Overthinking : Stark

"Gods, aliens, other dimensions, I'm just a man in a can."
- Tony Stark

Stark would have been a better title than Iron Man 3.

Personally, I think Iron Man 3 was Marvel's answer to DC's The Dark Knight Rises. A lot of the themes were paralleled and this thought kept running through my head while watching the film. Both movies focused on the people behind the alter egos, which was an interesting deconstruction of the genre - even more so when one realizes that unlike their peers, both aren't metahumans (or in layman's terms, superheroes). This was more prevalent in Iron Man, where Tony wasn't wearing a suit for majority of the film.

While it seems to have borrowed very heavily from the Extremis arc, I can't help but recall Demon in a Bottle while watching the film. Tony had to deal with his personal demons just as much as his enemies, although the humor kept it from being too serious. It's quite ironic that Disney wouldn't let them create an adaptation of Demon in a Bottle due to it's themes (even if alcoholism is a huge part of Tony Stark's character) but there was a ridiculous kill count for a superhero movie. This was probably the first time I saw a superhero kill people with extreme prejudice, which was quite odd.

Speaking of enemies, I liked the concept of the Mandarin, even if they totally threw away the character's story from the comics. It offered a rather radical way of looking at V's famous line in V for Vendetta:

"Beneath this mask there is more than flesh. Beneath this mask there is an idea, Mr. Creedy, and ideas are bulletproof."

The idea of attaching charismatic figureheads to a cause is always an interesting theme - and is easily reflected in the real world. Ben Kingsley was hilarious in his role while his character's apathy to what his persona represents (amidst his comfortable lifestyle) is something to think about.

Sadly, Iron Man 3 seems to be the last in the series. The post-credits scene sort of alludes to this since there wasn't anything pointing to a next film (in any Marvel franchise), even if a second Avengers movie is due in a couple of years.

I'm sort of rooting for something similar to Civil War (where Iron Man and Captain America are major characters) or Secret Invasion so we'll see how that turns out.