Iron Man (2008)
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A billionaire industrialist must forge a high-tech suit of armor to survive a terrorist attack and ultimately protect the world.
The story
Tony Stark, a wealthy industrialist and master engineer, is captured by a terrorist group known as the Ten Rings while on a mission in war-torn Afghanistan. Gravely wounded and imprisoned in a cave, Stark is forced to build a prototype armored suit to escape. After successfully breaking free, he returns home and decides to overhaul his company's focus, moving away from weapons manufacturing. However, his public transformation and the secret of his new technology soon put him in the crosshairs of his former business partner, Obadiah Stane, who seeks to seize control of Stark Industries and eliminate Stark's influence.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Tony Stark, heir to Stark Industries, is captured by the Ten Rings in Afghanistan after a weapons demonstration. To survive, he and a fellow captive, Yinsen, build an arc reactor and a prototype suit. After escaping, Stark publicly announces he will stop manufacturing weapons, alarming his partner Obadiah Stane. Stane, who has been secretly supplying weapons to the Ten Rings, seeks to seize the company. Stark builds a more advanced suit while Stane builds a massive, high-powered armor. When Stane attempts to steal Stark's arc reactor and seize the company, the two engage in a massive battle atop the Stark Industries building. Stark eventually defeats Stane by overloading the building's reactor, leading to Stane's death. Stark then publicly embraces his identity as the hero 'Iron Man'. The film concludes with a post-credits scene where Nick Fury invites Stark to join the 'Avengers Initiative'.
- First release year
- 2008
- Runtime (minutes)
- 126
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Jon Favreau
- Writers
- Mark Fergus · screenplay; Hawk Ostby · screenplay; Art Marcum · screenplay; Matt Holloway · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Robert Downey Jr. · Tony Stark / Iron Man; Terrence Howard · James "Rhodey" Rhodes; Jeff Bridges · Obadiah Stane; Gwyneth Paltrow · Virginia "Pepper" Potts; Leslie Bibb · Christine Everhart; Shaun Toub · Ho Yinsen
- Genres
- superhero; action; science fiction
- Themes
- redemption; identity; technological impact
- Tone and mood
- action-packed; heroic
- Premise and plot tags
- origin story; superhero; high-tech
- Source material / true-story basis
- Marvel Comics
- Franchise connections
- Marvel Cinematic Universe
- Reception
- The film was a commercial success and received positive reviews from critics, who praised the lead performance and the balance of character development and special effects.
- Reported review scores
- CinemaScore · score: A · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Best Sound Editing · Academy Awards · 81st · nominated; Best Visual Effects · Academy Awards · 81st · nominated; Art Directors Guild Award · Award · nominated; Artios Award · Award · nominated; British Academy Film Award · Award · nominated; Cinema Audio Society Award · Award · nominated; Costume Designers Guild Award · Award · nominated; Critics' Choice Award · Award · nominated; Golden Reel Awards · Award · nominated; Grammy Award · Award · nominated; Hugo Award · Award · nominated; Satellite Awards · Award · winning two; Saturn Awards · Award · winning three; Screen Actors Guild Award · Award · nominated; Visual Effects Society Awards · Award · nominated
- Production trivia
- The film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 2022.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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