The Invincible Iron Man
Genre: Action/Superhero/Thriller
Director: Jeremy Saulnier
Writers: Chad Taylor & HG Hansen
Based on Marvel Comics characters
Cast: Jack Huston, Denzel Washington, Andre Holland, Constance Wu, Gillian Jacobs, Anna Kendrick, Tim Robbins, Debra Winger, Jung Hyun-jun, Tig Notaro, Roman Madyanov, Billy Zane (Cameo)
Plot: Asia, 1975
A panicked boy (Jung Hyun-jun) is running down the alley. He hides in someone's home until the door gets blasted off. As the dust settles, a large armored figure walks in with glowing rings. The people defending The Boy are helpless as the Figure uses antigravity powers to deliver the Boy to them. The Boy tries to build up energy inside his chest before the Figure touches his head to make him go to sleep.
San Francisco, 1981
Quickcut: Tony Stark (Jack Huston) jolts awake. The night before, Tony's swerving his Rolls-Royce with women in every other seat. This morning however, a disheveled Tony climbs over the woman in his bed and tries to close the curtain. However, his hangover is so intense that Tony can barely keep his balance. Tony nervously peeks over to his driveway when he notices the Stark Industries limousine parked.
In the foyer, Howard Stark (Tim Robbins) greets Anthony by voicing his disappointment at how his M.I.T. dropout son celebrates reaching 40 - motioning to the mess all around. Maria Stark (Debra Winger) tries to mask her disappointment and says the tabloids are going to be all over this. Tony says everybody celebrates their birthday weekend. Howard counters that it would be correct if Tony wasn't supposed to go to A.A. as Tony promised. His mom tries to calm things, but Tony brushes them off.
Howard and Maria drive in silence as Howard's still clearly upset. Maria speaks about how Howard could have handled things better with Anthony. Howard argues that they've been playing the same song since that kid learned how to walk. Maria gives him a look and he says he'll call Anthony to apologize. We see their driver supporting a tattoo symbolizing The Mandarin as they pull up to their private jet.
Meanwhile, Tony arrives at his office at Stark Industries, the most potent weapons manufacturer in the world. He sees a copy of Star Magazine detailing his drunken antics in a cover story by Pepper Potts. He is greeted by Bambi Arbogast (Tig Notaro), his father's secretary, who straightens his tie. He asks if he can sue Star and Bambi asks if he really wants to hear about libel law right now. She says she heard about his birthday reminds him that his parents love him, as tough as they can be at times.
The Starks get into their jet. After it takes off, Howard excuses himself to call his son. We see at the staff compartment a group of five wearing Chinese Demon masks arming themselves with automatic techs. They take out the guard and begin to bind Maria. Howard tries to save her but is overpowered. They force him to record a video revealing the truth about his company.
After Bambi is told to turn on the television, Tony, in shock, watches the news before seeing he has a voicemail. He brings the phone up to his ear and hears the voicemail from his father trying to reconcile and how proud he truly is... The sound cuts out as Tony's face drops as he sees in the corner of his eye the jet blowing up.
Tony's standing in the heavy rain as his parents are buried. Bambi asks how he's doing, but all Tony can talk about is the last words he spoke to his father. Bambi tells a story about Howard raving about the robot young Tony built for his dad on Father's Day. That started their hobby of making robot blueprints for one of Howard's passion projects. Howard said he'd never be able to do without the vital piece, his son, Tony. Tony doesn't remember any of that. Bambi remarks maybe Tony should quit the booze and hands him a manila envelope. She walks away as Tony stares, confused, at the envelope. Just then, Tony gets called to Stark Industries.
Later, Tony, in a haze, walks into a meeting just in time to hear that the new CEO of Stark Industries will be Obadiah Stane (Billy Zane), Vice President of the company. Tony is outraged by this revelation but then hurt when he finds out that Howard agreed to this line of succession. Stane smirks and comments how this outburst only proves that Tony's still immature to be head of the company.
A montage of Tony boozing and partying in response to this news for weeks. One night, Tony sees the manila envelope and opens it to see the drawing of a robotic suit he made with his dad. He smiles and laughs, remembering the lessons and starts to tear up.
Later, Tony wakes up in a drunken haze and hears a knock on the door. He hesitates but answers to see General Nick Fury (Denzel Washington) before him. Tony sees the uniform and jokingly says he's been through this rigmarole before as he started to close the door. Suddenly, Fury walks in confidently. Seeing the state of Tony's estate, Fury extends his hand, offers his sympathies, and begins introducing himself. Rudely interrupting, Tony knows precisely who Fury is - WWII Hero, Civil Rights Activist, Pentagon Powerbroker, etc. Fury waves off these accolades. Fury reveals a tape that he has and asks if Tony has anything that can play it.
The tape is a recorded conversation between Fury and Howard, discussing a program referred to as S.H.I.E.L.D. Howard agrees to provide his weapons and technology to the project under one condition: that his son Anthony is put in charge. Tony stops the tape, asking if this is some joke. Instead of Stark Industries, his dad has created some made-up position in some made-up organization. Fury explains that S.H.I.E.L.D. is an elite espionage force and the foundation had been laid by Tony's father. Tony says he's not the right man for the job, and Fury agrees but Howard said what Howard said. Tony asks if he can think about it. They shake hands, and Fury says there's only one answer he's willing to hear. He then invites Tony to D.C. to get a tour.
While deliberating, Tony receives an unlisted phone call from journalist Pepper Potts (voiced by Anna Kendrick). He says he’s not interested in her muckraking. She says she’s reaching out for any potential comments on the tragedy involving his parents. He says he’s not really ready to talk about that publicly. She offers a ready ear if he ever wants to talk about it.
Tony arrives at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, where Tony's impressed by what he sees, including the "Helicarrier." Fury gives him a nod and calls upon communications specialist Monica Chang (Constance Wu) to guide the tour. Tony asks Monica what business a sixty-something-year-old man has at the front of a spy agency. Monica asks if he's aware of the Howling Commandos. Tony nods, and that should tell you all you need to know. Tony begins to flirt with her and she is enamored by his charm. On their walk, they run into another new agent: James Rhodes. There's immediate tension as Tony extends his hand. Rhodes denies the handshake and says he is just here to do his job. Monica says Rhodes' a special appointment by Fury and Tony looks annoyed.
Fury walks in to the meeting room with Maria Hill (Gillian Jacobs), Fury's right hand. Fury welcomes the team and introduces their first task. They've been able to track down the driver in San Francisco who took the Starks to the plane, rumored to be an accomplice. That hijacking was a perfectly planned scheme from top to bottom. Tony smiles, ready to get revenge, and says he's willing to accept the position.
Cut to Tony in the agency's jet, where he will assist Monica with remote strategy assistance instead of being on the ground. Tony complains, but Rhodey restraints Tony as Tony's too much risk out there. In a warehouse in Chinatown, Fury, Hill & Rhodes take out each guard stealthy. During this, we see Tony using a heater to melt his restraints and manages to escape, mouthing "I'm sorry" to Monica on his way out.
Without resistance, he gets to the center of the warehouse before the rest of the team. Tony angrily hits the driver with his gun, then points it at him, prompting the driver to reveal the legend of his employer, The Mandarin. The legend of a peasant discovering pieces of a powerful meteor. Turning these pieces into rings, the Mandarin built their underground empire and aimed to right what had been wronged in society. Rhodes and Maria burst in to find Tony shaking with a gun at the driver's head. Rhodes tries to talk Stark down, but the driver provokes Tony by asking if Tony's interested in knowing his parent's last words. Seeing Tony's anger grow, Rhodes tries to stop Tony from raising his gun. Maria pounces on Tony, and the gun goes off. The driver falls from his chair with a gunshot wound to the chest, seemingly dead.
Back at headquarters, Rhodes is seething with how that job went. He berates Tony for how selfish he was since they could've got a witness now. Howard wanted Tony for this position for his brains. Tony gets in Rhodes's face for invoking his father's name, and Maria breaks it up. Monica tries to back Tony up, but Fury clarifies that he needs to change his ways.
After the meeting, Fury pulls Rhodes aside. He thanks him for de-escalating back there. Rhodes knows Fury hired him because of his past with Stark. Fury nods, saying he wants something that would sober Tony up. Fury asks if they've talked in the last 20 years, and Rhodes says no. He says they were best mates at their military academy high school. But Tony's wild ways started hurting them both and almost caused them both to be expelled. Fury asks if that was the last time they'd talked. Rhodes says no, but he can't talk about the rest. As Rhodes leaves, Maria reveals how Tony didn't kill the driver as the ballistics don't match up.
At home, Tony calls Pepper Potts to take her up on her offer to talk about his broken heart. She’s surprised but listening. He explains that when he was at basic training to prepare for Vietnam, he was in a nasty accident. A piece of shrapnel pierced his chest and his unit acted quickly to design a specialized chest plate that would protect his heart. Pepper says that sounds pretty cool, actually. Tony laughs but then offers his perspective. His heart will never work at full capacity again and he is being kept alive by a piece of technology. A piece of technology that his father created. “So there’s your story, Potts. I’m slowly dying from a broken heart.”
Afterwards, Tony stares long and hard at the iron suit blueprint that Bambi gave him. He contacts her and asks if she is ready to get to work.
The Boy wakes up in a container of cooling fluids labeled "The Uranian." Dr. Anton Vanko (Roman Madyanov) stares intently into a white lab coat. He notes a shortage in the Boy's melatonin and orders increases from his assistants. Vanko is stopped by a deep robotic voice. The Figure enters, revealed to be The Mandarin, and demands to talk to the Uranian. Vanko is confused until one of Mandarin's rings shines, making their equipment more advanced to communicate with the Uranian. The Kid weakly asks what's happening. The Mandarin tells him he's this world's new hope. The Boy is confused until Mandarin reminds him of a small village in the Middle East where everyone was killed. The only one to survive was the Uranian.
Due to Monica's spy work, S.H.I.E.L.D. have located The Mandarin's home base. Fury, Rhodes, Maria, and Monica travel to the Philippines to investigate the organization, with Tony essentially being punished for his actions last time. They find Vanko doing experiments on the Boy. After being proven false as a mutant or anything else, the Kid shakes as the internal power inside him flips out. He builds and builds till he explodes inside his tub. The liquid keeps the Kid at bay, so they discover how to release him as a bomb.
As they look on, Fury says there have long been rumors of an orphaned boy from Uranus but nobody knew what he was capable of. A walking nuclear bomb. Rhodes comments that alien or not, he's still a boy. Fury instructs that their top priority is to rescue this Boy.
They are interrupted by a group of Mandarin sword-clad henchmen. In a single take, they fight off the henchman, but Maria and Monica are both captured in the process. Fury and Rhodes turn around and see a jet-black demon mask looming in the shadows. Out of the shadows, The Mandarin starts monologuing how they've waited for their master plan to start. Fury and Rhodes shoot every clip into darkness as it's revealed each bullet is deterred by one of Mandarin's ring powers. Fury tries to provoke Mandarin, but they only reveal with suffocating Fury until Rhodes begs to trade punishment. Rhodey's watch transmits an audio signal to Tony.
We see a brief montage of Tony in the workshop with Bambi hard at work on a project.
In Vanko's lab, the scientist uses wires to hook The Boy to a machine as the Boy's energy can power the machine. Vanko smiles before looking backward at a collection of Stark Industries weapons that The Boy can power.
Mandarin demands answers for who killed their associate, but Fury and Rhodes remain silent. As Mandarin begins their punishment, they get reports of a substantial unidentified object heading toward their location. The lights begin to flicker before the total electricity in the room goes out.
*Stranglehold plays*
Fury, Rhodes, and the Mandarin's supporters get nervous. Everyone's silent until two bright light eyes show the Iron Man. Mandarin brings down all the bullets, but they don't have a traditional effect on typical metal since Iron Man strengthened the metal bond. We see the lights of the bullets bouncing till dark. Iron Man begins with a flamethrower, creating a distraction for Fury & Rhodes to escape. But Tony then sees The Boy and chooses to rescue him. The Mandarin tries to stop Tony, but the metal Tony uses counters Mandarin's special powers. He shoots a laser at Mandarin, which explodes as Mandarin builds a big Powerball of energy to send back. Iron Man launches a missile with the last bit of energy into the Powerball and sends it back toward The Mandarin.
Outside, Fury plans with Rhodes, Maria, Monica, and Tony to infiltrate the compound and rescue The Boy. Despite Fury's anger at Stark going rogue again, Rhodes convinces him they should use Tony's Iron Man project to benefit S.H.I.E.L.D.
Fury pulls Tony aside and tells him he’s one of the brightest minds in the world today. It's just a shame that Tony grew up in a family where he didn't need to push himself to utilize that greatness. Tony asks what more Fury wants, he just built an iron fucking suit and saved the day. Fury says that Tony needs to consider the damage that his selfish thinking can cause to those around him. S.H.I.E.L.D. is about the team. After telling that Tony is not fully convinced, Fury gets in his face and says that he knows from experience that trying to play hero can hurt - and even kill - the people you're supposed to be protecting. He just doesn't want Tony to make the same mistakes he has. The moment to be selfish will only come once and it is only in a time of sacrifice.
When they re-enter the compound, they find The Boy sitting alone. Confused, they start to escort him out and find that he is too scarred to speak. Just as they reach the exit is when The Mandarin attacks. Facing the overpowering rings, the S.H.I.E.L.D. team retreat back to the airfield, but The Mandarin manually removes the blades from the private jet. Iron Man arrives and can deflect the blades initially, giving time for Fury to evacuate the others.
That night, the team stay at a hotel and plan to return to the U.S. in the morning. The Boy stays in Fury's room. Tony sits on his bed, staring at the drinks in the hotel's minibar. There is a curious knock on the door and he checks to find that it is Monica, who asks if she can come in. They talk a bit about her fear for the Boy's life, even in the hands of the U.S. government. He asks about her life and she says that she was orphaned as a young kid before moving to the U.S. with her adopted family. He asks if there’s anything she wants to know about him and she laughs, saying that it’s all pretty much out there to read about. He runs his hand through her hair to move it out of her face, asks if she wants to stay a while. She nods. He kisses her and they both agree to keep this a secret.
Tony wakes up in the morning feeling hungover. He sees Monica on the other side of the bed. He then checks the minibar and sees the bottles unopened and sighs relief. He then notices the time and realizes that they’ve missed their flight. He wakes Monica up and, upon hearing this news, she says that she’ll just tell Fury that they’ll catch another one. He is panicked, saying that he feels like he’s already had a few strikes against- he can’t find the strength to finish his sentence. He looks down to find Monica with the Mandarin’s rings on her hand, using them to choke Tony. He asks why she didn't just kill him last night and she says she needed to drug him first (explaining his hangover feeling). He realizes she faked this whole scene, including the implication that they slept together. She says that he never asked how she became an orphan.
The rest of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are on a passenger plane back to San Francisco. The Boy lays his head against Maria’s and she looks to Rhodey to say “how sweet”. However, she notices something irregular about the boy’s heartbeat. It essentially feels like a countdown clock. She calls over Rhodes and they realize that the Boy’s powers have been activated and the Mandarin's plan must nuke San Francisco, home of Stark Industries. This leaves them no other option but to try and defuse the Boy.
Tony is in the hotel room fighting with Monica, whose ring powers are overpowering to him. She says that the weapons of Stark Industries destroyed her village and with it entire families. Including her own. He apologizes, saying he was probably just a kid himself and he can’t answer for the sins of his father. In the meantime, he is able to sneakily activate his Iron Man armor in the closet. The two of them begin to then battle it out through the streets of Manila as Tony gains the upper hand. He has a chance to finish her off with a power blast but can’t get himself to do it now since she is not wearing the mask and has to look her in the face. Instead, he calls for authorities to apprehend her as he has a plane to catch.
On the plane, the agents try not to cause a scene but there is a sense of panic. Another passenger sees the commotion, overhears the word “explosion” and flags down the flight attendants about a potential security risk. The Boy finally speaks, telling them that he's scared. Maria tells a nervous Rhodey he's the most intelligent man she knows. If anyone can defuse the Kid, it's him. The flight attendants interrupt and try to stop what is happening, forcing the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to essentially hijack the plane.
As more passengers come to look, we discover that Vanko is on the plane himself. Fury notices this and goes to confront him before Vanko presses a button on his watch. Maria tries to calm everyone before a suit of armor comes crashing through the side of the plane. But it is not Tony’s. Instead, it is Vanko’s, giving him the name The Crimson Dynamo. He suits up, fighting Fury. Suddenly, Iron Man swoops in through the plane’s hole and rescues a few passengers dangling near the edge. He takes them to a yacht in the ocean and tells them he will bring the other passengers here. San Francisco is getting closer.
As Fury fails in his fight with Crimson Dynamo and Iron Man begins rescuing passengers in groups, Rhodes successfully defuses The Boy and passes him off to Tony to take to the yacht. After doing this, Iron Man joins the fight as they combine their resources to damage Crimson Dynamo. As the plane hurls towards the city, Iron Man informs them that are two others left on board: the pilots. He tells Fury and Rhodes that someone is needed to steer it away from any populated area. Rhodes comments that it's almost certain death, but he's the one with Air Force experience, so he should do it. Tony tearfully gives his friend a nod. As Tony takes the pilots away, Fury sneaks a parachute onto Rhodes and repeats his line about the one time in life that someone should be selfish is in a time of sacrifice. Fury activates Rhodes' parachute.
Iron Man arrives on common ground with the pilots in tow. With Rhodes landing, Tony asks Rhodes where's Fury. Rhodes shakes his head and says the boss wanted it his way. They watch in horror as Fury pilots the plane away from the city and into the ocean. Iron Man suit is not yet compatible with the ocean so Maria jumps in to see if there’s any hope of rescuing Fury.
The Boy awakens to see the dismay blaming it on himself. He begins to glow again, which frightens everyone. Tony yells for everyone to calm down. He talks to the Kid about how he's not a screw-up. Tony knows what it's like to be that. But if you stop and breathe, anyone can regain their center. Tony shows the Kid an energy plate on his chest, forming a unique bond between the two. The Boy asks if people judge Tony for it. Tony levels with the Kid about how looks are overrated. The Boy powers down and hugs Tony. Rhodey tells the Kid that S.H.I.E.L.D. will take care of him.
Instead of Fury, Crimson Dynamo emerges from the ocean and Iron Man goes to fight him. Iron Man is overpowered until he notices that Dynamo's suit is made from Stark Industries materials. This infuriates him, and he channels the rage into defeating Vanko once and for all. Tony suits up once more and says he's got to finish this job. Tony raises a sharp metal piece to stab Vanko. But once again, he can't do it. His team needs him. Vanko tries to attack but a blast is sent at Vanko from the Boy’s chest - a move that Vanko himself taught him. Maria and Rhodes arrest Vanko as Tony nods at the Boy.
Maria visits Fury's home and delivers the news to his wife and teenage sons. At Fury's funeral, Rhodes admits he was wrong about Tony after seeing him talk to the Boy. "Howard would be proud." Tony takes that to heart and hugs Rhodes.
Later, Tony stands in front of a church with an AA flyer in hand. He takes a deep breath but, before he can enter, a woman behind him asks if he has any comments on “The Iron Man”. He turns around to find a smirking Pepper Potts and can't help but smile himself.
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