Proof Archive: Iron Man (2008)

Directed by: Jon Favreau
Produced by: Avi Arad & Kevin Feige
Screenplay by: Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Art Marcum, & Matt Holloway
Based on: “Iron Man” by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Don Heck & Jack Kirby
Cinematography by: Matthew Libatique
Music by: Ramin Djawadi
Edited by: Dan Lebental
Production Company: Marvel Studios
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Release Date: May 2, 2008
Runtime: 126 minutes
Budget: $140 million
Box Office: $585.2 million

ACTION / ADVENTURE / SUPERHERO

FILM SYNOPSIS: A billionaire industrialist and genius inventor, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), is conducting weapons tests overseas, but terrorists kidnap him to force him to build a devastating weapon. Instead, he builds an armored suit and upends his captors. Returning to America, Stark refines the suit and uses it to combat crime and terrorism.

YEAR	AWARD	RESULT	CATEGORY
2009	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Nominated	Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble
	81st Academy Awards	Nominated	Best Visual Effects
		Nominated	Best Sound Editing

ANTHONY “TONY” STARK

Portrayed By: Robert Downey, Jr.
No. of Appearances: 1st Appearance
Status: Survives the events of “Iron Man” (2008)

Tony Stark is a billionaire, genius, playboy, and philanthropist. He is well-known as Iron Man, owns Stark Industries, is its CEO, and lives in his house in Malibu. Tony has very high-level intellect. He attended MIT and graduated summa cum laude (with the highest honors) at age 17. During his undergraduate education he worked on robotics and developped the clumsy armed robot seen in his garage throughout the films, and won a robotics competition at MIT with it. He knows almost everything when it comes to science and technology. He is a professional engineer, and can create, fix or tinker with any kind of mechanical device.

IRON MAN

Abilities:

Used by: Tony Stark

• Genius-level intellect
• Proficient scientist and engineer
• Powered armor suit:
  • Superhuman strength and durability
  • Supersonic flight
  • Energy repulsor and missile projection
  • Regenerative life support

MARK I

The Mark I has a very crude appearance. This is due to the fact that Tony had limited resources when constructing the armor. It was actually built from Jericho missile parts. Tony didn’t have the resources or money to build highly advanced suits. The suit had a pointed chest plate and curved helmet. It is composed of an iron-copper-magnesium alloy, giving it decent resistance against small arms fire.

Jet Boots: The suit features Jet Boots with limited flight capabilities as the armor has no aerodynamic control. The jets are fueled by solid-state rocket fuel salvaged from the scrap missiles propulsion systems, which run out shortly after Stark escapes the explosion.

Augmented User-Strength:  Through the armor, the wearer has increased strength and is capable of throwing powerful punches or kicks at enemies.

Increased Protection:  When worn, the user is fully protected in vital areas against dangerous threats such as gunfire and minor explosions.

Rocket: The armor is equipped with a powerful rocket, which is attached to the arm piece of the armor. Because of the armor’s lack of power, the rocket malfunctioned, which resulted in Tony deploying it manually.

Flamethrower: The armor has flamethrowers mounted on the right arm. The device is fueled by small gas tanks behind it. When the gas is ignited by a flame through manual control, it creates a very destructive flame-thrower.

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MARK II

The Mark II features a basic metallic silver color scheme overall. The armor is composed of a light and strong chromed titanium steel alloy that is completely resistant to gunfire and can even endure crashes and attacks from destructive weapons.

Flaps: The Mark II has steel flaps which are used for breaking air speed when flying or traveling in the air.

Stabilizers: The Mark II has ailerons and flaps built into the legs and shoulders to increase flight stability. These features later become more concealed within the armor in later versions of the suit.

JARVIS OS: JARVIS is integrated into the armor, allowing him to control the suit’s systems, manage the rest of the armor’s functionalities, and assist Tony when using the armor.

Super-Strength: As a perfected version of the Iron Man Armor, the Mark II enables it’s user to have superhuman strength. Through the armor, the user is capable of lifting very heavy objects, as well as super enhancing the user’s combat abilities.

Flight: Although this feature has become a regular ability for all succeeding armors, the Mark II is the first to be able to achieve sustained flight. Using both the Repulsors on it’s hand and boots, the armor can attain flight and fly at high speeds. The Repulsors are a key part to the armor’s flight as it is the factor that stabilizes the armor during flight or when hovering.

Repulsors: The Mark II has standard repulsors, which were used mainly for flight power and stability.

Unibeam: The Mark II has a standard Unibeam, and has a whitish blue glow coming from the Unibeam’s power source. The Mark II is powered by the Palladium Arc Reactor Mark II.

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MARK III

The Mark III is the first armor to feature a Red and Gold color design on its armor plates. It’s overall theme was based out on Tony’s Hotrod car that he owned in his garage. The armor’s design is based mostly on the Mark II, with the exception of the color scheme and the capabilities of the armor. The armor is composed of a 95.5% Titanium and 4.5% Gold Alloy with ceramic plating and silicon infused-steel. This combination results into a highly durable alloy that can withstand blasts and strikes, and is fully resistant to bullets and it’s used for all Iron Man’s armors.

Armor Gauntlets: An Armored Gauntlet is located on each arm equipped with Repulsors.

Repulsors: Equipped on each gauntlet, the Repulsors serve as the armor’s main weapons.

Flight Stabilizers: Aside from the Repulsor’s role as a weapon, they also serve as the secondary Flight Stabilizers and are used for turns and curves.

Armor Boots: The Mark III features two Armored Boots, one for each leg. They are equipped with Boot Propulsors, and the suit’s main Flight Stabilizers.

Boot Propulsors (Main Flight Stabilizers): The Boot Propulsors serve as the main flight power of the armor, and utilizes the same technology as the Repulsors. A single Propulsor is located beneath each Armor Boot and is used solely for the purpose of propulsion and flight.

J.A.R.V.I.S. OS: J.A.R.V.I.S. is integrated into the armor, allowing him to assist Tony and manage the armor’s condition as well as the systems and functions of the Mark III.

Super-Strength: The Mark III is capable of amplifying the user’s strength to extreme levels, allowing the wearer to lift very heavy objects, such as cars, as well as throw deadly and powerful physical attacks.

Flight: With it’s Flight Stabilizers and Propulsion Systems, the Mark III is a capable of full flight and can even achieve supersonic speed.

Ice Resistance: Based on the flight test of the Mark II, the Mark III was given an advanced upgrade which enabled it to resist the build up of ice when flying at a high altitude in the atmosphere. Unlike the Mark II, the armor will not freeze at the Mark II’s altitude limit point and does not have anymore difficult compared to its predecessor when flying at very high altitudes.

Repulsors: The Mark III is equipped with the finalized version of the Mark I Repulsor technology. It is capable of projecting powerful energy blasts when charged. Like every Iron Man Armor, the Repulsors serve as the suit’s main weapons.

Unibeam (Chest Repulsor): The Mark III has a powerful Unibeam which was initially powered by Stark’s Palladium Arc Reactor Mark II, and later on by the reactor’s predecessor. As the armor’s most powerful weapon, it is capable of immense destruction as it is able to project a beam of pure energy for a limited amount of time. Although when the Unibeam is used, it drains a lot of energy from the reactor which weakens the armor’s strength. Because of this, regular use of the Unibeam is not recommended.

Shoulder-Mounted Guns: The armor is equipped with six-barrel mini guns which are mounted on its shoulders for quick use and is supported by the suit’s Targeting System which allows it to have superb and perfect precision and accuracy when fired at its target.

Rockets: The Mark III is equipped with a Rocket on each arm, capable of destruction and severe damage. They are mounted beneath each of the armor’s gauntlets. In Iron Man, after Tony was blasted out of the sky by a tank, he retaliated with a Rocket from the armor’s right arm, making a direct hit and resulting in the tank’s explosion three seconds after the rocket’s impact.[2]

Flares: The Mark III is equipped with flares, which are used for emergency purpose or to draw the attention of a Heat Seeking Missile away. Although not considered a weapon, they were also seen used as a distraction to disrupt the senses of Obadiah Stane while he was crushing Tony inside the Mark III using his Iron Monger Armor.

OBADIAH STANE

Portrayed By: Jeff Bridges
No. of Appearances: 1st Appearance
Status: Deceased after falling into Arc Reactor wearing Iron Monger suit

Stane is a businessman who headed Stark Industries after the death of Tony Stark’s father, Howard, and became the firm’s second-in-command when the younger Stark came of age to become the new CEO of Stark International. At the opening of the film, Stane accepts an award in Tony’s honor. He is also one of the last people to communicate with Tony before he is kidnapped in Afghanistan. When Tony returns, Stane, although apparently happy to see him, is sent into to damage control when Tony announces he doesn’t want Stark Industries to make weapons. On the surface, Stane appears to be working in Stark’s interests, but is later revealed to not only be working against Stark in getting him locked out of his own board at Stark Industries, but was actually the one behind getting Stark kidnapped and is also behind the under-the-table arms dealing to the Ten Rings. Acquiring Tony’s Mack I model of the Iron Man suit, he attempts to have Stark Industries scientists try to reverse engineer the suit and in doing so, garners the Iron Monger suit. In a final battle with Tony at Stark Industries, Tony is able to defeat Stane by setting off the giant arc reactor and eventually sending Stane falling off the roof of the building into said reactor to a fiery death.

THE IRON MONGER

Used by: Obadiah Stane

Reverse-engineered from Tony Stark’s original Iron Man suit, the Iron Monger armor was a powerful, militarized suit created to be the perfect modern weapon, leading Obadiah Stane to boast that, when adequately powered, his suit was “superior in every way” to the Iron Man armor.

The Iron Monger armor is several times larger than the Iron Man suit from which it was derived. Instead of being worn like a traditional suit of armor, it is instead piloted from a small cockpit inside of the chest cavity, with at least the arms of the suit being controlled independently from within. The chest opens and the helmet swings back in order to allow its operator to enter and leave. Most of the suit’s motion was assisted by a set of powerful, external drive pistons visible on the suit’s legs, arms, and across its shoulders.

The Iron Monger armor gave Obadiah superhuman strength, enabling him to lift at least 50 tons, making him slightly stronger than Tony’s Mark III armor. Omnium, a steel alloy of invincible strength, was developed in Stark Industries’ Sector 16, specifically for use in the Iron Monger suit. The suit was rather agile for its size, able to quickly catch up to and physically attack an enemy. However, it still had many of the lumbering motions expected of a suit its size.

Most of the armor’s weaponry is exposed, except for the missile launcher in his shoulder, unlike Iron Man’s, whose armor retracts or separates to reveal its weapons. The armor is equipped with a belt-fed, 23mm, six-barreled gatling gun mounted to its right arm, a rotary grenade launcher mounted to its left arm, Stark S-category missiles, a laser-guided warhead, a stun device, and flight equipment. The Iron Monger’s onboard computer had little navigational focus, as the suit was based on Tony’s Mark I, which had no computer system. Obadiah made smart targeting the HUD’s primary component.

Like Tony’s Iron Man armor, Obadiah upgraded the flight capabilities of the Iron Monger suit, giving it flight jets powerful enough to lift the massive suit. The flight jets can either be used during standard operation in short bursts to allow the suit to jump small distances, or the thrusters can reconfigure into a form of flight mode to allow sustained flight.

While boasted to be superior, the armor has at least two key weaknesses: It cannot function at the freezing temperatures of the upper atmosphere, as it will freeze over and suffer a complete shutdown, and many of its core mechanics and wiring is setup on the suits exterior where it can be easily damaged, something Tony Stark exploits to disable its targeting system.

(http://marvelcinematicuniverse.wikia.com/wiki/Iron_Monger_Armor)

PEPPER POTTS

Portrayed By: Gwyneth Paltrow
No. of Appearances: 1st Appearance
Status: Survives the events of “Iron Man” (2008)

Working as Tony Stark’s personal assistant, Pepper takes care of his schedule and performs any task he wishes. We first meet her in the film when she disposes of one of Tony Stark’s one night stands. She is Tony’s most trusted confidant, being one of the first to find out about his secret identity, being involved in replacing his worn out arc reactor in his chest, and eventually becomes his main love interest, as they share a dance and almost a kiss right before the third act kicks into high gear. She eventually does some of Stark’s bidding, grabbing information off his computer at work, facing off against Obadiah Stane. She also has the most interaction with S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson. She is present during the final battle between Iron Man and The Iron Monger and is responsible for setting off the giant arc reactor at Stark Industries, leading to the death of Stane. She is with Tony at the end of the film before the press conference where he announces: “I Am Iron Man.”

JAMES “RHODEY” RHODES

Portrayed By: Terrence Howard
No. of Appearances: 1st Appearance
Status: Survives the events of “Iron Man” (2008) *However, this is actor Terrence Howard’s only performance as Rhodes*

James Rhodes is a proud and highly distinguished officer of the United States Armed Forces. He is Tony’s closest friend, but even so, Tony shows very little respect for him. He leaves him high and dry when presenting him with an award that he doesn’t show up for, leaves him waiting for hours on a tarmac before a trip to Afghanistan, and coerces him into drinking while on a work trip. Instead of getting in the “hum-drum-vee” with Rhodes, Tony opts to ride in the “fun-vee” in which he then gets captured and held hostage. When Stark finally returns and announces the changing directions of Stark Industries, Rhodes’ military ties flare up, with Rhodes being abrasive with Tony and telling him that he better get his head straight. For lack of a better option, Tony eventually has to come clean to Rhodes about being Iron Man, but due to his government connection, Rhodes wants to know as little as possible. Before the final battle, Rhodes shows up to assist Stark and even gives a glance at the Mark II Iron Man suit and says “next time,” referring to his role as War Machine in the comics, in which he wears a version of Tony’s suit.

HAPPY HOGAN

Portrayed By: Jon Favreau
No. of Appearances: 1st Appearance
Status: Survives the events of “Iron Man” (2008)

Played by the director of the film, Jon Favreau plays Tony Stark’s driver and “bodyguard,” Happy Hogan, despite Tony definitely not needing one of those. At least in this first film, Happy is mainly the just the butt of jokes, usually present in the background but with no real part than to stand by Tony and instruct others on how to approach him.

J.A.R.V.I.S.

Voiced By: Paul Bettany
No. of Appearances: 1st Appearance
Status: Survives the events of “Iron Man” (2008)

J.A.R.V.I.S. (Just A Rather Very Intelligent System), is Tony Stark’s artificially intelligent computer. It relays Tony information through his home office and through the Iron Man suit, offering updates on the condition of the suit, the exterior, and just about anything Stark needs to know.

“Don’t waste your life, Stark.”

-HO YINSEN

HO YINSEN

Portrayed By: Shaun Taub
No. of Appearances: 1st Appearance
Status: Deceased after sacrificing himself in Afghan cave, allowing Stark to escape

Ho Yinsen is a doctor and engineer from a small village in Afghanistan called Gulmira. He is Tony Stark’s fellow captive in Afghanistan and helps Stark make the first Iron Man suit while their captor, Raza, thinks they are making a Jericho Missile. In the comics, Yinsen is Chinese.

S.H.I.E.L.D. AGENT PHIL COULSON

Portrayed By: Clark Gregg
No. of Appearances: 1st Appearance
Status: Survives the events of “Iron Man” (2008)

The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, simply known as S.H.I.E.L.D., is a counter-terrorism and intelligence agency. We come to know it by name in “Iron Man,” as Agent Phil Coulson pops up throughout the film to try and get a meeting with Tony Stark following the circumstances of his escape from Afghanistan using the Mark I Iron Man suit. He later meets Tony at a benefit and requests a meeting with him, which, when he shows up for it, its actually Pepper Potts that he ends up meeting. At that particular time, Pepper is running from Obadiah, from whom she’s just discovered that he is the one that put out the kidnapping orders to the Ten Rings. From then on, Coulson heads the arrest of Obadiah, with Pepper at his side. At the end of the film, Coulson is coaching Stark for his final press conference, telling him to simply read the cue cards.

S.H.I.E.L.D. DIRECTOR NICK FURY

Portrayed By: Samuel L. Jackson
No. of Appearances: 1st Appearance
Status: Survives the events of “Iron Man” (2008)

After Tony Stark reveals himself as Iron Man, Fury appears in Stark’s home to tell him that he has become part of a bigger universe, and to talk to him about the Avenger Initiative.

THE TEN RINGS

A terrorist group kidnaps Tony Stark, who are initially assumed to be Islamic fundamentalists before being revealed to be The Ten Rings. The group is damaged deeply by the attack by Tony Stark’s metallic battle suit. The group receives much of its weaponry from Stark Industries through Obadiah Stane. Raza, the leader of the Ten Rings, has a single red ring that he rubs with his other hand. He also makes a reference to Genghis Khan when speaking to Stark and Yinsen.

RAZA

Portrayed By: Faran Tahir
No. of Appearances: 1st Appearance
Status: Presumably survives the events of “Iron Man” (2008)

Raza is one of the leaders of the terrorist association known as the Ten Rings. After a secret agreement with Obadiah Stane, Raza captures Tony Stark, who is in Afghanistan displaying the Jericho Missile. He wants Stark to build him one of the missiles for his own use. (He was originally supposed to kill Stark, but they come to consider him more useful alive.) He calls Stark “The most famous mass murderer in the history of America,” and then goes on to say that he is “honored” to meet him. After Stark and Yinsen make the Mark I Iron Man suit in the cave instead of making the missile, Iron Man ends up shooting at Raza, but he survives the shot, shown later with scars on his face. He and his team recover the pieces of the Mark I Iron Man suit left by Tony after his escape from the cave. He later gifts the suit to Obadiah Stane in return for him owing Raza a favor. Stane declines the deal, leaving Raza, instead with a remote device that leaves a person in range of its high-pitched screech, paralyzed for up to 15 minutes. Stane then proceeds to have Raza’s entire crew executed.

ABU BAKAR

Portrayed By: Sayed Badreya
No. of Appearances: 1st Appearance
Status: Presumably deceased

Abu Bakar was a member of the Terrorist group, The Ten Rings, who detained Tony Stark in an effort to make him build weapons for them. He is the one in command when Tony arrives at the Afghan cave and is the one to show him around the groups site, showing Stark that his weapons are being shipped to them. His command is replaced by Raza, upon his appearance, leading one to believe he is second-in-command. Abu is presumably not present when Tony escapes. Bakar was among the militants working for the Ten Rings in Gulmira, the small Afghan region that was home to Ho Yinsen. Bakar led a group of the insurgents that were killing and trucking people out of the region when Iron Man arrived in his newly constructed Mark III Suit. Iron Man killed many of the Ten Ring members there, but left Bakar alive, turning him over instead to the mercies of the residents of Gulmira.

CHRISTINE EVERHART

Portrayed By: Leslie Bibb
No. of Appearances: 1st Appearance
Status: Survives the events of “Iron Man” (2008)

Christine Everhart is an investigative reporter for Vanity Fair who interviews Tony Stark. Despite her disapproval, she is charmed by Tony and spends the night with him. Pepper Potts sees her out the next morning. She later appears at the benefit that Stark attends, calling him out about the Stark Industries arms and munition photographed in Gulmir. She appears one last time at the end of the film during a press conference where they discuss what happened at Stark Industries during the end battle between Stark and Stane, as the situation was described as Stark’s bodyguard in a suit, to which Stark eventually responds: “I am Iron Man.”

STAN LEE CAMEO: HUGH HEFNER

No. of Appearances: 1st Appearance
Status: Survives the events of “Iron Man” (2008)

Stan Lee cameos as Hugh Hefner, surrounded by beautiful blonde women. He appears on the red carpet at the benefit that Stark crashes, to which Stark addresses him as Mr. Hefner and pats him on the back. Once he turns around, he’s revealed to be Mr. Lee.

STARK INDUSTRIES

Stark Industries plays a huge part in the film. Tony and Obadiah are working for the company, which is mainly a weapons supplier for the military. The entire reason Tony is in Afghanistan is for a weapons presentation for the new Stark Industries Jericho Missiles and when Tony is taken, the bomb that lands by him is from Stark Industries. Tony later finds out a lot of his weapons are there. Stark Industries is also the setting for end battle, where Obadiah makes his first and final stand as the Iron Monger.

ARC REACTORS

“How ironic, Tony! Trying to rid the world of weapons, you gave it its best one ever! And now, I’m going to kill you with it!”

-OBADIAH STANE

The arc reactor is a big deal because it is powering the electromagnet keep the shrapnel out of Tony’s heart. Tony builds the first small model of it in the Afghan cave after Yinsen has done his best with a car battery to keep Tony alive. The arc reactor is also the energy source that powers the suit. When Tony gets back to America, he immediately replaces the old model, which Pepper assists him in and eventually has the original framed with the words “Proof That Tony Stark Has A Heart” etched around it. The newer model is later stolen by Obadiah when his own scientists can’t replicate it and Tony is forced to reuse the first model, powering the Mark III Iron Man suit with it in the end battle. The miniature arc reactor is based on the large model present at Stark Industries, which Obadiah says: “We built that thing to shut the hippies up!”

Location: Southern California

The majority of the film is split between two geographical locations. As Tony’s office is in the basement of his mansion, most of the film takes place in Malibu, California and around the area. It also appears Stark Industries is located in or around Malibu as well.

Location: Afghanistan

The portions of the film where Tony Stark is presenting the Jericho Missiles and being held hostage while he builds the first Iron Man suit, they are in Afghanistan. After Tony escapes, he later returns to a fictional village in Afghanistan named Gulmira, where he attacks the Terrorists and saves some civilians.

Official Trailer:

Soundtrack:
(composed by Ramin Djawadi)

VISUAL EFFECTS

PROFILES

RATING