Now revealed to the world as Iron Man, billionaire Tony Stark faces mounting pressure from the government to share his technology with the military, all while battling his own declining health caused by the toxicity of the palladium core in his chest. As he recklessly confronts his mortality, a vengeful madman from Russia, Ivan Vanko, emerges with his own arc reactor technology, forcing Tony to forge new alliances and confront the dark legacy of his family's past.
Information |
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Language |
English |
Country |
United States |
Premiere date |
May 7, 2010 |
Running time |
124 minutes |
Genre |
Action Adventure Sci-Fi |
Budget |
$200,000,000 |
Box Office |
$623,933,331 |
Crew |
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Directed by |
Jon Favreau |
Produced by |
Kevin Feige |
Written by |
Justin Theroux |
Music by |
John Debney |
Cinematography |
Matthew Libatique |
Edited by |
Richard Pearson Dan Lebental |
Production Co. |
Marvel Studios |
Distributed by |
Paramount Pictures |
Top Cast |
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Official Trailer |
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Movie Collection |
Movie Order: #02 in Iron Man Collection
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The Plot
A Legacy of Revenge
In a desolate corner of Russia, the flickering glow of a television set illuminates a grim scene. The national media broadcasts the now-infamous press conference where Tony Stark stuns the world by declaring, "I am Iron Man." Watching this moment of triumph is Anton Vanko, a brilliant but disgraced physicist, who lies dying in a squalid room. As his life fades, Anton collapses into the arms of his son, Ivan Vanko. With his final breaths, Anton reveals that the only inheritance he can leave behind is his knowledge, handing over old blueprints for the original Arc Reactor. He bitterly tells Ivan that the success and fame the Stark family enjoys rightfully belonged to them, igniting a cold fury in his son. Motivated by his father's dying wish, Ivan vows revenge, setting to work on constructing his own crude, weaponized version of the Arc Reactor technology.
The Palladium Poisoning
Six months have passed since Stark revealed his identity, and he has used the Iron Man armor to maintain world peace, his fame skyrocketing to unprecedented levels. To honor his late father, Howard Stark, Tony reopens the Stark Expo in Flushing Meadows, a year-long event dedicated to showcasing inventors who will create a better future. However, behind the charismatic smile and public adulation, Tony is secretly dying. As he leaves the Expo stage, a medical scan reveals that his blood toxicity is critically rising. The palladium core in the Arc Reactor—the very device keeping shrapnel from entering his heart and powering his suit—is slowly poisoning him. Dark, necrotic veins have begun to spiderweb across his chest, and J.A.R.V.I.S. confirms that there are no known elements on the periodic table that can serve as a viable replacement.
Privatizing World Peace
Pressure mounts from the U.S. government as Stark is subpoenaed to appear before the Senate Armed Forces Committee. Senator Stern, aggressive and critical, demands that Stark turn over the Iron Man technology for military application, citing it as a potential threat. Stark staunchly refuses, arguing that he and the suit are one and the same; to surrender the suit would be to surrender himself, which constitutes indentured servitude. He effectively dismantles Stern's arguments by hacking the screens to display classified footage proving that foreign powers and rival corporations—specifically Justin Hammer of Hammer Industries—are years, if not decades, away from replicating his technology. Stark humiliates Hammer by showing footage of Hammer’s prototype suit malfunctioning and injuring its pilot, before declaring that he has successfully "privatized world peace."
Chaos at the Monaco Grand Prix
Believing his death is imminent due to the palladium poisoning, Stark begins to engage in reckless, "bucket list" behavior. He appoints Pepper Potts as the new CEO of Stark Industries to ensure his legacy survives him and hires a notary named Natalie Rushman as his new personal assistant. Seeking a final thrill, Stark travels to the Monaco Grand Prix. In a spur-of-the-moment decision, he replaces the Stark Industries driver and takes the wheel of the Formula One car himself. However, Ivan Vanko, who has utilized his physics knowledge to build an electrified harness with plasma whips, has infiltrated the event using credentials obtained through the criminal underworld.
As Stark speeds down the track, Vanko—now known as Whiplash—steps onto the asphalt. He slices through oncoming race cars with his energized whips, creating chaos and destruction. When Stark’s car approaches, Vanko attacks, slicing the vehicle apart and sending it crashing. Stark emerges vulnerable, dodging the deadly whips until Happy Hogan and Pepper Potts arrive on the track. They throw him the portable Mark V "suitcase" armor. Stark suits up in the middle of the wreckage and engages Vanko in a brutal close-quarters fight. Although Stark manages to rip the Arc Reactor from Vanko's chest and disable him, the Russian laughs maniacally as he is dragged away by police, shouting, "You lose!"
A Partnership of Rivals
While in custody, Stark interrogates Vanko and learns the truth: Ivan is the son of Anton Vanko, a Soviet physicist who defected to the U.S. and co-invented the Arc Reactor with Howard Stark. Anton was later deported for espionage, leaving the Starks to claim all the credit. Ivan's imprisonment is short-lived, however. Justin Hammer, desperate to upstage Stark, fakes Vanko's death during a prison transfer and smuggles him out. Hammer offers Vanko unlimited resources to build a line of armored suits that will overshadow Iron Man. Vanko agrees, but unbeknownst to Hammer, he begins modifying the drones and armor for his own vendetta rather than for Hammer's profit.
The House Party Protocol
Stark throws what he believes will be his final birthday party at his Malibu mansion, getting heavily intoxicated while wearing the Mark IV armor. As the night spirals out of control, Stark endangers his guests by recklessly blasting watermelons and bottles out of the air with his repulsors. His close friend, Lt. Colonel James "Rhodey" Rhodes, disgusted by Tony's irresponsibility, dons the silver Mark II armor to intervene. A violent brawl ensues between the two armored friends, shattering innocent parts of the mansion. The fight ends in a stalemate, but Rhodey decides he has had enough. He flies away with the Mark II suit, delivering it to the U.S. Air Force base as he had previously been pressured to do.
Rediscovering the Future
The following morning, a hungover and disgraced Stark is sitting in a donut shop when he is approached by S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury. Fury reveals that "Natalie Rushman" is actually Agent Natasha Romanoff, who has been monitoring Stark's condition. Fury administers a temporary suppressive shot for the palladium poisoning and provides Tony with a trunk of Howard Stark’s old possessions. He explains that Howard was a founder of S.H.I.E.L.D. and that he believed Tony was the only one capable of finishing his work.
While examining the materials, Tony discovers a hidden message from his father in an old film reel. Howard hints that the Stark Expo is not just a showcase, but a map. Tony examines the original 1974 Expo diorama and realizes the layout of the buildings actually forms the diagram for the molecular structure of a new element. With J.A.R.V.I.S.'s help, Tony builds a prismatic particle accelerator in his workshop, smashing atoms to synthesize this theoretical element. The experiment is a success; the new element creates a clean, powerful energy source for his chest piece, effectively curing his palladium poisoning.
The Battle of Stark Expo
Just as Stark installs the new Arc Reactor, Ivan Vanko calls him, revealing that he is still alive and plotting a massive attack. Stark races to the Stark Expo, where Justin Hammer is unveiling his new line of military "Hammer Drones" alongside a heavily weaponized version of the Mark II suit, now piloted by Rhodes and rebranded as "War Machine." As Stark arrives in his new Mark VI armor to warn Rhodey, Vanko seizes remote control of all the drones and Rhodes' suit. Chaos erupts as the drones and the unwilling War Machine begin firing on Stark and the civilians in the crowd.
While Stark leads the hostile drones on a high-speed chase away from the Expo to minimize collateral damage, Happy Hogan and Natasha Romanoff race to Hammer Industries headquarters to stop Vanko at the source. They fight their way through Hammer's security guards, with Romanoff displaying lethal efficiency. When they reach the control room, they find Vanko gone, but Romanoff manages to hack the system and reboot Rhodey's suit, returning control to him.
Double Trouble
Freed from Vanko's control, Rhodes joins forces with Stark. The two land in a Japanese garden within the Expo grounds to face the remaining drones. In a display of synchronized combat, they destroy the robotic army. However, Ivan Vanko arrives in a massive, advanced suit of armor equipped with powerful electric whips and heavy plating. The suit proves to be more than a match for the duo, pinning them down. Remembering their training, Stark shouts for Rhodey to fire his repulsors at Stark's own hand. They cross their energy streams, creating a massive concussive explosion that overloads Vanko’s suit and defeats him.
Defeated and broken, Vanko looks up at them and smiles, revealing that he has rigged his own armor and all the destroyed drones to self-destruct. As the LEDs on the drones begin to blink rapidly, Stark flies off desperately to find Pepper Potts. He grabs her just seconds before the entire Expo grounds are rocked by a series of massive explosions. Safely on a rooftop, Pepper, overwhelmed by the stress, quits as CEO, and the two finally reconcile their feelings, sharing a kiss.
Assessment and Aftermath
Some time later, Stark meets with Nick Fury for a debriefing. Fury presents a S.H.I.E.L.D. assessment report written by Romanoff. The report states that while the Iron Man armor is suitable for the "Avengers Initiative," Tony Stark himself is deemed "unsuitable" due to his volatility. Stark agrees to be kept on strictly as a consultant. However, he has one condition for his cooperation. In a ceremony in Washington D.C., a reluctant Senator Stern is forced to present Tony Stark and James Rhodes with Medals for Bravery, much to Stark's amusement.
Meanwhile, in the post-credits scene, S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Phil Coulson drives across the New Mexico desert to a massive impact crater. He calls Nick Fury, reporting, "Sir, we've found it." The camera pans down into the crater to reveal a mysterious war hammer—Mjolnir—resting in the sand.
