Ratings: IMDB ― 7.2/10, Rotten Tomatoes ― 79% , ME ― 80%
Trevor Slattery: Ah, well, I had a little problem with... substances, and I, uh, ended up doing things, no two ways about it, in the street, that a man shouldn't do...
Tony Stark: Next?
Trevor Slattery: Then, they approached me about the role, and they knew about the drugs...
Tony Stark: What did they say, they'd get you off them?
Trevor Slattery: Said they'd give me more!
Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery and Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark.
Trivia (From IMDB):
The idea that Happy Hogan's favorite television show is Downton Abbey (2010) was at the suggestion of Jon Favreau, who is actually a big fan of the British series.
Robert Downey Jr. pushed to get Gwyneth Paltrow to have some action scenes, and Kevin Feige approved: "We are bored by the damsel in distress. But sometimes we need our hero to be desperate enough in fighting for something other than just his own life. So, there is fun to be had with 'Is Pepper in danger or is she the savior?' over the course of this movie."
The first assembly cut was 3 hours and 15 minutes long. The final cut was 1 hour and 59 minutes long.
Near the beginning of the movie you see Tony Stark strike a mook jong or wing chun wooden dummy. Robert Downey Jr. has been training in wing chun for several years under Sifu Eric Oram and has also used it in Sherlock Holmes (2009). He has also stated he will be testing for his black belt soon.
The ring on the Mandarin's right pinkie is the same one Raza wears in the first Iron Man (2008) film.
The first Iron Man movie to gross over $1 billion, and the second Marvel movie to reach this mark, with The Avengers (2012) being the first.
The Mandarin bears a tattoo on the back of his neck of Captain America's shield with an anarchist "A" symbol in the center instead of a star.
This is the first film in the series not to be directed by Jon Favreau, who turned down the offer for Iron Man 3 in order to direct Magic Kingdom and Jersey Boys (2014). He later admitted that not directing allowed him to have more fun with his character Happy Hogan, saying that he was like "a proud grandfather who doesn't have to change the diapers but gets to play with the baby."
Jude Law (Robert Downey Jr.'s co-star in Sherlock Holmes (2009) and Gwyneth Paltrow's co-star in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)) was considered for the role of Aldrich Killian.
The attack on the Chinese Theatre also holds a special significance, as Firepower is sitting right next to the hand-prints and signature of Robert Downey Jr.
The character of United States President Ellis in this movie is named after comic book writer Warren Ellis who wrote the 2005 Iron Man story arc "Extremis", a primary influence for this film series' story lines.
The film was originally budgeted at $140 million, but after The Avengers (2012) became a huge hit, Marvel Studios and Disney upped it to $200 million in order to allow Shane Black to make the best movie he could.
The first day Robert Downey Jr. and Sir Ben Kingsley met on set, they snapped a photo together to send to director and mutual friend Lord Richard Attenborough.
In the comics, the Iron Patriot was an alias used by Spider-Man's nemesis, the Green Goblin Norman Osborn. In this film, it is a new set of Iron Man armor that bears Captain America's color scheme. Kevin Feige described it as a post-The Avengers (2012) government response: "These crazy heroes the Avengers saved the day, not the government. The government felt they needed a hero of their own - they have a military officer that has one of these suits, and they paint it red, white, and blue. It gave us a place to go with Rhodey and his split loyalties between his friend and his duty, and you also get to be reminded of the trust and friendship between Rhodey and Stark in great buddy-cop fashion."
The film was heavily edited for Chinese audiences, the Chinese edit has additional scenes featuring the character Dr. Wu and his assistant (played by Chinese stars Xueqi Wang and Bingbing Fan respectively).
Pepper's brief wearing of the armor is a nod to Pepper Potts' one-time career as the superheroine Rescue in an "Invincible Iron Man" comic book series from 2009-2012.
Tony tells a young child with glasses that he loved him in A Christmas Story (1983).Peter Billingsley, who played Ralphie in ACS, was an executive producer on Iron Man (2008) and played a small role in the first film.
Disney bought the distribution rights from Paramount for $115 million. This deal also included The Avengers (2012). However, as with The Avengers, under the conditions of the deal, Paramount will be the studio logo to appear and not Disney's. It is expected that no reference to Disney will be made until the very end of the closing credits, "Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures."
Including the bonus post-credits scene in The Incredible Hulk (2008), this is Robert Downey Jr.'s fifth portrayal of Tony Stark/Iron Man. This briefly tied him with Hugh Jackman's and Samuel L. Jackson's record of theatrical appearances as a comic character; however, Jackman retook the record less than three months after IM3's release with his role in The Wolverine (2013).
Kevin Feige described the film as "a full-on Tony Stark-centric movie... He's stripped of everything, he's backed up against a wall, and he's gotta use his intelligence to get out of it. He can't call Thor, Captain America or Nick Fury, and he can't look for the Helicarrier in the sky." Robert Downey Jr. further described the character as influenced by a post-The Avengers (2012) world: "What are his challenges now? What are some limitations that might be placed on him and what sort of threat would have him, as usual, ignore those limitations?"
The only Iron Man film not to feature any songs by AC/DC.
Robert Downey Jr. pushed to get Gwyneth Paltrow to have some action scenes, and Kevin Feige approved: "We are bored by the damsel in distress. But sometimes we need our hero to be desperate enough in fighting for something other than just his own life. So, there is fun to be had with 'Is Pepper in danger or is she the savior?' over the course of this movie."
The first assembly cut was 3 hours and 15 minutes long. The final cut was 1 hour and 59 minutes long.
Near the beginning of the movie you see Tony Stark strike a mook jong or wing chun wooden dummy. Robert Downey Jr. has been training in wing chun for several years under Sifu Eric Oram and has also used it in Sherlock Holmes (2009). He has also stated he will be testing for his black belt soon.
The ring on the Mandarin's right pinkie is the same one Raza wears in the first Iron Man (2008) film.
The first Iron Man movie to gross over $1 billion, and the second Marvel movie to reach this mark, with The Avengers (2012) being the first.
The Mandarin bears a tattoo on the back of his neck of Captain America's shield with an anarchist "A" symbol in the center instead of a star.
This is the first film in the series not to be directed by Jon Favreau, who turned down the offer for Iron Man 3 in order to direct Magic Kingdom and Jersey Boys (2014). He later admitted that not directing allowed him to have more fun with his character Happy Hogan, saying that he was like "a proud grandfather who doesn't have to change the diapers but gets to play with the baby."
Jude Law (Robert Downey Jr.'s co-star in Sherlock Holmes (2009) and Gwyneth Paltrow's co-star in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)) was considered for the role of Aldrich Killian.
The attack on the Chinese Theatre also holds a special significance, as Firepower is sitting right next to the hand-prints and signature of Robert Downey Jr.
The character of United States President Ellis in this movie is named after comic book writer Warren Ellis who wrote the 2005 Iron Man story arc "Extremis", a primary influence for this film series' story lines.
The film was originally budgeted at $140 million, but after The Avengers (2012) became a huge hit, Marvel Studios and Disney upped it to $200 million in order to allow Shane Black to make the best movie he could.
The first day Robert Downey Jr. and Sir Ben Kingsley met on set, they snapped a photo together to send to director and mutual friend Lord Richard Attenborough.
In the comics, the Iron Patriot was an alias used by Spider-Man's nemesis, the Green Goblin Norman Osborn. In this film, it is a new set of Iron Man armor that bears Captain America's color scheme. Kevin Feige described it as a post-The Avengers (2012) government response: "These crazy heroes the Avengers saved the day, not the government. The government felt they needed a hero of their own - they have a military officer that has one of these suits, and they paint it red, white, and blue. It gave us a place to go with Rhodey and his split loyalties between his friend and his duty, and you also get to be reminded of the trust and friendship between Rhodey and Stark in great buddy-cop fashion."
The film was heavily edited for Chinese audiences, the Chinese edit has additional scenes featuring the character Dr. Wu and his assistant (played by Chinese stars Xueqi Wang and Bingbing Fan respectively).
Pepper's brief wearing of the armor is a nod to Pepper Potts' one-time career as the superheroine Rescue in an "Invincible Iron Man" comic book series from 2009-2012.
Tony tells a young child with glasses that he loved him in A Christmas Story (1983).Peter Billingsley, who played Ralphie in ACS, was an executive producer on Iron Man (2008) and played a small role in the first film.
Disney bought the distribution rights from Paramount for $115 million. This deal also included The Avengers (2012). However, as with The Avengers, under the conditions of the deal, Paramount will be the studio logo to appear and not Disney's. It is expected that no reference to Disney will be made until the very end of the closing credits, "Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures."
Including the bonus post-credits scene in The Incredible Hulk (2008), this is Robert Downey Jr.'s fifth portrayal of Tony Stark/Iron Man. This briefly tied him with Hugh Jackman's and Samuel L. Jackson's record of theatrical appearances as a comic character; however, Jackman retook the record less than three months after IM3's release with his role in The Wolverine (2013).
Kevin Feige described the film as "a full-on Tony Stark-centric movie... He's stripped of everything, he's backed up against a wall, and he's gotta use his intelligence to get out of it. He can't call Thor, Captain America or Nick Fury, and he can't look for the Helicarrier in the sky." Robert Downey Jr. further described the character as influenced by a post-The Avengers (2012) world: "What are his challenges now? What are some limitations that might be placed on him and what sort of threat would have him, as usual, ignore those limitations?"
The only Iron Man film not to feature any songs by AC/DC.
- The Extremis enhanced henchmen seen in the movie are based on minor Marvel villains, who each have completely different back-stories than what is seen in the film:
- Savin (James Badge Dale) is based on Eric Savin, aka Coldblood, originally a cyborg assassin who was not tied to any one particular Marvel comic book.
- Brandt (Stephanie Szostak) is based on Ellen Brandt, the ex-wife and villain to Man-Thing.
- and Taggert (Ashley Hamilton) is based on Jack Taggert, aka Firepower, who was African-American in the comics (not white as in the film) and had his own armored suit to fight Iron Man.
Shane Black admitted that Jon Favreau gave him tips and advice during filming (for which he was very grateful and thankful) though noted that this film would have a "different feel" from the other two.
According to Kevin Feige, the Mandarin is inspired by Colonel Kurtz from Apocalypse Now (1979): "He wants to represent this sort of prototypical terrorist, someone who worked for the intelligence community, who went nuts in the field and became this sort of devotee of war tactics."
Happy Hogan addresses a secretary (who is off-camera) by the name of "Bambi". In the comics, Bambi is the first name of Stark's longest-serving executive secretary, Mrs. Arbogast.
Shane Black described the film as "a Tom Clancy thriller", with the focus on real-world type villains and not "two men in iron suits fighting each other".
This is the first Iron Man film to not feature Nick Fury, Agent Phil Coulson or any member of SHIELD. SHIELD's database is mentioned by JARVIS when Tony searches information on the Mandarin.
One scene was shot inside Epic Games, a video game development company known for the Gears of War (2006) franchise.
Robert Downey Jr. had previously starred in Shane Black's film Kiss Kiss Bang Bang(2005), and spoke highly of Black replacing Jon Favreau, saying that "bringing in Shane Black to write and direct the film is basically the only thing that Favreau and the audience and Marvel and I could ever actually sign off on."
Screenwriter Drew Pearce compared Tony Stark to an American James Bond for both being "heroes with a sense of danger to them, and unpredictability". He also likened Tony to the protagonists of 1970s films like The French Connection (1971), where "the heroes' idiosyncrasies is what make them exciting."
Whilst in the comics Tony Stark dons a number of bulkier armours to battle the Hulk (e.g. Hulkbuster armour), none of these appear in the film. The largest suit shown is known as Igor (Mark 38) and is designed to be used for heavy lifting
Jessica Brown Findlay who appears in the film due to the use of footage from Downton Abbey (2010) was actually considered for a part in another Marvel film; the role of Sharon Carter in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014).
Property master Russell Bobbitt designed a custom set of ten rings for the Mandarin. These rings are Bobbitt's favorite props from the film.
Originally, Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Pictures were looking to shoot this movie in Michigan due to the tax incentives. However, due to North Carolina guaranteeing a $20 million tax credit, the producers decided to shoot there instead.
Unlike Iron Man (2008) and Iron Man 2 (2010), Industrial Light and Magic is not involved with the film's VFX. Instead, Digital Domain and Weta Digital took over.
Happy Hogan sports a rather fetching look in 1999. This is an obvious nod to the character of Vincent Vega by John Travolta in the popular nineties film Pulp Fiction.
This will mark the first time Samuel L. Jackson does not appear in an "Iron Man" related movie as Nick Fury.
Trevor Slattery is shown to be watching Liverpool playing Chelsea in a game of football on television. The goal was scored by Daniel Agger, making the scoreline 3-0. It is suggested that the character is a Liverpool fan as he cheers the goal. While the events of the movie happen at Christmas time, the game took place in real-life on 8th May 2012.
According to producer Kevin Feige, the Mandarin is portrayed with an ambiguous background: "It's less about his specific ethnicity than the analogy of various cultures and their iconography that he perverts for his own end. We're not saying he's Chinese, we're saying he draws a cloak around him of Chinese symbols and dragons because it represents his obsession with Sun Tzu and various ancient arts of warfare that he has studied."
Jack Taggert (the unstable "Extremis soldier" who blew up the Chinese Theatre), Roxxon Oil and the "Silver Centurion armor" all feature in the "Armor Wars" (1988) storyline in the comics.
Audi vehicles are once again prominently featured in the film, having also been shown in the first two "Iron Man" films. Vehicles featured this time around are an Audi R8 e-tron concept car, driven by Tony near the beginning of the film (and seen falling into the ocean when his Malibu compound is blown up); an Audi A7 driven by Pepper Potts; and an Audi S4 used by Tony later in the film.
At 130 minutes, this is the longest Iron Man (without the other superheroes) film.
Gemma Arterton, Diane Kruger and Isla Fisher were considered for the role of Maya Hansen. Jessica Chastain was cast but she dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.Rebecca Hall was cast in her place.
Production was delayed on August 15, 2012, when Robert Downey Jr.'s ankle was injured in a stunt.
Kevin Feige described the film's core theme as a love story: "The love triangle in this movie is between Tony, Pepper and his obsession with those suits, and the obsession with technology. Yes, there's a bad guy. Yes, the stakes are very very high. But the real stakes are, is Tony going to be able to set aside spending every day in that workshop tinkering with the suits in order to focus on Pepper, the one thing that matters most?"
Tony calls one of Killian's henchmen "Westworld", which is the title of a 1973 science-fiction movie. The sequel to that movie, Futureworld (1976) starred Blythe Danner, the mother of Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts).
First Iron Man movie to not feature Leslie Bibb as Vanity Fair's Christine Everhart.
The film was available for pre-order on home video before it was even released theatrically.
The film's composer Brian Tyler is the third composer to score an Iron Man film, following Ramin Djawadi for Iron Man (2008) and John Debney for Iron Man 2 (2010).
Andy Lau was in talks to play the role of Chen Lu (Radioactive Man), but dropped out upon the birth of his first child. Daoming Chen and 'Wu Xiubowere' considered for the role, before finally Xueqi Wang was cast.
The Mandarin's lair was shot at the Villa Vizcaya (exteriors) and at a private South Beach waterfront (interiors).
Two identical Boeing VC-25A aircraft serve as Air Force One. The VC-25A is an extensively modified 747-200B, the first of which began service in 1990. The next-generation Air Force One airplanes will be based on either the Boeing 747-8 or Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and will begin service in 2017.
Cameo ―
Stan Lee: The Iron Man creator plays the beauty pageant judge. Of the three Iron Man movies, this is the only one in which Lee's cameo does not involve him playing/being mistaken for another celebrity.
Director Trademark ―
Shane Black: [Christmas] Except for the prologue, the whole film is set at Christmastime. Black's Lethal Weapon (1987), The Last Boy Scout (1991), The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) were also set at Christmastime. Last Action Hero (1993), which Black did not direct but helped write, had at least a partial Christmas setting.
Spoilers ―
The post-credit scene with Bruce Banner was Robert Downey Jr.'s idea.
This is the first Iron Man film, and the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, that doesn't hint at the events of future films in the mid-credits and/or post-credits scene.
The film's post-credits scene was originally meant to have Tony Stark blasting off into space to meet the Guardians of the Galaxy. Iron Man was going to have a cameo role in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) (in homage to his being the Guardians' latest member in the comics), but this was scrapped when Robert Downey Jr. said he may not reprise his role as Tony Stark in the future. Instead, Bruce Banner appeared in the post-credits scene.
Gwyneth Paltrow enjoyed wearing the suit on the day of shooting the Malibu attack, showing it off in front of her son Moses Martin who had accompanied her that day: "He thought it was the best thing that's ever happened to him. So the suit did a lot for my relationship with my son."
The dragon tattoos on Aldrich Killian's (Guy Pearce) chest are of another Iron Man villain: Fin Fang Foom.
With Mark Ruffalo's cameo as Dr. Bruce Banner in the post-credit scene, this marks the first time that an actor has played this comic book character in more than one theatrical film. Bill Bixby played him in productions made for television, Eric Banaplayed him only in Hulk (2003), and Edward Norton played him only in The Incredible Hulk (2008).
The Mandarin" is an invention of Killian's AIM outfit. The mansion from which The Mandarin's broadcasts emanate is in the city of Miami. "Miami" spelled backwards is "Imaim" - "I'm AIM".
The idea of the Mandarin being a false face was Drew Pearce's idea, and Shane Blacktook to it like a shot: "Who would be fool enough to declare that he is an international terrorist?"
A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics) is the scientific organization headed by Aldrich Killian. In the comics, it was a straightforward terrorist organization and the evil counterpart to S.H.I.E.L.D., which originally was an offshoot of Captain America's World War II enemies HYDRA.
The final line was originally written as "I am Tony Stark" to mirror the first Iron Man(2008) movie's ending, but eventually it changed to "I am Iron Man" to enhance the mythical qualities.
Aldrich Killian was a very minor character in the comics and the mystery of his suicide is what leads Iron Man into the plot involving Extremis. In the film he has been upgraded to major villain, incorporating elements of the Mandarin (a businessman who employs Extremis for his own purposes) and Mallen (a terrorist who ingested Extremis).
James Badge Dale summed up his role as Eric Savin as: "Ben Kingsley is the mouthpiece. Guy Pearce is the brain. I'm the muscle."
Brandt was meant to return in the final battle, and be killed by Pepper. This was changed to Killian surviving and getting killed by Pepper, as a form of poetic justice for him causing her to suffer.
Maya Hansen was originally to be the main antagonist in the first draft of the script. She was later "demoted" to a supporting antagonist.
Originally Trevor Slattery was to take Extremis, believing it was a new drug, and explode from it. This was changed to having him get arrested at the end of the film.
The destruction of Stark's Malibu mansion was filmed at the EUE/Screen Gems Studios water tank (exteriors) and on a special soundstage in Wilmington, North Carolina (interiors). The soundstage was built on a special moving gimball, which allowed the entire set to be tilted 45 degrees and reset easily.
The film's plot incorporates a number of storylines from "Iron Man" comics, namely:
According to Kevin Feige, the Mandarin is inspired by Colonel Kurtz from Apocalypse Now (1979): "He wants to represent this sort of prototypical terrorist, someone who worked for the intelligence community, who went nuts in the field and became this sort of devotee of war tactics."
Happy Hogan addresses a secretary (who is off-camera) by the name of "Bambi". In the comics, Bambi is the first name of Stark's longest-serving executive secretary, Mrs. Arbogast.
Shane Black described the film as "a Tom Clancy thriller", with the focus on real-world type villains and not "two men in iron suits fighting each other".
This is the first Iron Man film to not feature Nick Fury, Agent Phil Coulson or any member of SHIELD. SHIELD's database is mentioned by JARVIS when Tony searches information on the Mandarin.
One scene was shot inside Epic Games, a video game development company known for the Gears of War (2006) franchise.
Robert Downey Jr. had previously starred in Shane Black's film Kiss Kiss Bang Bang(2005), and spoke highly of Black replacing Jon Favreau, saying that "bringing in Shane Black to write and direct the film is basically the only thing that Favreau and the audience and Marvel and I could ever actually sign off on."
Screenwriter Drew Pearce compared Tony Stark to an American James Bond for both being "heroes with a sense of danger to them, and unpredictability". He also likened Tony to the protagonists of 1970s films like The French Connection (1971), where "the heroes' idiosyncrasies is what make them exciting."
Whilst in the comics Tony Stark dons a number of bulkier armours to battle the Hulk (e.g. Hulkbuster armour), none of these appear in the film. The largest suit shown is known as Igor (Mark 38) and is designed to be used for heavy lifting
Jessica Brown Findlay who appears in the film due to the use of footage from Downton Abbey (2010) was actually considered for a part in another Marvel film; the role of Sharon Carter in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014).
Property master Russell Bobbitt designed a custom set of ten rings for the Mandarin. These rings are Bobbitt's favorite props from the film.
Originally, Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Pictures were looking to shoot this movie in Michigan due to the tax incentives. However, due to North Carolina guaranteeing a $20 million tax credit, the producers decided to shoot there instead.
Unlike Iron Man (2008) and Iron Man 2 (2010), Industrial Light and Magic is not involved with the film's VFX. Instead, Digital Domain and Weta Digital took over.
Happy Hogan sports a rather fetching look in 1999. This is an obvious nod to the character of Vincent Vega by John Travolta in the popular nineties film Pulp Fiction.
This will mark the first time Samuel L. Jackson does not appear in an "Iron Man" related movie as Nick Fury.
Trevor Slattery is shown to be watching Liverpool playing Chelsea in a game of football on television. The goal was scored by Daniel Agger, making the scoreline 3-0. It is suggested that the character is a Liverpool fan as he cheers the goal. While the events of the movie happen at Christmas time, the game took place in real-life on 8th May 2012.
According to producer Kevin Feige, the Mandarin is portrayed with an ambiguous background: "It's less about his specific ethnicity than the analogy of various cultures and their iconography that he perverts for his own end. We're not saying he's Chinese, we're saying he draws a cloak around him of Chinese symbols and dragons because it represents his obsession with Sun Tzu and various ancient arts of warfare that he has studied."
Jack Taggert (the unstable "Extremis soldier" who blew up the Chinese Theatre), Roxxon Oil and the "Silver Centurion armor" all feature in the "Armor Wars" (1988) storyline in the comics.
Audi vehicles are once again prominently featured in the film, having also been shown in the first two "Iron Man" films. Vehicles featured this time around are an Audi R8 e-tron concept car, driven by Tony near the beginning of the film (and seen falling into the ocean when his Malibu compound is blown up); an Audi A7 driven by Pepper Potts; and an Audi S4 used by Tony later in the film.
At 130 minutes, this is the longest Iron Man (without the other superheroes) film.
Gemma Arterton, Diane Kruger and Isla Fisher were considered for the role of Maya Hansen. Jessica Chastain was cast but she dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.Rebecca Hall was cast in her place.
Production was delayed on August 15, 2012, when Robert Downey Jr.'s ankle was injured in a stunt.
Kevin Feige described the film's core theme as a love story: "The love triangle in this movie is between Tony, Pepper and his obsession with those suits, and the obsession with technology. Yes, there's a bad guy. Yes, the stakes are very very high. But the real stakes are, is Tony going to be able to set aside spending every day in that workshop tinkering with the suits in order to focus on Pepper, the one thing that matters most?"
Tony calls one of Killian's henchmen "Westworld", which is the title of a 1973 science-fiction movie. The sequel to that movie, Futureworld (1976) starred Blythe Danner, the mother of Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts).
First Iron Man movie to not feature Leslie Bibb as Vanity Fair's Christine Everhart.
The film was available for pre-order on home video before it was even released theatrically.
The film's composer Brian Tyler is the third composer to score an Iron Man film, following Ramin Djawadi for Iron Man (2008) and John Debney for Iron Man 2 (2010).
Andy Lau was in talks to play the role of Chen Lu (Radioactive Man), but dropped out upon the birth of his first child. Daoming Chen and 'Wu Xiubowere' considered for the role, before finally Xueqi Wang was cast.
The Mandarin's lair was shot at the Villa Vizcaya (exteriors) and at a private South Beach waterfront (interiors).
Two identical Boeing VC-25A aircraft serve as Air Force One. The VC-25A is an extensively modified 747-200B, the first of which began service in 1990. The next-generation Air Force One airplanes will be based on either the Boeing 747-8 or Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and will begin service in 2017.
Cameo ―
Stan Lee: The Iron Man creator plays the beauty pageant judge. Of the three Iron Man movies, this is the only one in which Lee's cameo does not involve him playing/being mistaken for another celebrity.
Director Trademark ―
Shane Black: [Christmas] Except for the prologue, the whole film is set at Christmastime. Black's Lethal Weapon (1987), The Last Boy Scout (1991), The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) were also set at Christmastime. Last Action Hero (1993), which Black did not direct but helped write, had at least a partial Christmas setting.
Spoilers ―
The post-credit scene with Bruce Banner was Robert Downey Jr.'s idea.
This is the first Iron Man film, and the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, that doesn't hint at the events of future films in the mid-credits and/or post-credits scene.
The film's post-credits scene was originally meant to have Tony Stark blasting off into space to meet the Guardians of the Galaxy. Iron Man was going to have a cameo role in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) (in homage to his being the Guardians' latest member in the comics), but this was scrapped when Robert Downey Jr. said he may not reprise his role as Tony Stark in the future. Instead, Bruce Banner appeared in the post-credits scene.
Gwyneth Paltrow enjoyed wearing the suit on the day of shooting the Malibu attack, showing it off in front of her son Moses Martin who had accompanied her that day: "He thought it was the best thing that's ever happened to him. So the suit did a lot for my relationship with my son."
The dragon tattoos on Aldrich Killian's (Guy Pearce) chest are of another Iron Man villain: Fin Fang Foom.
With Mark Ruffalo's cameo as Dr. Bruce Banner in the post-credit scene, this marks the first time that an actor has played this comic book character in more than one theatrical film. Bill Bixby played him in productions made for television, Eric Banaplayed him only in Hulk (2003), and Edward Norton played him only in The Incredible Hulk (2008).
The Mandarin" is an invention of Killian's AIM outfit. The mansion from which The Mandarin's broadcasts emanate is in the city of Miami. "Miami" spelled backwards is "Imaim" - "I'm AIM".
The idea of the Mandarin being a false face was Drew Pearce's idea, and Shane Blacktook to it like a shot: "Who would be fool enough to declare that he is an international terrorist?"
A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics) is the scientific organization headed by Aldrich Killian. In the comics, it was a straightforward terrorist organization and the evil counterpart to S.H.I.E.L.D., which originally was an offshoot of Captain America's World War II enemies HYDRA.
The final line was originally written as "I am Tony Stark" to mirror the first Iron Man(2008) movie's ending, but eventually it changed to "I am Iron Man" to enhance the mythical qualities.
Aldrich Killian was a very minor character in the comics and the mystery of his suicide is what leads Iron Man into the plot involving Extremis. In the film he has been upgraded to major villain, incorporating elements of the Mandarin (a businessman who employs Extremis for his own purposes) and Mallen (a terrorist who ingested Extremis).
James Badge Dale summed up his role as Eric Savin as: "Ben Kingsley is the mouthpiece. Guy Pearce is the brain. I'm the muscle."
Brandt was meant to return in the final battle, and be killed by Pepper. This was changed to Killian surviving and getting killed by Pepper, as a form of poetic justice for him causing her to suffer.
Maya Hansen was originally to be the main antagonist in the first draft of the script. She was later "demoted" to a supporting antagonist.
Originally Trevor Slattery was to take Extremis, believing it was a new drug, and explode from it. This was changed to having him get arrested at the end of the film.
The destruction of Stark's Malibu mansion was filmed at the EUE/Screen Gems Studios water tank (exteriors) and on a special soundstage in Wilmington, North Carolina (interiors). The soundstage was built on a special moving gimball, which allowed the entire set to be tilted 45 degrees and reset easily.
The film's plot incorporates a number of storylines from "Iron Man" comics, namely:
- The 'Extremis' arc, which involved Tony Stark developing and using the Extremis virus, a nanotech version of Captain America's serum
- Tony Stark is ousted and rendered a homeless vagrant, and while wandering around befriends a civilian who inspires him
- The Mandarin seeks to use Extremis as a WMD
- The 'Invincible Iron Man' arc, where Stark goes on the run and War Machine and Rescue appear in his place
- The 'Armor Wars' arc, where Tony Stark fakes his death due to constant harassment by Firepower
- The 'Enter the Mandarin' arc, where Iron Man clashes with the Mandarin.
In the comics, Ellen Brandt is an agent of AIM who tried to steal from biochemist Ted Sallis... who turned into the supernatural Man-Thing and burned her face off. In the film she is just sent in pursuit of Stark; however, she has minor scars on her face in homage to her comic portrayal.
In the scene where Pepper Potts is being injected with Extremis, Savin mentions to Killian that she is still in Phase 2. This is a nod to Iron Man 3 being the first film in the MCU Phase 2 of films.
From IMDB, Wikipedia and Google.
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