Iron Man

I’ll start with a confession. I take my son to movies like Iron Man, but I probably enjoy them just as much as him, perhaps more. But it’s a fun thing to share.

Iron Man is an unlikely and astonishing superhero. He technically starts out bad, inventing and producing weapons that kill people. When injured he’s forced to start using his genius and ingenuity to save himself and others rather than destroy, but he doesn’t become a perfect hero by any stretch of the imagination.

Almost invincible on the outside, hard and defended, on the inside a wounded man-child, who struggles with addiction and his inner demons, which is probably why Robert Downey Jr. is so effective in the role.

Iron Man was originally created by the astonishing Stan Lee; developed by scripter Larry Lieber; cover-artist and character-designer Jack Kirby; and story-artist Don Heck. Iron Man first appeared in March 1963 in Tales of Suspense #39. And Tony Stark/Iron Man has been on it ever since, well, except for the time he had to wipe his brain to keep Norman Osborn from gaining his information, but who hasn’t had days like that?As much as I love the comics and some of his appearances in cartoons and video games, etc., bringing Iron Man to the big screen was a lovely treat. Everything it should be: intense, high-tech, dramatic, melodramatic, unrealistic edging on absurd and thanks to RDJ and Jon Favreau, hilarious.

Iron Man 2 not so much. It seemed to be struggling to find its direction and ultimately just wasn’t up to the first one. It seemed more about the tech than the people, than the story.

They made up for it with Iron Man 3. Clearly I’m being sarcastic, wow, what the…why though? Just why?Now the word is although RDJ will be back in Avengers: Age of Ultron, they’re thinking of replacing him with someone younger in the 4th Iron Man. What? Why? Robert Downey Jr. is Iron Man. I’m always amazed how bizarre studio thinking can be. We’ve got a money-machine franchise, let’s play with it by replacing one of the stars. Huh? They’re as annoying as Doctor Doom, maybe more so.

So now just waiting for Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron.

And for the Illuminati to show up.

And Ms. Marvel.

And Arachne.

And Mockingbird.

So I guess just waiting.