Part I // Part II
In the last of these posts, I wrote up a general overview of Tony Stark's story as I interpreted it and offered up my emotional reaction to its culmination in Endgame (equal parts awe and incoherent blubbering). What I'm going to do in this and several future posts is give you a tour of my Tony Stark playlist.
My inspiration here is the One Marvelous Scene project on YouTube. I'd totally join in on this multi-channel effort just to cover some scenes that have been missed -- but since I don't know how to edit, I'm going to run with a written version instead.
In this post? Iron Man. "Let's track this from the beginning..."
As others have noted, this scene is a workshop on how to introduce a main character and endear him to the audience. Sure: this is Tony before his transformation - Tony in full-tilt playboy mode - but you still can't help getting sucked in. He's funny (even if you feel a little guilty laughing), he's clever -- he's interesting. Thus, by the time the inciting incident arrives just a few minutes into the movie, you're already wholly invested. Magical!
Obviously, this is the emotional keystone of Iron Man -- the exact moment Tony resolves to take responsibility for his impact on the world and become worthy of the sacrifices several people have made on his behalf. But I'd also like to note, for the record, that when Matt and I originally saw this in the theater, we cheered out loud at "My turn." I'm sorry, but that's a terrific action movie line. And when he lands in that sand dune and mutters, "Not bad," that essentially establishes his penchant for gallows humor. So there you go: three cinema wins.
What the flash of sincerity at the end of this scene establishes is that early Tony, despite his celebrity status and his groupies, is actually a profoundly lonely man. He's been spending his entire life so far keeping the world at arm's length in the shallow pursuit of transitory pleasure, but he actually desperately wants - and needs - to have someone with whom he can let down his guard.
This scene is in the playlist because it contains what is, for me, the biggest laugh line of Iron Man. "Let's face it: this is not the worst thing you've caught me doing." What's revealed right here is that beautiful self-awareness I mentioned in the first of these posts. Let's face it: moments like this are a big reason why Tony Stark is a national treasure.
As we all know now, this scene presages how Tony's story will unfold. The single-minded determination, the passion, the guilt -- everything that defines later Tony is here in embryonic form. This is why his evolution makes sense. And this is also why I don't agree with the interpretation of Tony as a "coolly logical character." In fact, as I've remarked many times, I think the exact opposite is true. As ruthless as his decisions can sometimes appear, Tony's motive force has always been his heart -- specifically, his guilt, his fear, his lurking belief in his own unworthiness, and his capacity to love. His big brain just comes along for the ride.
This is how you correctly subvert a trope. Of course Tony is going to go public; that's the kind of character he is. But I think it's also important to note how much pressure he's putting on himself here. If everyone knows he's Iron Man, that means he has to be Iron Man all the time. If everyone knows he's Iron Man, Tony is left with no margin for error -- no room for weakness. Boom: we have thus set up the real conflict of Iron Man 2. Tony's always been in the limelight -- but now that's he's a superhero? No wonder he struggles to be honest when he faces a serious setback.
So what do you think, readers? Are there any scenes from Iron Man that I missed in this post? Feel free to comment below!
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