(Around the 34th minute) While Maya, Tony and Pepper discuss the giant plush rabbit in the living room, Tony hangs a stocking for J. A. R. V. I. S. The stocking was in the same colors (red, green and yellow) as the android Vision, into whom Tony and Bruce transform J. A. R. V. I. S. in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015).
This is the first film in the Iron Man series not directed by Jon Favreau, possibly due to creative differences with Marvel Studios or salary demands. He later said that not directing allowed him to have more fun with the character of "Happy" Hogan and that it was like "a proud grandfather, who doesn't have to change the nappies, but gets to play with the baby."
The idea that "Happy" Hogan's favorite television series is Downton Abbey (2010) actually came from a suggestion by Jon Favreau, who is a big fan of the British series.
The post-credits scene featuring Dr. Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) was Robert Downey Jr.'s idea.
Robert Downey Jr. pushed for Gwyneth Paltrow to shoot some action scenes, and producer Kevin Feige approved it: "We got bored with the damsel in distress. But sometimes we need our hero to be desperate enough to fight for something other than his own life. So there's something to be had with 'Is Pepper in danger, or is she the rescuer?' Throughout this film."
The post-credits scene was originally meant to show Tony Stark blasting off into space to meet the Guardians of the Galaxy. Iron Man was to make a brief appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) (a nod to his being the last member of the Guardians in the comics), but this decision was scrapped when Robert Downey Jr. said he might not reprise the role of Tony Stark in the future. Instead, Dr. Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) appeared in the post-credits scene. Stark encountered the Guardians in Avengers: Infinity War (2018).
Gwyneth Paltrow enjoyed wearing the suit on the day she shot the Malibu attack, and showed it off in front of her son Moses, who accompanied her that day: "He thought it was the best thing that's ever happened to him. So the suit did a lot for my relationship with my son."
The ring on the Mandarin's right little finger is the same as the one Raza wore in Iron Man (2008).
Maya Hansen originally had a more detailed death scene. After Killian shoots her and leaves, she was to drag herself to a computer terminal to delete all the Extremis data and then, as if in atonement for her sins, touch one of her plants, causing it to explode and kill her instantly. The extended scene was filmed but cut from the final edit; however, it can be seen in the bonus material of the Blu-ray release.
(Around the 5th minute) Tony Stark throws a few punches at a "mook jong," or Wing Chun wooden dummy. Robert Downey Jr. has trained in Wing Chun Kung Fu under Sifu Eric Oram for several years and also used it in Sherlock Holmes (2009). He also stated that he would soon be testing for his black belt.
It is the first Iron Man film to gross over 1 billion dollars and the second Marvel film to reach that figure; the first was The Avengers (2012).
On the back of the Mandarin's neck is a tattoo of Captain America's shield with the anarchist "A" symbol in the center instead of a star.
The first cut ran 3 hours 15 minutes. The final cut ran 2 hours 10 minutes.
(Around the 1st minute) In the flashback in Switzerland, Tony briefly meets Ho Yinsen (Shaun Toub). In Iron Man (2008) (set after the events of the flashback), Yinsen is the man who helps Tony in the caves and mentions having met him before, referring to this brief meeting in Bern.
During the flashback party, Tony wears a name tag that reads "You Know Who I Am." This was also Robert Downey Jr.'s Twitter bio for a time.
The film's budget was initially set at 140 million dollars, but after The Avengers (2012) became a huge hit, Marvel Studios and Disney raised the budget to 200 million dollars to allow Shane Black to make the best film he could.
A. I. M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics) is a scientific organization chaired by Aldrich Killian. In the comics, it was a simple terrorist organization and in fact the evil counterpart of S. H. I. E. L. D., itself a branch of H. Y. D. R. A., Captain America's enemy in World War II.
In the comics, Iron Patriot was an alias used by Spider-Man's archenemy Green Goblin (Norman Osborn). In this film, it is depicted as a War Machine resembling Captain America's costume. Kevin Feige described it as the government's reaction after The Avengers (2012): "These crazy heroes [The Avengers] saved the day, not the government. The government felt they needed a hero of their own. They have a military officer who has one of these suits, and they paint it red, white and blue. That gave us a place to go with Rhodey and his divided loyalty between his friend and his duty, and you'll also remember the great trust and friendship between Rhodey and Stark. Buddy-cop fashion."
(Around the 11th minute) Tony tells a little boy with glasses that he loves him in A Christmas Story (1983). Peter Billingsley, who played Ralphie in A Christmas Story, served as an executive producer on Iron Man (2008) and played a small role as the scientist William Ginter Riva (the man yelled at by Stark's archenemy Obadiah). He later reprises the character in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).
The first day Robert Downey Jr. and Sir Ben Kingsley met on set, they took a photo together to send to director and mutual friend Sir Richard Attenborough.
Although Tony Stark has created up to 42 suits by this film, he only wears a few of them. These are the Mark VII, XV (Sneaky), XVI (Nightclub), XXXIII (Silver Centurion), XL (Shotgun) and, of course, the XLII. At one point he was going to wear the Mark XXII (Hot Rod) armor during the final battle, had it not been removed a second before an Extremis soldier put it on.
In the Super Bowl trailer promising an "extended look," Robert Downey Jr. was looking at the camera.
Producer Kevin Feige described this film as "a completely Tony Stark-centric movie. Stripped of everything, backed against a wall and forced to use his intelligence to get out of it. He can't call Thor, Captain America or Nick Fury, and he can't look for a Helicarrier in the sky." Robert Downey Jr. further described the character as influenced by a post-The Avengers (2012) world: "What are the challenges he faces now? What are the limitations that can be brought to him, and what kind of threat can he be pitted against, as always? Do you ignore those limitations?"
(At about 1 hour 3 minutes) Iron Man's creator plays a beauty pageant judge. This is the only one of the three Iron Man films in which Lee appears that does not involve Lee playing himself or being mistaken for another celebrity.
The dragon tattoos on Aldrich Killian's (Guy Pearce) chest belong to another Iron Man villain, Fin Fang Foom.
Shane Black admitted that Jon Favreau gave him tips and advice during shooting (for which he was very grateful), but stated that this film would have a "different feel" from the other two.
Released in 2013, this film celebrated Iron Man's 50th anniversary.
The final line was initially written as "I am Tony Stark" to echo the ending of Iron Man (2008), but was ultimately changed to "I am Iron Man" to enhance its legendary quality.
(At about 24 minutes) The attack on the Chinese Theatre also carries special significance, because Firepower (Ashley Hamilton) sits right next to Robert Downey Jr.'s handprints and signature.
Jenna Ortega's first film. She plays the Vice President's daughter. All of her lines were cut.
The scenes set in Chattanooga, Tennessee were shot in Kenansville, North Carolina. In real life Chattanooga is a medium-sized, fairly modern town and, ironically, has some of the fastest internet speeds in the world.
The only Iron Man film that does not feature any AC/DC song.
Pepper briefly wearing armor is a nod to Pepper Potts's one-time career as the superhero Rescue in the "Invincible Iron Man" comic book series between 2009 and 2012.
The idea that the Mandarin is a fake face was that of writer Drew Pearce, and Shane Black immediately seized on it: "Who would be fool enough to declare that he is an international terrorist?"
Initially this film was planned to open with flashbacks to Tony's youth. Another idea considered was to start the film with Tony landing in Tennessee, and yet another was for Tony to clear landmines bearing the Stark logo as a reference to the many explosive elements from his past waiting to go off.
The character of U.S. President Ellis takes his name from comic book writer Warren Ellis, who wrote the 2005 "Iron Man" story arc "Extremis," a primary influence on the story of this film series.
(At about 12 minutes) "Happy" Hogan addresses a secretary (who is off-screen) named "Bambi." In the comics, Bambi is the first name of Ms. Arbogast, Stark's longest-serving executive secretary.
Apart from the prologue, the entire film takes place at Christmas time. Black's Lethal Weapon (1987), The Last Boy Scout (1991), The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) were also set at Christmas time. Last Action Hero (1993), which Black did not direct but helped write, had at least a partial Christmas setting.
According to producer Kevin Feige, every Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 2 film pays tribute to the Star Wars saga in the form of a character losing an arm: * In this film, Aldrich Killian loses an arm during his fight with Tony Stark. * In Thor: The Dark World (2013), Loki cuts off Thor's arm on Svartalfheim. * In Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Bucky had lost his arm when he fell from the train. * In Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Gamora cuts off Groot's arm during the group's first scuffle on Xandar. * In Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Ultron angrily cuts off Klaw's arm while trying to obtain vibranium. * In Ant-Man (2015), Yellowjacket loses an arm when he first shrinks before the rest of his body shrinks uncontrollably against Scott Lang in the final fight.
Brandt (Stephanie Szostak) was supposed to return in the final battle and be killed by Pepper. This was changed to Killian surviving and being killed by Pepper, as a form of poetic justice for the suffering he caused her.
The idea that the Mandarin in this film is merely a front for a very different group of villains was controversial, because the Mandarin of the comics and the animated series was the true leader of the terrorist group called The Ten Rings and Iron Man's long-standing archenemy. However, in Marvel One-Shot: All Hail the King (2014) (conceived during the making of this film by co-writer Drew Pearce), it emerged that Aldrich Killian had illegitimately "borrowed" an existing villain's name and reputation for his own purposes. This angered the Ten Rings, who later broke Trevor Slattery out of prison so that he could answer to the real Mandarin.
James Badge Dale summed up his role as Eric Savin this way: "Ben Kingsley is the mouthpiece. Guy Pearce is the brain. I'm the muscle."
Aldrich Killian was a minor character in the comics, and the mystery of his suicide is what draws Iron Man into the storyline involving Extremis. In this film he was made the main villain by combining elements of the Mandarin (a businessman who uses Extremis for his own ends) and Mallen (a terrorist who ingests Extremis).
The First Chapter of Phase Two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
(Approximately 29 minutes) This is the first Iron Man film in which Nick Fury, Agent Phil Coulson or any member of S.H.I.E.L.D. appears. S.H.I.E.L.D. is mentioned from its database by J.A.R.V.I.S. when Tony searches for information about the Mandarin.
Rebecca Hall stated that in earlier drafts of the script her character was actually going to be the main villain, but that studio teams insisted children would not buy a female villain figure, so her role was severely reduced and the main villain became male.
Originally Trevor Slattery (Sir Ben Kingsley) was going to take Extremis, believing it to be a new drug, and blow up from it. This was changed to his eventual arrest.
Robert Downey Jr. had starred in writer and director Shane Black's Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) and spoke highly of Black replacing Jon Favreau, saying: "Bringing Shane Black in to write and direct the film is basically the only thing Favreau, the audience and I could sign off on with Marvel."
Roxxon Corporation is a fictional petrochemical company, Marvel's counterpart to the real-world Exxon Corporation. In this film the Mandarin (Sir Ben Kingsley) captured one of Roxxon's executives and executed him on television in retaliation for the oil spill from the Roxxon Norco tanker (the ship where the most important battle takes place). This is a reference to the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, one of the worst environmental disasters in history.
Disney bought the distribution rights from Paramount Pictures for 115 million dollars. The deal also included The Avengers (2012). However, as with The Avengers, under the terms of the deal the Paramount Pictures studio logo appears rather than Disney's. No reference to Disney was made until the end of the final title sequence, "Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures".
According to producer Kevin Feige, the Mandarin was inspired by Colonel Kurtz from Apocalypse Now (1979): "He wants to represent this kind of prototype terrorist who worked for the intelligence community, went crazy in the field and became a kind of devotee of combat tactics."
Anthony Mackie auditioned to play the role of the Mandarin and ultimately took on the role of Sam Wilson/Falcon in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014).
Shane Black and Drew Pearce insist that, although they appreciated it, wearing a sports bra and yoga pants in the final battle was Gwyneth Paltrow's idea, not theirs.
Stark, with a straight face, tells Rhodey in a bar that Einstein "slept three hours a year. Look at what he did." Einstein is known to have slept a regular 10 hours a night, roughly 1.5 times the sleep of an average person. In addition, Einstein took several naps a day.
Shane Black said he initially had no intention of doing the Mandarin at all, citing the character's being known as a racial stereotype as his reason.
(At approximately the 47th minute) When Killian enters the room where "The Master" is about to record, a line marker is shown on the screen to his right, most likely for the Master himself. "But I assure you he will take the last dose of medicine. Even if I have to give it to him myself."
The production team had to add some CGI work to the paws of the giant plush rabbit Tony gives Pepper so that they looked completely like paws. People at the first test screenings thought they resembled breasts.
With Mark Ruffalo appearing as Dr. Bruce Banner in the post-credits scene, this is the first time an actor has portrayed the Hulk comic book character in more than one theatrical film. Bill Bixby portrayed him in television productions (The Incredible Hulk (1977), The Incredible Hulk Returns (1988), The Trial of the Incredible Hulk (1989), The Death of the Incredible Hulk (1990)), Eric Bana portrayed him only in Hulk (2003) and Edward Norton portrayed him only in The Incredible Hulk (2008).
This film was heavily edited for Chinese audiences. The Chinese edit includes additional scenes featuring Dr. Wu and his assistant (played by Chinese stars Xueqi Wang and Bingbing Fan respectively).
In the comics, Tony Stark wears larger armors to fight the Hulk (for example, the Hulkbuster armor), none of which appear in this film. The largest suit shown is known as Igor (Mark XXXVIII), and it was designed for heavy lifting rather than fighting the Hulk. However, the actual Hulkbuster armor first appeared in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015).
This is the last MCU film to be made by Paramount Pictures.
The destruction of Stark's Malibu mansion was shot in the water tank at EUE/Screen Gems Studios (the exterior) and on a dedicated soundstage in Wilmington, North Carolina (the interior). The soundstage was built on a special motion gimbal that allowed the entire set to tilt 45 degrees and be easily reset.
The first Marvel Cinematic Universe film shot entirely digitally.
It was shot in Wilmington, North Carolina under the title "Caged Heat."
Shane Black described the film as "a Tom Clancy thriller" focused on real-world-type bad guys rather than "two men in iron suits fighting each other."
In the comics, Ellen Brandt is an agent of A. I. M. She is the one who tries to steal from biochemist Ted Sallis, who transforms into the supernatural Man-Thing and whose face is burned. In the film, she is sent after Stark. However, she has small scars on her face as a nod to her comic-book depiction.
Mark Kubr plays Killian's henchman known as Ponytail Express. This is the second time Kubr has played someone in an Iron Man film. Kubr also appeared in Iron Man 2 (2010) as a cellmate killed by Whiplash during a prison escape.
Shane Black perceived the concept of the Mandarin being Aldrich Killian's front and explained it as a play on expectations: "I wanted to make an interesting story choice; something about our own fear and our perspectives on bad guys. What if he's an uber-terrorist aimed at everyone and everything? What if he's a myth, and that's ultimately what we're dealing with: a manufactured myth assembled and sustained from start to finish. Popular consciousness?" Producer Kevin Feige admitted it was a huge risk to do, "But sometimes it's important to break with tradition, even at the risk of alienating some purists. Shane had really great ideas about identity, anonymity and false faces."
This is Robert Downey Jr.'s fifth time playing Tony Stark, including the bonus post-credits scene in The Incredible Hulk (2008). This briefly tied him with Hugh Jackman and Samuel L. Jackson for the record of appearing theatrically as a comic-book character. However, after this film's release, Jackman reclaimed the record with his roles in The Wolverine (2013), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) and Logan (2017). Downey has since taken the record back.
In the House Party Protocol, only a few suits have distinctive designs. The others have numerous features that are recolored or paired with other parts. From Mark I to VII, from XV to XVII (Sneaky, Nightclub and Heartbreaker), XXII (Hot Rod), XXV (Striker), XXXIII (Silver Centurion), XXXV (Red Snapper) and from XXXVII to XLII (Hammerhead, Igor, Gemini, Shotgun and Bones) all have their own unique designs. Marks VIII through XIV are all red and gold or black and silver and share parts from Marks VII, XVII, XXII, XXXV, XXXVII and XL; Mark XXIV (Tank) is a recolored Mark XVII, Mark XXVI (Gamma) is a recolored Mark XXV, Mark XXX (Blue Steel) is a recolored Mark XXXIII, Mark XXIII (Shades) is a recolored Mark XL, and the others are recolored combinations of Marks VII, XVII, XXII, XXV, XXXIII, XXXV and XL.
The Extremis-enhanced henchmen are based on minor Marvel villains, each with backstories completely different from what is seen in the film: Savin James Badge Dale is actually based on Eric Savin, aka Coldblood, a cyborg assassin not tied to any Marvel comic. Brandt Stephanie Szostak is based on Ellen Brandt, Man-Thing's ex-wife and villain. Taggert Ashley Hamilton is based on Jack Taggert, aka Firepower, who is African-American in the comics and has his own armored suit to fight Iron Man.
According to producer Kevin Feige, the Mandarin is portrayed with an ambiguous background: "What he twists for his own purpose has less to do with his own ethnicity than with analogies and iconography from various cultures. We're not saying he's Chinese, we're saying he drapes himself in Chinese symbols and dragons because that represents his obsession with Sun Tzu and the various ancient martial arts he has studied."
Unlike Iron Man (2008) and Iron Man 2 (2010), Industrial Light & Magic did not handle the film's visual effects. Instead, Digital Domain and Weta Digital took over.
Initially, Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Pictures considered shooting the film in Michigan because of tax incentives. However, because North Carolina guaranteed a $20 million tax credit, the producers decided to shoot there.
When Eric Savin boards Air Force One in disguise in the Iron Patriot armor, President Ellis salutes him. One historical theory about how the salute began is that each person saluting raised the visor of their armor to show who they were, and since raising their visors would leave their faces unprotected, they would not want to do harm.
Shane Black wanted to do a little more with the "Demon In the Bottle" story, but Disney scrapped it because it had already been dealt with in some form in Iron Man 2 (2010).
Producer Kevin Feige described the film's main theme as a love story: "The love triangle in this movie is between Tony, Pepper and his obsession with the suits and the technology. Yes, there's a bad guy. Yes, the stakes are very high. But the real stakes are, can Tony put aside spending every day in that workshop fixing the suits to focus on the most important thing, which is Pepper?"
One scene was shot at Epic Games, the video game development company known for the Gears of War (2006) series and Fortnite.
Property master Russell Bobbitt designed a special set of 10 rings for the Mandarin. These rings are Bobbitt's favorite props in the film.
Robert Downey Jr. holds the distinction of starring or co-starring in every Marvel Cinematic Universe film that marks the start of a new phase: Iron Man (2008) was the beginning of Phase 1, this film was the beginning of Phase 2, and Captain America: Civil War (2016) was the beginning of Phase 3.
Brandt was initially seen as Killian's butler instead of Savin. He could even have turned out to be Killian at the last moment, with Pepper fighting him.
Production was delayed on August 15, 2012, when Robert Downey Jr. injured his ankle during a stunt.
This was Joan Rivers' last appearance in a feature film before her death in 2014.
(Around 1 hour 55 minutes) Because footage from Downton Abbey (2010) was used, Jessica Brown Findlay, who appears in this film, was considered for a role in another Marvel film, as Sharon Carter in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014).
The plot incorporates various stories from the "Iron Man" comics: the "Extremis" arc, which involves Tony Stark developing and using the Extremis virus, a nanotechnological version of the Captain America serum. Tony Stark is overthrown and becomes a homeless drifter, befriending a civilian who inspires him along the way. The Mandarin tries to use Extremis as a weapon of mass destruction. The "Invincible Iron Man" arc, in which Stark escapes and War Machine and Rescue appear in his place. The "Armor Wars" arc, in which Tony Stark fakes his death due to Firepower's constant harassment. The "Enter the Mandarin" arc, in which Iron Man clashes with the Mandarin.
(Around 1 hour 50 minutes) When it is revealed that Pepper survived the fall into the fire, she pierces an Iron Man suit from the House Party Protocol and takes it offline before tearing off its arm to use. This suit looks like the Mark VII (though it could be one of the various costumes from Marks VIII to XIV), but it was clearly blown up along with the six costumes before it during the attack on Tony's mansion.
This was the time Samuel L. Jackson did not appear as Nick Fury in an Iron Man-related film for the first time.
Screenwriter Drew Pearce likened Tony Stark to an American James Bond, since both are "heroes with a sense of danger to them and unpredictability." He also likened Tony to the protagonists of 1970s films such as The French Connection (1971), where "the heroes' idiosyncrasies is what makes them exciting."
In a deleted arc showing Tony's interactions with Harley's bully, the bully is there when Savin melts the supports of the water tower and is caught in the flood of water. Harley pulls him out of the water and Tony revives him by taking the electromagnet out of his chest and using it to shock Harley's bully. Tony then collapses without the arc reactor in his chest. Harley then has to take it from his hand and put it back. This may have been Tony's inspiration for everyone falling from Air Force One to hold on to each other and create a current in their bodies so that their hands lock together and no one lets go of anyone.
Jude Law was considered for the role of Aldrich Killian. It would have been his third collaboration with Gwyneth Paltrow after The Talented Mr. Ripley and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004), and his third collaboration with Robert Downey Jr. after Sherlock Holmes (2009) and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011). Law played Yon-Rogg in Captain Marvel (2019).
(Around 1 hour 30 minutes) Trevor Slattery, also known as The Mandarin, is seen on television watching a football match between Liverpool and Chelsea. Daniel Agger scored the goal and the score became 3-0. By scoring the goal, it is suggested that the character is a Liverpool fan. While the events in the film take place around Christmas, the game actually took place on May 8, 2012 (meaning he is watching the game for the first time on videotape or disc).
The town where Iron Man crashes is Rose Hill in Tennessee. In reality, Rose Hill is in North Carolina. The producers renovated the small town's main street and turned it into a small backlot of their own for about six months. They even converted a building housing a church group into a bar and put a diner in another building.
Most of the suits featured in the House Party Protocol were given code names and designed for a specific purpose. The suits from Mark XV to XLII were named and given purposes. The Mark I is said to be listed as the "Improvised Escape Suit" and the Mark II as War Machine. However, the Marks from III to XIV were not given names or specific functions.
Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) appears as a guest star at the end of this film, just as Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) appeared in the post-credits scene of The Incredible Hulk (2008). Both would go on to play a second lead in films focused on other core members of the Avengers: Downey in Captain America: Civil War (2016) and Ruffalo in Thor: Ragnarok (2017).
Some scenes seen in the trailers did not make the final cut. For example, a scene in which the Mandarin (Trevor Slattery) rises from a kind of throne in an Orientalist room appeared nowhere in the film, and a scene in which someone hangs a dog tag on a knife embedded in a wall was also absent. War Machine (Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes) never lifts the faceplate of his helmet while inside the suit.
Jack Taggert (the unstable Extremis soldier at the Chinese Theatre), Roxxon Oil and the Silver Centurion armor all appeared in the 1988 "Armor Wars" storyline in the comics.
At two hours and 10 minutes, this is the longest standalone Iron Man film.
Shane Black and Drew Pearce eventually named all 42 suits. Some of the more unusual ones were Doozer, Pavarotti, The Godfather, Fatty, Munchkin (a coffee-making, radio-controlled suit), The Suit with No Name (which Pearce described as "an intriguing, mean-looking suit whose purpose Tony refuses to divulge"), Mary Kate and Ashley (which would crush people between them) and Bastard (which had giant razors instead of hands).
Gemma Arterton, Diane Kruger and Isla Fisher were considered for the role of Maya Hansen. Jessica Chastain was cast but left due to scheduling conflicts and was replaced by Rebecca Hall. Arterton was also considered to play either Jane Foster or Sif in Thor (2011). Chastain went on to star in X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019).
The EXTREMIS characters were meant to have strange quirks and traits, but most of these were cut from the film. Some of those cut included Savin (James Badge Dale) always being seen eating, characters generally not wearing shoes because they grew uncomfortably hot, and their hair and nails growing faster (this is seen when Savin has unusually long nails while outside Pepper's office).
Shane Black and Drew Pearce wrote that Happy watches UFC when he wakes from his coma, but it was Jon Favreau's idea for him to watch Downton Abbey instead.
Filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina under the title "Caged Heat," Marvel One-Shot: All Hail the King (2014) was released on the DVD and Blu-Ray of Thor: The Dark World (2013); it reveals that the actor Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley), whom Killian included in his "portraying" The Mandarin, starred in a rejected television pilot bearing that title.
In the scene where Aldrich Killian shows Pepper a hologram of his brain during the Extremis scene, he mentions that certain parts of the human nervous system need to be upgraded and that Extremis can do this. This may also be a nod to the Inhumans and their procedure of using the Terrigen Mists to awaken their alien superpowers, since at the time Marvel Studios was trying to develop an Inhumans film until it became a short-lived TV series.
The Audi vehicles shown in the first two films are once again prominent. This time the featured vehicles include an Audi R8 e-tron concept car used by Tony (and seen falling into the ocean when the Malibu compound is blown up), an Audi S7 used by Pepper Potts and an Audi A8 later used by Tony.
Sir Ben Kingsley (The Mandarin) and Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark) both played the title character in biographical films directed by Sir Richard Attenborough: Kingsley played Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in Gandhi (1982), while Downey played Charlie Chaplin in Chaplin (1992).
Tony criticizes Rhodey for using the word 'hack'. Tony says, "This isn't the '80s, nobody says 'hack' anymore," yet on New Year's Eve 1999 Tony is affected by Maya "hacking into" the plant's DNA. He is also looking for "a hacker better than Ultron" in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), which was expected to take place in 2015.
This is the second consecutive film in the Iron Man trilogy in which Rhodey's armor is upgraded by a businessman secretly supporting the main enemy as part of the villain's plan.
The dunce cap on DUM-E was Robert Downey Jr.'s idea. The ficus plant in the opening scene, a nod to Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), was also his idea.
According to the film's art book, four other suits were considered for the House Party Protocol but were scrapped. A silver and gold suit with a pointed forehead, reportedly named "Bullet," had large thrusters on its biceps. The purpose of this costume was either deemed unnecessary or it was reworked as the Mark XL (Shotgun) armor designed for "Hyper Velocity." Two suits featuring a pair of melee weapons mounted on their forearms (one with twin saw blades and the other with twin hammer-like tools (Old Man)) were most likely not included because their weapons did not fit Iron Man's style. Finally, an unnamed suit with a desert camouflage color scheme equipped with grappling hooks was scrapped, since Iron Man would not necessarily need grappling hooks if he could already fly.
"The Mandarin" is an invention of Killian's A.I.M. A costume. The mansion where The Mandarin's broadcasts are made is in Miami, Florida. "Miami" spelled backwards is "Imaim," which is "I'm A.I.M."
One of the helicopters attacking Tony's house has news station call letters on its side. This was intended to show how the attack helicopters looked like news vehicles in order to get close enough to the house and avoid security.
Shane Black and Drew Pearce had a big argument over whether Killian could breathe fire, even though there is an example of this in the comics. Black was worried that even if it went over well in the moment, it would lose credibility with the audience. He compares this to Renny Harlin's photo of Sylvester Stallone jumping from mountain to mountain in the Cliffhanger (1993) trailer. That scene played well with test audiences but resulted in lower scores. When the shot was removed from Cliffhanger (though it is seen in some trailers), the film's scores went up.
In the final battle, Tony is seen wearing an AIM shirt. Shane Black said the plan was to digitally remove the logo, but they forgot to do it.
The final scene with the Dora the Explorer watch was not originally shot. The production team added it digitally as a reward for Harley, the kid Tony befriends earlier in the film.
Tony Stark was born in 1969.
(At about 1 hour 55 minutes) The episode of Downton Abbey (2010) that "Happy" Hogan watches in the hospital is Episode #2.4 (2011).
Unlike other MCU films (and like very few films in history), this entire story is told in flashback.
At the end of the film, it is revealed that Tony has been telling this whole story to Bruce Banner. Banner tells Tony he is not that kind of doctor, a fact Tony knows very well because in The Avengers (2012) Tony told Banner he was a fan of his work. Banner also tells Tony he doesn't have the "temperament" to be a therapist, a reference to his angry second personality, The Hulk.
In the gag film, when they are eating together, Tony is seen asking some bikers who appear to be at the same workplace as Tony and Rhodey what women want, while multiple takes from the same "rabbits!" series are shown. So Tony buys Pepper a giant stuffed rabbit for Christmas.
Each film in the Iron Man trilogy featured an Academy Award-winning actor as the villain: * Jeff Bridges played Obadiah Stane in Iron Man (2008) and won for Crazy Heart (2009). * Sam Rockwell played Justin Hammer in Iron Man 2 (2010) and won for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017). * Sir Ben Kingsley played The Mandarin/Trevor Slattery and won for Gandhi (1982).
To date, it is the highest-grossing film of all time in the Philippines, with a box office of 625 million PHP (over 13.9 million US dollars).
As in one of Shane Black's previous works (Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)), one of the main characters is attacked by helicopters at his beach house while with a woman.
Co-writer Drew Pearce had two quotes from famous people that initially kept him focused on the story. One was from John Burroughs: "Man is the maker of gods, and always has been. This has been the most serious and important occupation of his residence in this world." The other was from Laozi: "One who controls others may be powerful, but one who masters himself is even more powerful."
The film takes place from December 31, 1999 to January 1, 2000, and in December 2012.
Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) laments Iron Man's destruction (and possible death) and breaks down sobbing as she catches the hero's helmet amid the wreckage. This scene is a copy of what happened at Ayrton Senna's funeral, when Viviane Senna held his helmet toward her face; a simple tribute from writer and director Shane Black to the eternal champion.
(At about 1 hour 24 minutes) While Pepper Potts is being injected with Extremis, Savin mentions to Killian that he is still in Phase 2. This was a possible reference to this film being the first in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's "Phase 2."
When Shane Black imagines and plans action scenes in his head, he depicts people as dogs, so that more empathy can be felt for them.
Initially, Pepper Potts's introduction in the film had more backstory; Shane Black and Drew Pearce say it played like "a trailer for the Pepper Potts movie."
In the first draft, Maya Hanson was the brain behind the terrorist incidents.
The first Iron Man film in which Leslie Bibb does not appear as Vanity Fair's Christine Everhart.
Kevin Feige describes himself as a Star Trek fan. In Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), the Enterprise is destroyed. Something is also destroyed in the third film of every Marvel series: in this film Tony Stark's house, in Captain America: Civil War (2016) the Avengers, in Thor: Ragnarok (2017) Asgard, and in Avengers: Infinity War (2018) half the universe. This film also features Miguel Ferrer in the Star Trek III cast.
This film was available for pre-order on home video before it was released in theaters.
John Ottman was approached to compose the film's score, but declined due to scheduling conflicts. He had previously worked with director Shane Black on Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) (which also starred Robert Downey Jr.) and they worked together again on The Nice Guys (2016).
The blond highlights in Killian's hair were a nod to Richard Branson, who partly inspired the character.
In a 2013 interview with writers Shane Black and Drew Pearce, they revealed that in the second draft of the script, Pepper Potts had a relationship with Aldrich Killian, and that Aldrich even filmed their sex tape. Aldrich then released the tape to the media to humiliate Pepper.
In the flashback scene of the New Year's party in Switzerland in 1999, Tony wears a name tag that reads "You Know Who I Am." This is also his Instagram bio (as of December 2024).
This was Miguel Ferrer's last live-action film appearance before his death in 2017.
(At about the 57th minute) Tony says "Westworld." to a butler. Futureworld (1976), the sequel to that film, stars Blythe Danner, the mother of Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts).
Drew Pearce explained that Emilia Clarke was cast, but changes made to the script led to her character being cut.
Composer Brian Tyler is the third composer to score an Iron Man film, after Ramin Djawadi for Iron Man (2008) and John Debney for Iron Man 2 (2010).
Guy Pearce was considered to play Daredevil in Daredevil (2003), and Sir Ben Kingsley was considered to play The Vulture in Spider-Man 3 (2007) before the character was cut.
As with many modern supplementary screenings, there were multiple openings planned and shot for the film. The alternative openings included a scene from Tony Stark's childhood in which he tries to cheer up his mother after she argues with his father; a film showing him in the middle of the film after an emergency landing in Tennessee (as a tribute to the first film released after the Afghanistan attack); a 10-minute action scene in Afghanistan; and a scene in which Tony clears land mines bearing the Stark logo, a reference to the many explosive elements from his past waiting to go off.
The Mandarin's descent was filmed at Villa Vizcaya (exterior) and on a private South Beach shoreline (interior).
The film's original rough cut was three hours and 15 minutes without credits. It was eventually trimmed to just under two hours for the final version, uncredited.
It grossed $174 million domestically in its opening weekend, which was then the second-biggest opening of all time after The Avengers (2012), with $207 million.
In a scene removed after Killian shoots Maya, she tells Tony that she remembers Tony being good at making big decisions in small caves, a clear reference to the first Iron Man film.
Two identical Boeing VC-25A aircraft serve as Air Force One. The VC-25A is an extensively modified 747-200B, the first of which entered service in 1990. The next-generation Air Force One aircraft will be based on the Boeing 747-8 or Boeing 787 Dreamliner and will enter service in 2022.
It became the highest-grossing film in Malaysia, with a gross of about $14 million.
Shane Black is friends with William Sadler, who plays the President of the United States in the film. Black's favorite Sadler performance is his role as Death in Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991).
Tom Hooper was considered to direct.
According to Corridor Crew's interview with Sean Walker of WetaFX, Aldrich Killian's final character shots were entirely digital. The producers wanted a pre-shoot of Guy Pearce to complete the scene, but Pearce had already moved on to other projects and was growing a beard. They pasted his beard onto his face to shrink his outline so it could be painted in post-production. It didn't help.
Andy Lau was in talks to play Doctor Wu but left the project upon the birth of his daughter. Daoming Chen and Xiubo Wu were also considered for the role before Xueqi Wang was finally cast. The character was initially said to be Chen Lu, alias Radioactive Man, a longtime enemy of Iron Man.
The caption of the photo introducing Iron Patriot is Killian's think tank, "Iron Patriot Re-brand designed by Advanced Idea Mechanics."
Hiroyuki Sanada was a fan favorite to play The Mandarin.
Robert Downey Jr. reported earning $75 million from this film. That is 30 times the original upfront salary he received for Iron Man (2008).
Shane Black served as an uncredited script consultant on the first two Iron Man films.
Rebecca Hall explained that the character Maya Hansen was originally meant to be a villain, but the idea was scrapped for fear that a female villain's toys wouldn't sell. The change was likely ordered by Isaac Perlmutter, then chairman of Marvel Entertainment, who vetoed films and toys featuring female superheroes, citing doubts about their profitability.
(At about 1 hour 21 minutes) "Anyway, the point is, ever since that big dude with a hammer fell out of the sky, subtlety's kinda had its day." This nod to Thor is made by Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) to Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) while he is being held hostage.
When Killian talks to Tony after being captured, he mentions Thor, and in a deleted scene, Savin, in the Iron Patriot armor, distracts a reporter asking him many questions about Air Force One by pointing out the window and saying, "Hey, look, it's Thor!" All the Thor references may be a nod to the fact that Thor: The Dark World (2013) was the next film in the MCU.
It sold out within three weeks of Iron Man 2 (2010) hitting theaters.
Originally, it was Brandt rather than Killian who returns at the end to be killed by Pepper, which made the film resemble more of a Bond film with a henchman showdown. However, Shane Black and Drew Pearce decided it should be Killian, which gave him the chance to say he was the real Mandarin.
Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) discovers that the Mandarin (Sir Ben Kingsley) is actually an actor named Trevor Slattery hired to play the role. In Without a Clue (1988), Dr. Watson (Kingsley) hires an actor named Reginald Kincaid (Michael Caine) to play the role of Sherlock Holmes, which Downey would later play in Sherlock Holmes (2009), Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011) and Sherlock Holmes 3.
The suit that cuts off Killian's hand was originally named Ginsu, and it turned out to be a joke before Tony says it to Killian, "You take a moment." But the powers that be didn't think many people would get the reference and had them cut the joke.
DIRECTOR_TİCARİ MARKA(Shane Black): Robert Downey Jr.: sitting on the ground and leaning against a car (as in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)).
In Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Sir Ben Kingsley played The Mandarin, and Robert Redford played Alexander Pierce. Both were in Shoes (1992), in which Kingsley played the villain and Redford the protagonist. Now both Academy Award-winning actors have appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
At the time of its release, it was the fifth highest-grossing film worldwide, after Avatar (2009), Titanic (1997), The Avengers (2012) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011).
The following characters appeared in the film and were adapted from the comics: * Anthony Edward "Tony" Stark, referred to on screen as Tony Stark or Iron Man. He first appeared in the comic book story "Iron Man Is Born!" in Tales of Suspense #39 (March 1963), by writers Stan Lee and Larry Lieber and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. * Virginia "Pepper" Potts, referred to on screen as Pepper Potts. She first appeared in the comic book story "The Icy Fingers of Jack Frost!" in Tales of Suspense #45 (September 1963), by writers Stan Lee & Robert Bernstein and artist Don Heck. * Colonel James Rupert "Rhodey" Rhodes/War Machine, referred to on screen as Rhodey Rhodes or War Machine. He first appeared as James Rhodes in the comic book story "In the Mercy of My Enemies!" in Iron Man #118 (January 1979), and the War Machine identity first appeared in the comic book story "Personal Demons" in Avengers West Coast (Vol. 2) #94 (May 1993). The character was created by writer David Michelinie, writer/artist Bob Layton and artist John Byrne. * Dr. Aldrich Killian first appeared in the comic book story "Extremis (Part I/VI)" in Iron Man Vol. 4 #1 (November 2004), by writer Warren Ellis and artist Adi Granov. Maya Hansen, who first appeared in the comic book story "Extremis (Part I/VI)" in Iron Man Vol. 4 #1 (November 2004), by writer Warren Ellis and artist Adi Granov. * Harold Joseph "Happy" Hogan, referred to on screen as Happy Hogan. He first appeared in the comic book story "The Icy Fingers of Jack Frost!" in Tales of Suspense #45 (September 1963), by writers Stan Lee & Robert Bernstein and artist Don Heck. * Eric Savin first appeared in the comic book story "Rise and Shine (Part 1) - New York" in Marvel Comics Presents #26 (August 1989), by writer Doug Moench and artist Paul Gulacy. * Ellen Brandt, referred to on screen as Brandt. She first appeared in the comic book story "Man-Thing!" in Savage Tales #1 (May 1971), by writers Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway. * J. A. R. V. I. S. (Just A Pretty Very Intelligent System) is based on the comic book character Edwin Jarvis. Edwin Jarvis first appeared in the comic book story "Captain America" in Tales of Suspense #59 (November 1964), by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. * Jack Taggert, whom we refer to on screen only as Taggert. He first appeared in the comic book story "Stark Wars, Chapter VI: The Day the Hero Died" in Iron Man #230, by writers David Michelinie and Bob Layton and artist Mark D. Bright. * Bruce Banner appears in a non-titled cameo; in the comics he is also The Hulk. He first appeared in the comic book "The Hulk" in The Incredible Hulk #1 (May 1962), by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. The list above includes only the creators of the character's first appearance. As with all comic book characters, Iron Man and the supporting cast have been reinvented many times and given different contributions by different writers. These include different iterations in different settings that add different concepts to the characters' overall mythology.
Director Shane Black stated that Tom Clancy's work was an influence on this film.
While Tony and Killian fight on the roof of Roxxon Norco, Tony wears an Iron Man suit resembling the breathing units of General Zod and his Kryptonian comrades in Man of Steel (2013).
With this film, the Marvel Cinematic Universe broke $4 billion and $5 billion in global box office revenue. It became the third film series to reach the $5 billion milestone, after James Bond and Harry Potter.
(At about 1 hour 13 minutes) The backpack Tony Stark wears while infiltrating the fake Mandarin's safe house is a Maxpedition Sitka.
Miguel Ferrer's mother, Rosemary Clooney, also appeared in White Christmas (1954).
During the gag reel, Robert Downey Jr. is on the film's set together with Jon Favreau (even though he himself is not on screen), and they are trying to read their own lines for the video call between Stark and Happy. There seem to be some problems with Favreau's lines, and Downey tells him to repeat after him [the lines of Favreau's that Downey reads aloud]. Favreau does a good job and even improves a few lines before breaking the joke: "I can't do this, I'm not Sherlock Holmes." Downey, of course, played Sherlock Holmes alongside Jude Law as Dr. Watson in Guy Ritchie's film about the famous fictional detective (Sherlock Holmes (2009)).
A car chase set was planned for the film, and location scouting was even done for it. However, the scene was cancelled just before filming.
The tenth of twelve films to be released jointly by Paramount and Disney; the others are Popeye (1980), Dragonslayer (1981), Alive (1993), Face/Off (1997), Snake Eyes (1998), A Civil Action (1998), Runaway Bride (1999), Bringing Out the Dead (1999), The Avengers (2012), Terminator: Dark Fate (2019) and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023).
Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall and Robert Downey Jr. have worked with Sir Christopher Nolan; Pearce in Memento (2000), Hall in The Prestige (2006) and Downey in Oppenheimer (2023).
The only Iron Man film in which Tony Stark does not fight someone with armor similar to his own.
Fernando Chien, who plays the Extremis Soldier, is a well-known stuntman and will play two more roles in the MCU: Chen Wu in Iron Fist (2017) and Gao Lei in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021).
(At 59:59) The farm truck from Street Outlaws (2013) can be seen.
Gwyneth Paltrow was reported to have earned 19 million dollars from this film.
Among the cast are three Oscar winners (Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow and Sir Ben Kingsley) and three Oscar nominees (Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce and Mark Ruffalo).
The only Iron Man film that was not released in the same year as any The Chronicles of Narnia film.
Killian describes Slattery's acting abilities as "his Lear was the toast of Croydon." Since Croydon is a suburban town near London, Killian is in fact saying that Slattery has achieved success only in a place that is not prestigious.
It is featured in "The A to Z of Superhero Movies: From Abar to ZsaZsa via the MCU," written by Rob Hill.
Special Thanks to Joss Whedon and Fan Bingbing.
Actor Miguel Ferrer appeared in another film about an armored man, RoboCop (1987).
Exchange: "Tell me and he'll stop doing it." "Doing what?" —the character does something painful to the other character— "That." It is also used in Shane Black's previous film The Good Guys. Russell Crowe performs "that" to get information while Ryan Gosling is being spoken to by a bartender.