Summary
- Iron Man’s debut in the MCU was pivotal, influencing all subsequent movies and character storylines globally.
- Some quotes from the Iron Man trilogy have not aged well, revealing societal changes but also major shifts in Stark’s own story.
- The evolution of Tony Stark’s character from a playboy to a hero culminated in his iconic “I am Iron Man” moment.
Iron Man was the first movie in the MCU when it was released in 2008, and between it and its two sequels, many quotes have aged rather poorly today. It is safe to say that without Iron Man, there would be no MCU as the all-important debut movie struck the right chord with audiences globally. While Iron Man does not boast the highest-grossing or highest-rated movies in the MCU, the character’s influence on the MCU is indelible, with his appearances across ten movies expanding on his solo outings significantly.
Given Iron Man’s solo trilogy were among the earliest movies in the MCU, it is no surprise that certain parts of the script have failed to stand the test of time. While some quotes now look a lot different in the context of the MCU’s current narrative, others simply wouldn’t wash with modern audiences and may even be seen as cringe-inducing today. These are ten quotes that fit that bill, helping to prove that the MCU is an ever-evolving franchise.
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10 “I’m Your Nuclear Deterrent. It’s Working. We’re Safe. America Is Secure.”
Tony Stark In Iron Man 2 (2010)
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Iron Man 2 begins with Tony Stark being questioned by the United States Senate after going public with his Iron Man persona. Now that the US government considers Stark to be in possession of a powerful weapon, it endeavors to acquire Stark’s tech in the absence of any functional replicas. Tony refuses to hand the suit over, however, stating that it is safest in his hands alone and, in being so, deters threats to the USA.
Tony Stark is interrogated by a belligerent Senator Stern, who is later revealed to be a HYDRA agent.
Yet this would not remain true for very long. While it is difficult to ascertain just how differently things may have played out without Iron Man’s genesis as an American superhero, his assertion that America is secure would be contradicted in numerous subsequent MCU installments. Perhaps the most egregious example of this was thanks to Stark’s own hubris in creating Ultron – an AI intended to protect the world that instead threatened all of humanity – though it was admittedly Sokovia that bore the brunt of this particular misstep.
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9 “Contrary To Your Belief, You Are Not The Center Of My Universe.”
Nick Fury In Iron Man 2 (2010)
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Nick Fury became a more prominent figure in the MCU in Iron Man 2 as he shares a handful of scenes with the eponymous hero. One of these saw Fury give Stark a dressing down in a diner, chastising him for causing problems for SHIELD before delivering a SHIELD-made temporary cure to his palladium poisoning. It is during this conversation – one of Nick Fury’s earliest in the MCU – that he declares that Tony Stark is not the center of his universe.
This would become less and less prescient as the MCU progressed. Contrary to Fury’s assertions, Tony Stark would indeed become the center of the MCU, the universe in which Fury exists. The culmination of Tony Stark’s MCU journey would see him save the universe from Thanos, drawing the Infinity Saga to a close. The fact that Marvel is now struggling to replicate the success of the Infinity Saga in the wake of Tony’s death compounds the notion that he was more central to Fury’s universe than the SHIELD director initially gave him credit for.
8 “I Got Stuck Doing A Piece For Vanity Fair.”
Tony Stark In Iron Man (2008)
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Iron Man was the movie that launched the MCU with Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark at its center in 2008. It remains one of the best casting decisions in the MCU as Robert Downey Jr.’s cocky charisma translated perfectly into his portrayal of the billionaire, genius, playboy philanthropist. Unfortunately, that characterization suffers from moments that don’t hold up so well today, particularly with regard to Stark’s “playboy” persona.
Jon Favreau and Kevin Feige fought to have Robert Downey Jr. cast in the role of Tony Stark.
This double entendre was made after Stark seduced, slept with, and jilted Vanity Fair reporter Christine Everheart, portrayed by Leslie Bibb. The objectification of Everheart as a “piece” in this context does not stand up to a more conscientious society and only serves to vilify Tony Stark as a lecherous Lothario. The poor treatment of Everheart is only compounded by Pepper Potts referring to her as “trash” in a double entendre of her own.
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7 “Which Happens, Dads Leave, Don’t Need To Be A P*ssy About It.”
Tony Stark In Iron Man 3 (2013)
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Tony Stark’s bond with Harley Keener is one of Iron Man 3‘s highlights as the comedic chemistry between the two is immediately apparent from their first interaction. This came as Tony, stranded in rural Tennessee, sought shelter in Harley Keener’s garage, quickly meeting Harley as he discovers Tony’s intrusion. While getting to know one another, Harley reveals that his father left six years prior, prompting Tony to coldly retort with the quote above.
Harley Keener would not be seen in the MCU until Tony Stark’s funeral in
Avengers: Endgame
.
The scene works to establish a connection between the two, as Stark is himself racked with negative feelings towards his late father. Nevertheless, his response feels particularly churlish and rendered even more cutting by the fate that would ultimately befall his young daughter, Morgan. Stark’s decision to go out with a bang in Avengers: Endgame, while supremely heroic, was nonetheless tantamount to a decision to leave Morgan behind. Tragic and unavoidable as it was, this statement feels particularly harsh in hindsight.
6 “Next Time, Baby.”
James Rhodes In Iron Man (2008)
Iron Man set up a tease for the genesis of War Machine towards the movie’s climax. As Rhodey checks up on Stark, finding him prone in his workshop after Obadiah Stane’s attack and theft of his arc reactor, he informs Stark that Pepper Potts is en route to apprehend Stane. Fearing for Potts now that Stane has acquired what he needs to power his Iron Monger suit, Tony swiftly takes off in his Mk. III armor and leaves Rhodey in his wake. Rhodey then lingers on an unmanned suit in Tony’s shop before turning away and stating “Next time, baby.”
Except, of course, there would never be a next time. Not, at least, for Terrence Howard, who departed the MCU after Iron Man due to a reported pay dispute. Rhodey was recast in Iron Man 2, with Don Cheadle acquiring the role in the movie that would end up debuting War Machine. Terrence Howard’s “Next time” would therefore never come to fruition, although it would for Rhodey’s character.
5 “Sorry, Pal, But Iron Man Doesn’t Have A Sidekick.”
Tony Stark In Iron Man 2 (2010)
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Iron Man 2 saw Tony wrestle with his own mortality as the palladium in his arc reactor slowly poisons him. This leads him to act recklessly while alive, throwing a party while in his Iron Man suit and endangering attendees by showing off its dangerous features while drunk. This is where Rhodey intervenes, commandeering a suit for himself to subdue Tony and confiscate his tech for the US Air Force. During their brawl, Tony quips at a suited-up Rhodey that he doesn’t need a sidekick before Rhodey ultimately gets the upper hand.
Seven years later, Tony Stark would renege on that assertion. His recruitment of Spider-Man to aid in the fight against Team Cap in Captain America: Civil War would evolve into a closer bond in Spider-Man: Homecoming, which would essentially become an Iron Man and Spider-Man team-up movie. Today, the MCU’s depiction of Spider-Man draws ample flak for being too much of a sidekick to his mentor, Tony Stark, instead of allowing him to flourish as an independent hero.
4 “That Lovely Lady…What Was His Name…Was It Ivan?”
Tony Stark In Iron Man (2008)
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Iron Man continues to prove that it was a product of its time as Tony’s brash behavior spills into outright bigotry in a handful of lines. When meeting Rhodey at an airbase Tony Stark interrupts Rhodey addressing a group of pilots by fabricating a story in which his friend had a sexual encounter with a man who was implied to be feminine-presenting, or simply a trans woman, during Spring Break of 1987. The remark was intended to embarrass Rhodey in front of his subordinates, with Rhodey responding “Don’t do that, they’ll believe you.”
There are a couple of ways in which this Iron Man line has aged very poorly. Tony’s remark in which he misgenders an imagined third party is quite patently transphobic as he implies that female and male designations are interchangeable in this context. Furthermore, Tony’s attempt to embarrass Rodey by implying he had sexual relations with a male or a trans woman is precisely the kind of bigoted attitude that would not wash in a modern MCU movie, for good reason.
3 “I’ll Get My Revenge On You, Someday!”
Justin Hammer In Iron Man 2 (2010)
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Iron Man 2 hosted two primary villains in the form of Ivan Vanko/Whiplash and Justin Hammer – Tony’s hapless business rival. Hammer’s attempts to one-up Stark would culminate in him employing Vanko to create suits that would rival Tony’s. Unfortunately for Hammer, Vanko would instead use his resources to create an army of drones that he would then sick on Tony, wreaking havoc in their attempts. For his role in the fiasco, Hammer is ultimately arrested before swearing revenge on his rival.
Justin Hammer has only appeared once more in MCU live-action in the one-shot
All Hail the King
.
In another loss for Hammer, he would remain unavenged until Tony Stark died on his own terms in Avengers: Endgame. While Justin Hammer might see this as a net positive, the fact he had no part to play in Tony’s demise means his declaration was another falsehood on his part. Armor Wars may see Justin Hammer return to inflict his vengeance upon Stark’s legacy, but any victory would feel lackluster compared to anything he could have done to Tony Stark himself while he was still alive.
2 “I Am The Mandarin!”
Aldrich Killian In Iron Man 3 (2013)
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Aldrich Killian is one of Iron Man’s less inspiring villains, and indicative of the villain problem that Iron Man faced throughout his MCU career. The general lack of enthusiasm for Killian – portrayed by Guy Pearce – was compounded by the ill-advised rug-pull that was meant to reveal that he was the MCU’s version of one of Iron Man’s most iconic comic book villains, the Mandarin. The fact that this was his final line before being defeated in Iron Man 3 only added insult to injury.
The generally poor reception to replacing the Mandarin with Trevor Slattery and Aldrich Killian led to a swift retcon in the MCU one-shot, All Hail the King, which was released nearly one year after Iron Man 3 in February 2014. This one-shot clarified that the real Mandarin and leader of the Ten Rings was angered by the appropriation of his name and legacy before the character would reveal himself seven years later in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Unfortunately, this did little to reduce the sting of sidelining the iconic Iron Man villain while Stark still lived.
1 “I Am Iron Man.”
Tony Stark In Iron Man (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), And Iron Man 3 (2013)
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Iron Man concluded with one of the most iconic scenes and quotes in the superhero genre, as Tony Stark flew in the face of convention and made his superhero alias known to the world. Tony Stark would repeat the iconic line in each of his solo movies before delivering it one final time in Avengers: Endgame before using the Infinity Stones would end his life. This declaration became an integral part of Tony Stark’s characterization and brought his MCU story to a perfect conclusion.
Today, this once resolute line is looking shakier than ever. The big reveal that Robert Downey Jr. would now be portraying Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday has thrown MCU fans into a tailspin with theories abounding over the circumstances of RDJ’s return. While it was asserted that RDJ would be playing Doctor Doom – not Iron Man – it will be difficult for audiences to remove the actor from the role with which he is so inexorably linked. What is certain, however, is that RDJ is no longer Iron Man, making this line feel a little awkward in retrospect.
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