Issue 7: Sandy’s Reflections: Iron Man 3 (2013)

I knew going into this film that I was going to have an uphill battle. I know that this film is divisive—to say the least. I had all my arguments ready when we watched the movie together on Zoom, and I knew Alex was over it before the Marvel opening credits rolled. Ha. I was originally going to write about Pepper Potts’ evolution, and the fact that this film passes the Bechdel Test well with two strong female characters. However, my ideas shifted as I contemplated why I truly love this film, and there’s more than one reason that I think makes this film a strong entry in the MCU.

 

Let’s start with my ideas about Pepper Potts and Maya Hansen as strong female characters. The Bechdel Test was invented in 1985 by Alison Bechdel in her comic strip called The Rule. The test’s premise is simple: How does a female character function in a film? To pass the test, a film must have more than one woman in a major role; further, the women must have a conversation, and a plot, that extends beyond the male characters. Simply put, they need to talk about something, anything, other than a man. Sadly, many films do not pass the test. A simple graphic from Harvard’s research blog presents a clear and easy visual that you can use for any film (https://researchblog.duke.edu/2017/08/04/sizing-up-hollywoods-gender-gap/). For more information, you can also visit https://bechdeltest.com to see The Bechdel Test Movie List for over 8,000 films that viewers have rated for TBT.

 

Pepper Potts is crafted in this film as the CEO of Stark Industries, as per the events of IM2. She is in charge of Tony’s company, and she doesn’t consult him regarding Aldrich Killian’s plans for Extremis—and she has numerous scenes where Tony Stark isn’t even present. To pass the test, though, IM3 uses Maya Hansen’s scientist well, building her character in layers throughout the film, and introducing her as a common trope for conflict: The ex-girlfriend. However, Pepper doesn’t fall for that, and that’s where the trope remains; much like my review of Natasha and Pepper’s interactions in IM2, Pepper doesn’t get jealous of another woman, and they share several scenes where they discuss their commonalities, mainly the stressors of being ambitious career women. Maya’s character is layered interestingly, starting as ex, then seemingly as someone who can help Tony uncover Killian’s nefarious plan, and then last as a desperate scientist who chose the wrong path to follow with her genius. And, just as she grows, so does Pepper—who has more than one scene where she wields Iron Man’s armor. (I was rooting for her alter-ego Rescue to appear at some point, and this film gives us a glimpse of Pepper in a suit!) To read more on my ideas about Pepper as a strong comic-and-film character, you can check out my chapter “The Power of Potts and Pens” in my book Comic Connections: Reflecting on Women in Popular Culture. (Shameless plug—all of my books are on Amazon!) Ha.

 

However, there are other reasons I love this film. What I truly think works well is Tony’s evolution. He is committed to Pepper fully, and he is trying to step outside of his own self-absorbed bubble to move forward as a better man, a better partner, and interestingly—a better gift-giver. Follow me here…in the original Iron Man, Pepper and Tony share a dance, and he comments on her gorgeous dress: 

Tony: "Miss Potts -- can I have five minutes? You look...you look like should always wear that dress."

Pepper: "Thanks. It was a birthday present--from you."

Tony: "I have great taste." 

So in the first film, Tony doesn’t buy her a present; his money was used by Pepper to buy something extravagant that she probably wouldn’t buy herself for a Stark event. He notices the dress, but he didn’t put any energy into buying it. 

 

As a result of that film, and the first half of Iron Man 2, Tony attempts to apologize for his over-the-top behavior by buying Pepper some strawberries from a road-side stand to complement his apology: 

 

Pepper: "Did you bring me strawberries? Did you know that there’s only one thing on Earth that I’m allergic to?"

Tony: "Allergic to strawberries. This is progress, Pepper! I knew there was a correlation…"

Tony grows in IM3 even more, and he plans a gift for Pepper for Christmas at the start of the film: A giant bunny. He’s impatient for her to notice the gift, as it is probably one of the first gifts he ever tried to plan and give. This bunny is adorably wrong in many ways: It won’t fit in the door, it’s too large and unwieldy, and it’s humorously for the wrong holiday. So this bunny comes up multiple times in the movie, from him hesitantly asking if she liked it to complaining about why she didn’t—it’s obvious that he doesn’t understand yet why she doesn’t—and his feelings are hurt at her dismissal of the gift. 

 

By the end of IM3, Tony has come full circle with gift-giving. Pepper has tried to explain to him that his obsessive working, his many, many armor designs, and his tweaking of various IM suits is coming between them, calling them his distractions. Once the conflict has been resolved, the plot returns to this idea of gift-giving in two ways. First, Tony gives Pepper the gift she really did want: That he heard her and was healing.

 

Tony: "That’s what I do. I fix stuff."

 

Pepper: "And all your distractions?"

 

Tony: "I’m going to shave them down a little bit." TAPPING HIS EAR: "Jarvis, hey."

 

Jarvis: "Will there be anything else?"

 

Tony: "You know what to do."

 

Jarvis: "The Clean Slate Protocol, Sir?"

 

Tony: "Screw it…it’s Christmas. Yes." MORE FORCEFULLY: "Yes." HUGGING PEPPER, HOPEFUL: "Do you like it?"

 

Pepper, ELATED: "It’ll do."

This resolution to the Bunny-gift misfire shows that Tony has grown in many ways, working to overcome his PTSD from the events of The Avengers, and learning how to be a better partner for Pepper. In the closing montage, Tony gifts Pepper with yet another gift: A gorgeous necklace, with the stones in his signature Iron Man red. But what makes this gift even more special? The chain is made up of shrapnel that had been preventing him from living fully--maybe both metaphorically and physically. Tony is now ready to move forward, past his demons, past his prior behavior, past his fear of dying. Instead, he can now embrace living--a gift for both Pepper and himself.

So, all in all, I think this film is a solid entry—great, even—in the MCU despite all of the complaints about the Mandarin. For me, as a viewer, I think there’s so much here to like and enjoy. I guess that I just want Iron Man 3 to be a gift to viewers…who may have to watch it again to appreciate the contents of the package.

Issue 7: Alex's Reflections on Iron Man 3 (2013)

The debacle of this film is the Mandarin. Before even re-watching Iron Man 3, I remembered the utter misuse of a classic Marvel villain who is often considered to be Iron Man’s arch-nemesis. Ben Kingsley, at first, plays the villain as he ought to be played: Brutal, callous, and horrifyingly devoid of morality. The film is even built around Tony Stark’s fear and abnormal reaction to The Mandarin which includes challenging the terrorist by giving him his home address. As a villain, the Mandarin put Tony Stark off his proverbial game. 

 

Further into the film, The Mandarin hijacks the television airwaves in the United States. While holding a hostage and threatening to kill him, The Mandarin instructs the President of the United States to call him in order to save the hostage’s life. The President does so, but The Mandarin kills the hostage on live television anyway. This is a nasty villain who needs to be defeated. Then came the reveal…

 

After Tony Stark finds The Mandarin, the villain turns out to be nothing but a bumbling Keith Richards rip-off complete with stereotypical drug and alcohol abuse. This film built up a great villain, contextualized the majority of the story around his presence, and then discarded him to reveal that the true villain was Aldrich Killian played by Guy Pearce…that one guy from Memento and The Time Machine. My main question is this: Why? Why waste one of the premiere Marvel villains? Looking back the entirety of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are two villains who have any lasting impact: Loki and Thanos. Loki even eventually turns into the cool anti-hero, so there is really just one villain in Marvel that pushes the mythology in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The thesis here is that The Mandarin could have been a villain with staying power, but instead they have him drinking Budweisers while watching daytime soccer matches. What a waste of a character.  

 

My colleague loves this film, and her explanation of how it is a growth story about Tony Stark and his maturing relationship with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) is compelling. While watching this, Sandy made excellent points throughout including how Tony’s gift-giving matured and how he admitted his obsession with his Iron Man suits. However, even that final scene with Tony destroying all of his suits in order to show his commitment to Pepper was confusing to me. All of the films that featured Tony Stark to this point in the Marvel Cinematic Universe built up Tony’s identity as it related to being Iron Man. Hell, even the famous final and celebrated line from the first film is, “The truth is, I am Iron Man.” After Iron Man 3, he is not because…I actually cannot understand that narrative choice and trying to make sense of it is fruitless. And to support this point, the Iron Man suit is back in his next appearance in Avengers: Age of Ultron. The narrative choices for Tony Stark are done away with right away in the very next movie. Maybe he shouldn’t have destroyed all of those suits.

Issue #7: Gian's Reflections on Iron Man 3 (2013)

Iron Man 3

7/12/20

 

“Am I going to be ok?” Pepper Potts asks Tony Stark near the end of Iron Man 3 (2013). “No,” replies Tony. “You’re in a relationship with me. You’re never gonna be ok.”

 

I have to admit, I really disliked Iron Man 3 when I first saw it. I didn’t like what they did to the Mandarin and I didn’t like Tony blowing up his armor. But now, watching it again several years later, I think I finally can see why my friend Sandy loves this film so much and how I misread it. In my earlier blog entries, I’ve talked about Tony’s search for redemption. This film, though, shifts the focus from Tony on his own to Tony in his relationship with Pepper. The relationship was there before, but here it defines Tony. This film is not just about Tony figuring out how to be a good person, it’s also about Tony figuring out how to be a good partner with Pepper.

 

Ironically, by the time of Iron Man 3 Tony has learned to be a better person. In Avengers he risked his own life to close the worm hole the Chitauri were using to launch their invasion of earth. He wasn’t motivated by ego, he was motivated to save New York City and the rest of earth’s people. But that selfless act has left Tony suffering with PTSD. He becomes obsessed with working and making new Iron Man suits. He works day after day around the clock. When he becomes so obsessed with working that he can’t stop to greet Pepper after her day at work, he sends an empty Iron Man suit to the living room to pretend he’s there. Pepper isn’t fooled, and so she walks down to his laboratory and confronts Tony. Then he admits, 

 

Tony: “I love you. I’m lucky. But, honey, I can’t sleep. You go to bed. I come down here. I do what I know. I tinker. Threat is imminent and I have to protect the one thing I can’t live without. That’s you. And my suits, they’re unh,”

 

Pepper: “Machines.”

 

Tony: “They’re part of me.

 

Pepper: “A distraction.”

 

Tony: “Maybe.”

 

This is Tony opening up. And it’s a crucial scene. Pepper’s anger vanishes when she realizes the truth. She puts her arms around Tony. Yet it’s only a moment and we know he hasn’t let her in far enough. Pepper is essential to Tony. He always rushes to save her. But he still sees her as apart from him. His work, his Iron Man suits, those he sees as parts of himself, essential. But he has not brought Pepper all the way in. He didn’t turn to her first for help. He couldn’t admit he needed her. He knows he’s troubled from the alien invasion, he knows he’s on the verge of freaking out. Yet he can’t ask his lover for help. He’s in a relationship with Pepper, but he isn’t trying to build and improve that relationship the way he does with his suits. He doesn’t turn to Pepper when he needs help the most. He’s good with machines, not with people. It’s the people he has to learn to deal with.

 

The film handles this in various ways. Tony continues to not want to touch things. He has a phobia where he’s afraid to have people hand him anything. It seems odd in the films, but, in the coronavirus era, it doesn’t seem so crazy.

 

We also get Tony’s challenge of trying to buy Pepper the right Christmas gift. Here he fails spectacularly, buying her a gigantic stuffed bunny that no one would ever want. Tony thinks bigger is better, but Pepper doesn’t want an external gift. She wants Tony to prove he loves her, that he wants her to be at the center of his life. Although the bunny gift is funny in its absurdity, showing that Tony is still far too self-absorbed to be able to imagine the kind of gift Pepper might really want, is inability to open up to her about his problems is far more significant.

 

So Iron Man 3 director Shane Black brings in another character, a kid (as he is mostly referred to) named Harley Keener (played by Ty Simpkins), to help Tony learn some more about actually connecting with people. Tony meets Harley when his suit runs out of power and crashes in Tennessee. The suit has actually guided him to a site he was investigating to figure out the Mandarin’s plot. Tony has several nice scenes with the kid. When I first saw it, I thought Marvel was just trying to be cute to get a few laughs. But it’s clearly more important than that.

 

At one point, the kid tells Tony that his dad left. Tony, who has anger issues with his own father, replies cruelly, “Which happens, Dad’s leave. No need to be a pussy about it.” Unable to actually connect meaningfully, Tony resorts to black humor. It doesn’t work when dealing with a child of course. But the kid helps save Tony during a fight, and eventually Tony admits, “You did good, kid.” Tony still mocks the idea that he and the kid are connected and that he needs the kid, but of course he does.

 

I think the first time what bothered me the most about the movie was that they kept taking Tony out of the suit. I wanted to see Iron Man, not just Robert Downey, Jr. I was dismissive at the time thinking it was just an actor wanting more screen time. But like Tony, I'll try to grow from my mistakes and admit that I needed the help of my good friend Sandy to see what Iron Man 3 was really trying to show us: Tony had to get out of his suit. The truth is, Tony was hiding in the Iron Man armor. He wasn’t just afraid of the Chitauri, he was afraid of being human, of connecting with Harley or Pepper. Being Iron Man was easy, but being Tony Stark was hard. In the end Tony figured out that the suits weren’t really him, and so he blew them up (another thing I hated!!!). But as precious as the suits are, they are only machines as Pepper points out. Tony had to let them go so he could really move toward Pepper and the family he was meant to have with her. And, of course, we know he can always build another suit of armor.