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The film was an instant success. Paramount slotted it into the beginning of the summer box office season, which has become an event weekend. The early buzz pushed it to a staggering $98 million opening and the positive reviews propelled it to over $585 million globally. Perhaps best measured against the yearly competition, Iron Man’s total domestic take was only outpaced by one other film, The Dark Knight. It ended up ahead of icons like Indiana Jones and James Bond. It was notably ahead of the pop culture Twilight film.

All of the talent involved just gelled. Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark comes across as arrogant and likeable at the same time. Jeff Bridges played the dual role of old ally and villain surprisingly well. Gywenth Paltrow is tantalizingly beautiful as the love interest. The action was faced paced and the story delivered. Success with Iron Man allowed Marvel to begin building something special.

Iron Man 2 (2010) - 6/10

Iron Man 2 brings back the surprisingly popular character for a story that didn’t entertain as well as the first. Tony Stark is presented in a more vulnerable way, but his ego, arrogance, and vanity are annoyingly overdone. The method that ensured his survival and allowed Iron Man’s creation is slowly killing him. At the same time, the iron suit/palladium technology is being developed by other companies and pirated by villainous rivals. Hints of the broader Marvel storyline involving SHIELD and the Avengers are woven into the plot, but the action involving Stark fighting off a power grab by Hammer Weapons is not as entertaining as 2008 film.

The box office for Iron Man 2 sizzled. It was the third highest grossing film in the U.S that year, earning a healthy $312 million. The international markets provided money equal to that domestic amount, for a whooping $623 million. Again comparing it against the competition, only a handful of films outpaced Iron Man 2’s production. The once second tier comic character was holding its own against giants like Tom Hanks and Toy Story 3, Johnny Depp and Alice in Wonderland, and the Harry Potter films.

The faults of Iron Man 2 aren’t enough to totally drag it down, but there are some serious flaws. The character of Hammer is so annoying viewers grit their teeth just watching him. Mickey Rourke isn’t bad as the historical heel to the Stark family, but the most significant aspect of Iron Man 2 is its status as a set up for the rest of the Marvel films. Samuel L. Jackson and Scarlet Johansson play significant roles, laying the groundwork for the entrance of multiple other characters from the comic universe.

The Avengers (2012) - 9/10

While this is not technically part of the Iron Man franchise, it was always the goal. The Captain America and Thor films in 2011 both owe their existence to the blockbuster status achieved by Tony Stark in previous years. Each of these became a back story for the ultimate prize - all of these heroes coming together for one action-packed, save the Earth extravanganza.

The size of The Avengers' success was head-scratching. The opening in the U.S. garnered an unimaginable $207 million. Over the next several weeks, the leggy film outperformed even the highest expectations, bringing in a jaw-dropping $623 million. When the company you keep is Avatar, Titanic, and The Dark Knight (the only others to bring in over $500 million domestically), you know how well you have done. The global take was even better, over $1.5 billion.

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