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MCU Rewind: Iron Man 2 Gets a Lot of Hate, But It Does Everything It Needs To Do
After the first two films in the newly-minted Marvel Cinematic Universe, moviegoers had to wait a full two years for the next installment. By 2010, the Avengers film (preceded by solo films for Thor and Captain America) was bound to happen. Yet, it was some years away, because Marvel Studios and Kevin Feige understood the value of patience and building up their new world. Still, two years is a long time to wait for even the most patient fans, so the second Iron Man film had to do a lot of work. First, it had to introduce more of the larger MCU. Second, it had to set-up the next film, focused on Thor, creating a sense of building to something. Finally, it had to tell a complete, stand-alone story about Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.), Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), and Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau, also the director). Critics of this film, of which there are many, say that it does none of these things well. However, unlike the previous installment in this film canon, such criticism is unfair.
Before we can get into the details of this movie, we have to talk about all of the biases involved. First, and foremost, it needs to be said that this is your humble correspondent’s favorite Iron Man film. From start to finish, I enjoy the hell out of this movie. This was the first MCU film I saw in the theater, which…
