Disney bought Marvel over a decade ago, but the MCU had already kicked off by then. Surely that is why ‘Iron Man’ was not yet available on Disney + -it was at the time but it disappeared by surprise-, but the inexplicable absence of what is perhaps the most important superhero movie of the 21st century has just been resolved.
‘Iron Man’ was the movie that kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2008. Her success at the box office made it clear that she deserved to continue betting on what she was a riskier bet than it seemed at first glance. In fact, ‘The Incredible Hulk’ was a notable financial disappointment and if this adventure directed by Jon Favreau it would have been too, who knows if Marvel would have come to dominate Hollywood with an iron fist.
One of the great successes of ‘Iron Man’ was the signing of Robert Downey Jr., an actor who a few years ago everyone gave up on. His work here confirmed the ascending line that his career had shown with ‘Kiss Kiss Bang Bang’ or ‘Zodiac’, as it happened that that same year he also made ‘Tropic Thunder’, for which he was justly nominated to the Oscar.
For the rest, ‘Iron Man’ was the film that laid the foundations for a Marvel superhero presentation film, something that at the time was fresh and most entertaining, including the small dip in interest that occurs during his last act. Add to that a light but solid approach and a good display of visual effects.
The icing on the cake was that post-credits scene that anticipated everything that came after. And it is that without ‘Iron Man’ we would not have everything else from Marvel. By the way, a good excuse to see it here and not on Netflix, where it has also arrived this week, is that you also have it available on Disney+ the IMAX Enhanced version with several scenes in this format throughout the film.
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