Marvel's Iron Man 2 is a 2010 live-action film produced by 20th Century Fox and Marvel Studios, it is a sequel to the widely successful 2008 superhero movie, Iron Man. It is the fourth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and was released worldwide on May 7th 2010.
Production
Iron Man was a large success for Marvel Studios and 20th Century Fox alike, and a sequel was instantly announced in June of 2008, with almost all of the cast signing on to return. Jon Favreau was enthusiastic about continuing the franchise, having an interest of using another classic Iron Man villain and adapting the popular Armor Wars story arc into film. In 2009 Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell were cast as two villainous roles. They were in the middle of the year revealed to be Crimson Dynamo and Justin Hammer respectively.
It was also confirmed in mid 2009 that Clark Gregg would return as Agent Phil Coulson from Black Widow and Hawkeye in order to help it connect to the larger universe. The choice to bring Gregg back was also largely due the lack of complication getting onto the film so late into production, as opposed to the likes of Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner or Samuel L. Jackson.
It was also rumored that Jon Favreau would try to co-adapt the Demon in a Bottle story arc for the movie to run side-by-side to Armor Wars. Though he did deny that he would do the Arc exactly as 616 did, he claimed to havetaken inspiration from it and was going to be "producing a lot of similar themes" related to Demon in a Bottle. Which all but confirmed it would be playing a part in the movie.
The film ran smoothly for shooting as well as post production and was released on May 7th 2010.
Cast
- Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man
- Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko/Crimson Dynamo
- Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer
- Don Cheadle as Colonel James "Rhodey" Rhodes/War-Machine
- Gwyneth Paltrow as Virginia "Pepper" Potts
- Paul Bettany as J.A.R.V.I.S. (Voice)
- Jon Favreau as Harold "Happy" Hogan
- Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson
- Garry Shandling as Senator Boynton
- Leslie Bibb as Christine Everhart
- Eugene Lazarev as Anton Vanko
- John Slattery as Howard Stark (Cameo)
Plot
The film starts inside a shack in Siberia, where a terminally ill Anton Vanko sits on a reclining chair watching television, seeing Tony Stark announcing to the world that he’s Iron Man. Anton throws a piece of garbage at the television and his son, Ivan, tells him not to watch this shit, turning it off as Anton weakly mutters about how it’s not fair, he deserves so much more. Ivan claims he’s given him plenty but Anton argues it's nothing before finally dying. Ivan mourns his father’s death until his grief begins to turn to rage and he starts using his knowledge on engineering to spend the next two years working tirelessly to build his own suit of armor.
In Las Vegas, Tony is seen flying around in his Iron Man suit with J.A.R.V.I.S. until making a dramatic entrance on the stage of this year’s Stark Expo. Just after he lands he’s succeeded by a group of Ironette Girls who perform a dance routine as Dum-Es casually remove Tony's armor, revealing him to be wearing an advanced Tuxedo underneath. Stark afterwards thanks everyone for attending and tells a joke about how people always ask him how he goes to the bathroom in his Iron Man suit before announcing he just did ten second ago. After the crowd laughs he begins introducing a variety of the new line of Stark Tech products, including many different household appliances to more advanced expensive entertainment sets and items.
Tony then thanks everyone and wishes them a goodnight before exiting the stage where Happy and Pepper are waiting for him, proceeding to tell them everything he wants to improve as well as showcase for next year's expo before picking up a Martini to drink. Pepper though reminds him he's going to Congress this weekend. He asks what that's about again and Pepper reminds him Iron Man. Tony tells her to reschedule the Grand Prix as Happy Hogan meanwhile is then shown patting down a man in a grey suit and glasses. He sarcastically comments that Happy missed a spot before being given the okay and walking over.
He tells Tony how the Expo was quite impressive and puts out his hand introducing himself as "Hammer, Justin". Stark takes his hand and shakes it, responding "Stark, Tony". Justin Hammer then starts to make condescending remarks towards Tony and his inventions while the two engage in a battle of wits before taking his leave. Pepper afterwards asks Tony who was that "four eyed jackass" and he says their new competiton. In Russia, Ivan Vanko is watching the Stark Expo on his same television set continuing to build as he did years earlier, now finally creating a perfect replica of Tony's arc reactor, completing his armor.
At the malibu mansion, Pepper Potts is doing work upstairs until getting a notification from Tony to come downstairs. She does as told where she sees him waiting for him with a Strawberry Shortcake wishing her a happy birthday, afterwards telling J.A.R.V.I.S. to start playing a mashed up rendition of the Happy Birthday song. Pepper chuckles and tells him this is very thoughtful but that that he did the same thing last year, Tony then remembers that she's allergic to strawberries and Pepper nods. He claims that he remembered it had something to do with strawberries while Pepper responds it still looks really good and she'd be happy to sit and watch him eat it until the doorbell rings.
Pepper says she'll get it but Tony insists he'll do it and she should relax down here. He then open and sees Agent Phil Coulson standing outside. He introduces himself but before he can finish his sentence Tony cuts the Agent off saying that he's already told the hundred other lackeys they sent before that he's not getting in bed with S.H.I.E.L.D. and tries to slam the door. Coulson though holds it open before it can fully close, asking if he can just have a few minutes inside. Tony reluctantly lets him in and they sit down in the living room, Coulson claiming that he knows Congress is on his case about being Iron Man but Tony clarifies he can take care of himself. Coulson insists if he works with S.H.I.E.L.D. he won't have to and Tony points out just like his father until Coulson explains they're not asking him to be like his father, they just want him on standby but Tony reaffirms the answer is still no.
The next day, Colonel James Rhodes is sitting in Congress debating with Senator Boynton over the constitutional legality of Iron Man until Tony himself arrives, quipping he overhead someone mentioning him. Rhodey chuckles and welcomes him while Tony asks to be brought up to speed. Boynton explains how Tony's spent the last two years in pocession of an unauthorized weapon with zero regulation or accountability, that's becoming something their nation can no longer tolerate. Case in point, Boynton begins playing clips of other countries attempting to create their own arc reactor based suits.
Tony points out they're all at least ten years away from perfecting it but Senator Boynton argues that's precisely his point, they need to get ahead of the problem before it's too late, by him handing over his suit and arc reactor immediately. Rhodey then suggests that maybe he can partner up them instead. Boynton asks how that would work and Rhodey explains Iron Man will remain the private property of Stark Industries that they'll sell to the government as part of a weapon's contract. Tony seems unhappy with the idea but after talking it over Senator Boynton claims they'll be open to a deal if Stark is.
Outside Congress, Rhodey tells Tony he thought he'd be happier he just saved his bacon. Tony insists that he didn't, this is exactly what he didn't want to happen, now he's right back where he started making weapons for big brother again. Rhodey responds that they'll try to ask for more autonomy once things cool down, but right now it was either this or nothing. Back in Russia, a pilot is sitting next to his plane until Ivan Vanko shows up and says he wants to hire him. The pilot insists he's not taking flights right now and Ivan hands him a large bag of Russian Rubles. After looking over how much is in it the pilot asks when they leave as it then cuts to Ivan on the plane, pulling something out his bag which the camera reveals to be a ticket to the Monaco Grand Prix.
At the Grand Prix itself, Tony is eating lunch with the other racers until Justin Hammer shows up and condescendingly greets him. He reveals himself to be with Christine Everhart who's writing a piece on him and Hammer Industries. Adding on that he remembers now that she wrote a few on Tony too to which he replies that she did more than that. Christine becomes embarrassed but Justin assures her not to relax, claiming charity is a virtue. Justin then starts sharing all the inventions he has in the pipeline that are going to be revealed at the Hammer Expo in May. Tony quips it'll be a cheap knockoff to introduce the other cheap knockoffs and Hammer asks if Tony didn't seriously think he had a trademark on extravagent festivals celebrating mankind's progress. Tony says that it'd be a real celebration of mankind's progress the day Hammer Industries comes up with anything original and Justin tells Christine they're talking to the one guy who can make an homage look like a bad thing. Tony then asks what the difference between theft and homage is, "the truth?" afterwards announcing that nature calls and for Christine not to let Justin choke on his rubber chicken.
In the bathroom, Tony washes his face in the sink before looking in the mirror and taking out a flask from his coat pocket which he feverishly chugs down. After leaving Pepper approaches him and says the race starts in five minutes, to get down to the track now. As Tony walks out to the cheering crowd and gets in his race car, Ivan Vanko is seen in the stands as he takes off his backpack and opens it, revealing all the pieces of his suit to be stashed inside. Tony meanwhile is in his car racing and enjoying the high speeds until Vanko dressed in a pair of bulky crimson armor jumps onto the track and smashes himself into Tony's car, totaling it and launching him out onto the pavement. In the stadium, a live coverage of the attack is playing and everyone starts to panic, including Pepper, who tells Happy to get the briefcase. He does as told running out to the balcony where he throws the briefcase down to Tony who activates it as the Iron Man suit encompasses his body.
Tony and Ivan battle across the race track until Vanko is eventually overpowered due to his inferior technology, knocked to the ground where Tony rips out his arc reactor, observing it's functionally identical to his own before crushing it. The police begin taking Ivan away while Tony opens his mask until Pepper and Happy rush down to track asking if he's okay, insisting that he's fine. Pepper claims he's bleeding but Tony reiterates that it's just a scratch. In the stadium meanwhile, Justin Hammer is shown watching the live broadcast on the incident, clearly fascinated by the whole ordeal. Later, Tony visits Ivan Vanko in his prison cell and bluntly asks why he tried to kill him.
Vanko laughs about how he never told him and Tony clarifies tell him what. Ivan explains his father left Ukraine to try and find a better life, after he met Howard Stark all his dreams were achieved, they were equals running Dynamo Industries together. But then Howard decided he wanted more, he accused his father of being a spy, sent him back where he came, seized his wealth, and then buried him, renaming the company after himself. Tony says that he's sorry and Ivan responds that he doesn't want his pity, he wants "what's mine!" He then begins trying to grab Tony only to be held back by his chains as Stark is quickly escorted out of the room while security gets him under control. Outside, Tony turns around only to see Agent Coulson waiting for him.
He says how he heard Tony got in a fight out on the racetrack, asking how he's holding up. Tony insists he's had better days and Coulson changes the subject by wondering if he knows anything about the attacker having his own version of an arc reactor. Tony mutters that he has to be kidding before asserting no, he didn't supply the man who just tried to have him killed with his own technology. Coulson claims that's not what he's asking, S.H.I.E.L.D. knows about Vanko's history with Stark Industries, but the fact that someone outside of his circle knows how to replicate his tech changes things. Tony quips exactly what he was thinking, and he'd rather not add S.H.I.E.L.D. to that list.
It then shows news cycles playing across television where reporters like Christine Everhart talk about the attack at the Grand Prix in depth from her own first hand account while politicians like Senator Boynton criticize Tony Stark for not giving up his technology sooner and letting it get to this point. At the Malibu Mansion, Pepper Potts is on the phone dealing with public relations while in the basement Tony is researching Anton Vanko and Dynamo Industries on his holograms. Rhodey gets his attention by saying how this is really bad and Stark quip that's an astute observation before returning to his research. Rhodey moves on that Homeland Security is getting cold feet about their agreement, they want to have a meeting this weekend to discuss their options. Tony insists they'll take them to court then and Rhodey points out martial law isn't out of the question.
