Why ‘Iron Man 3’ Deserves a Second Look

Let’s travel back to May 2013 and the release of Iron Man 3.

It was just four years ago, but that’s oh so long in Marvel Cinematic Universe time — eight movies in the past, to be precise. Excitement for Robert Downey Jr. to reprise his role couldn’t have been higher thanks to The Avengers, and moviegoers responded accordingly, propelling the Shane Black film to a mighty $1.2 billion worldwide (a Marvel record that’s still only surpassed by the two Avengers films).

Yet there has been grumbling among some viewers that Iron Man 3 didn’t quite live up to its potential. Fans cried foul over a Mandarin twist that turned the villain into a punchline, while (as Honest Trailers points out), Tony Stark didn’t even don his armor for much of the film.

But what if those perceived weaknesses are actually strengths? That’s the argument Heat Vision contributor Chris Hartwell makes in a new video essay he created for Schmoes Know. Hartwell focuses on questions of identity, insecurities and what truly makes Iron Man, Iron Man — and he makes some points that put the film in a new light.

Watch (and debate) below: