Issue #1: Sandy’s Reflections on Iron Man (2008)

What do we gain from starting an online “together but separate” project? I think my first thought is that we are really lucky that we are at this moment in time. We can stream movies—a world of movies like the MCU—at the touch of a button. We can “see” each other and chat while we watch a movie together. We also have the advantage of years of “re-watches” to inform how we watch and what we look for. Originally, I thought I would spend the time saying my favorite lines along with the characters “I would like a vodka martini, please. Very dry. With olives. A lot of olives. Like three olives.” But, instead, I think the idea of watching together for scholarship—and connection—made me notice other facets.

I noticed another one of my favorite quotes, but this time in a different way: “If you douse me again, and I’m not on fire, I’m donating you to a city college.” I never thought about why Tony talks to his robots. I mean, I thought he was just a super smart guy who made them because he could; he had Jarvis talk to him because he could simply make a smart virtual assistant. But, really, there’s more to it: he created them for companionship. He was alone, even as a kid. He didn’t connect to his parents and felt his father thought he was a failure. Maybe the only people he has in his life are the virtual Jarvis AI, his robot, and, of course, Pepper. In a way, we are all disconnected because of the corona virus right now, much like Tony. He took what he had and made it work. He was isolated but he made his own family, his own network when he needed it. Maybe I noticed it because we could all be a little more like Tony right now: invent ways to make our situation better.