when the dust settles, we find out that Tony will be involved with S.H.I.E.L.D. but as a consultant only... for now, anyway.
Best Non Iron Man Character: I really dug Justin Hammer all through this movie. From his absurd spray tan to his complete overcompensating in everything he says and does, he was a ton of fun to watch. I loved seeing him try to impress the ladies at Monaco and then watching him try to peacock Vanko but get embarrassed at every step was enjoyable as well. You could tell he was a little less evil than Vanko as he constantly seems to question each step he takes... and even in the end he is vanquished more peacefully than Vanko. Great heel that you love to hate.
Worst Non Iron Man Character: I respect Don Cheadle, a great actor. But... I did not like him as James Rhodes. As I mentioned in my Iron Man recap, I really dug Terrance Howard in the role and felt like he was a better fit for the character. Cheadle almost seems above the role and comes across as forcefully toned down. I would have preferred him in the role of a big bad at some point instead of Tony's buddy.
Best Scene: The Monaco race track fight scene was tremendous. Maybe the first GREAT scene of the MCU journey.
Why it Was Awesome: RDJ fucking slayed it again as Tony Stark. As he continues to truly take ownership of the character, Tony becomes more and more of an icon. The special effects were awesome yet again, fully on display during the three big fight scenes littered throughout the movie. We also start to get more of the unravelling of the Stark Family history and the role they played in the development of this technology and the powers that now fill folks around the globe. That is all key to the development of the MCU as we progress forward.
And we really had three distinct heel in this one... Vanko, Hammer and the palladium poisoning. All three brought dread in different ways and seeing Tony balance dealing with them all kept the stakes high the entire time.
I also liked the credits scene with the Thor tease to set up the next movie. And lastly, Mickey Rourke was great as Vanko as he carried a real ominous presence with him the entire time. I liked how he was a big, brutal, physical bastard but also a genius that worked through his smarts.
Why it Sucked: For third straight MCU movie, the main challenger to the superhero is a doppelgänger villain. That isn't to say I was against Vanko going the route he did, it made total sense, but it was lessened on impact because we have seen it twice already. I wish Stane didn't do it the first time around and it would have felt bigger here.
I haven't mentioned Pepper Potts yet, she was fine throughout, but her just standing there looking at the bomb about to go off at the end was silly. She has been positioned as wily and aware... that went against her character.
There was a little timeline confusion here as at the end of The Incredible Hulk, Tony shows up to recruit Dr. Banner into S.H.I.E.L.D. but at the start of this he seemed to want nothing to do with the organization until the end.
Finally, the new James Rhodes... just wasn't a fan.
Final Grade (1-10): 8.25/10
The MCU Movie Rankings:
1) Iron Man 2 (2010)
2) Iron Man (2008)
3) The Incredible Hulk (2008)
The Superhero Rankings:
1) Iron Man
2) The Incredible Hulk
Listen to me talk more about Iron Man 2 on this podcast right here!
The Movie: Iron Man 2 (2010)
Quick Thoughts: After how much I enjoyed Iron Man, I was excited to get the sequel so soon in my journey, especially now that Tony Stark was outed. They did a nice job of bleeding Tony's internal war out into the open as he is using the suit for good and to bring peace to the world but also is a superstar because of it. And he fully embraces that aspect of it, feeding the massive ego that never went away despite his recent experience. Of course, his behavior is also fueled by the fact that the reactor that powers his Iron Man persona is also slowly killing him. The acceptance of his creeping fatality is leading him to act aggressively and recklessly... more so than usual. And that is illustrated in the wild birthday party he throws himself where he gets shit faced hammered and ends up brawling with (the new) James Rhodes, tearing apart his home in the process.
Thankfully that piece of the Stark puzzle is wrapped up when Tony discovers some vintage blueprints in an old diorama of his father's and that leads to the generation of a new element and the enhancement of his technology, that allows him to swap out his own reactor and eliminate the palladium dependency that was poisoning him.
Anton Vanko is immediately set up as our foil and given a strong motive out of the gate as he works to avenge his father and gain the rightful credit he deserved for the arc reactor technology. He, along with the introduction of "Natalie Rushman" and Justin Hammer brought us three fun new characters to keep things moving along in an interesting way.
Hammer was a lot of fun, overcompensating constantly in his Stark dick measuring contest, with that insecurity just about leading to the end of the world. Chaos ensues as Vanko and Hammer are brought together and we end up with a couple mammoth showdowns between Tony and Anton, one of which is the finale of the movie.
It was that first showdown, however, during the race in Monaco, that stole the movie for me. The drama and intensity along with the effects were amazing. When Venko shows up with those giant whips and starts slicing cars in half, shit got real. It was a great way to intimidate Tony and let hm know this challenge was legit and Vanko was for real.
In that final fight, we find out that Rushman is actually S.H.I.E.L.D operative Natasha Romanoff and she works with Rhodes to aid Tony in bringing an end to Vanko's reign of terror. After that, when the dust settles, we find out that Tony will be involved with S.H.I.E.L.D. but as a consultant only... for now, anyway.
Best Non Iron Man Character: I really dug Justin Hammer all through this movie. From his absurd spray tan to his complete overcompensating in everything he says and does, he was a ton of fun to watch. I loved seeing him try to impress the ladies at Monaco and then watching him try to peacock Vanko but get embarrassed at every step was enjoyable as well. You could tell he was a little less evil than Vanko as he constantly seems to question each step he takes... and even in the end he is vanquished more peacefully than Vanko. Great heel that you love to hate.
Worst Non Iron Man Character: I respect Don Cheadle, a great actor. But... I did not like him as James Rhodes. As I mentioned in my Iron Man recap, I really dug Terrance Howard in the role and felt like he was a better fit for the character. Cheadle almost seems above the role and comes across as forcefully toned down. I would have preferred him in the role of a big bad at some point instead of Tony's buddy.
Best Scene: The Monaco race track fight scene was tremendous. Maybe the first GREAT scene of the MCU journey.
Why it Was Awesome: RDJ fucking slayed it again as Tony Stark. As he continues to truly take ownership of the character, Tony becomes more and more of an icon. The special effects were awesome yet again, fully on display during the three big fight scenes littered throughout the movie. We also start to get more of the unravelling of the Stark Family history and the role they played in the development of this technology and the powers that now fill folks around the globe. That is all key to the development of the MCU as we progress forward.
And we really had three distinct heel in this one... Vanko, Hammer and the palladium poisoning. All three brought dread in different ways and seeing Tony balance dealing with them all kept the stakes high the entire time.
I also liked the credits scene with the Thor tease to set up the next movie. And lastly, Mickey Rourke was great as Vanko as he carried a real ominous presence with him the entire time. I liked how he was a big, brutal, physical bastard but also a genius that worked through his smarts.
Why it Sucked: For third straight MCU movie, the main challenger to the superhero is a doppelgänger villain. That isn't to say I was against Vanko going the route he did, it made total sense, but it was lessened on impact because we have seen it twice already. I wish Stane didn't do it the first time around and it would have felt bigger here.
I haven't mentioned Pepper Potts yet, she was fine throughout, but her just standing there looking at the bomb about to go off at the end was silly. She has been positioned as wily and aware... that went against her character.
There was a little timeline confusion here as at the end of The Incredible Hulk, Tony shows up to recruit Dr. Banner into S.H.I.E.L.D. but at the start of this he seemed to want nothing to do with the organization until the end.
Finally, the new James Rhodes... just wasn't a fan.
Final Grade (1-10): 8.25/10
The MCU Movie Rankings:
1) Iron Man 2 (2010)
2) Iron Man (2008)
3) The Incredible Hulk (2008)
The Superhero Rankings:
1) Iron Man
2) The Incredible Hulk
Listen to me talk more about Iron Man 2 on this podcast right here!
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