MCU in Review: Iron Man 2

Iron Man helmet - Best Clip Art Blog

Iron Man 2 is the third installment in the MCU and the second in its series. The return of Tony Stark, while a better film then Incredible Hulk, falls just short of its predecessor. With the introduction of new characters is fun and the jokes are still on point, there are a couple of issues with development.

Tony Stark (Robert Downy Jr.) - YouTube

We do see the return of several characters from the first movie. Obviously, Tony Stark for starters. We also know Pepper Potts, Stark's assistant, who is played by Gwyneth Paltrow. She has a bigger part in this film, especially as Tony names her the CEO of Stark Industries. Tony's head of security Happy Hogan, played by the series' director, Jon Favreau, also returns. Then we get 'reintroduced' to a couple of characters as well. Iron Man 2 is the proper introduction for Samuel L. Jackson's SHIELD director, Nick Fury, and Clark Gregg's Agent Phil Coulson.

Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johanson) - Fan Pop

Then come the new characters. The new legal aide at Stark, Natalie Rushman, is more then she appears. She is covert SHIELD agent Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, played by Scarlett Johanson. She is sent to keep an eye on Tony as he appears to be more self destructive then usual. It's revealed that she is assessing him to see if he is fit to take part in the Avengers Initiative. 

Colonel James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) - DVD Beaver

While not a truly new character, Stark's best friend is played by a new actor, Don Cheadle. Despite the change, Rhodie is still the same. And watching Tony spiral out is driving him crazy.

Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) - Cinema Blend

Sam Rockwell plays Stark's competitor, Justin Hammer. He's attempting to recreate the Iron Man suit for military use. Hoping to get the edge on Tony, he becomes a minor villain by making a deal with Ivan Vanko. In honesty, Rockwell's performance is somewhat problematic. There is continual silliness, which would be fine in a movie strictly for children. Because of this, Hammer comes off about as evil as a rubber chicken.

Ivan Vanko/Whiplash (Mickey Rourke) - Marvel Movies Wikia

Here we come to the biggest issue. Ivan Vanko, Whiplash, is played by Mickey Rourke. While he is better developed then Blonsky in Incredible Hulk, it doesn't feel like enough was done to truly strengthen the character. We watch his father, Anton die, which Ivan believes Tony and his family to be responsible for. But its not until midway through the second half of the film that we find out why. Unfortunately, it's too little too late to make a real connection to the character. Like Blonsky before him, Vanko suffers the unfortunate fate of becoming a throw away villain.

In fact, the subplot of Tony's battle with palladium poisoning feels like a bigger threat. That, and the way he handles it, which includes a drunken birthday party. This, to me, feels like a nod to the 'Demon in a Bottle' story line from the comics. There was a plan to make this a plot of one of the films, but corporate shot it down, arguing that it wasn't family friendly and would confuse kids in the audience. This was probably for the best, considering that superheros will always have a pull with younger viewers.

All in all, the film is decent and worth the watch despite the fact that it doesn't really contribute to the Avengers arc showing through the films so far. The seriousness is well cut with humor, one of the best being when Romanoff takes down Happy in the boxing ring at Stark's Malibu house. It gets even funnier when you remember that Happy is played by the films director!