The character of Iron Man, played by Robert Downey Jr., was the face of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for more than a decade. His “Iron Man(2008)” kickstarted one of the most successful franchises in cinema history. Robert Downey Jr. made the role his own using his intense charisma and likability. His portrayal of the iconic character of Tony Stark garnered him fans around the globe. We are going to rank all movies featuring Iron Man from his first appearance in 2008 to his last in “Avengers: Endgame” in 2019.
Iron Man 2 (2010)
“Iron Man 2” saw the return of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark and Jon Favreau as director, along with most of the cast from the first film. Expectations were high after the success of the first movie, but Favreau couldn’t replicate the magic here as the movie faltered in multiple aspects. “Iron Man 2” features an uninteresting antagonist lacking any character development and a plot that dragged throughout the runtime. The few action sequences the movie had weren’t that great, either. The only positives “Iron Man 2” had are a great performance from Robert Downey Jr. and a couple of half-decent action sequences, especially the one where we get to see Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) in action for the first time.
Iron Man 3 (2013)
Both the sequels in the Iron Man trilogy failed to live up to the original. While far better than “Iron Man 2,” the third and final movie of the trilogy wasn’t that well received either. “Iron Man 3” was a strange film with some excellent reviews, while on the other hand, some people seemed to hate it. Certain story elements in the movie seemed to piss off fans of the Iron Man comics. Tony Stark spends a significant portion of the film outside his suit; while this meant that there was a lack of action, it also allowed space for storytelling, which this movie seems not to get praised for. The movie follows Tony Stark’s mental health and the emotional trauma from the craziness that happened at the end of the first Avengers movie. It also sheds light on Tony’s inner turmoil over whether he wants to continue as a superhero. “Iron Man 3” is one of the more unique films in the entire MCU. The movie feels more like a drama with action elements than a superhero flick, and it is surely one of the most underrated films of the franchise.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
“Spider-Man: Homecoming” was Spidey’s first solo movie in the MCU and a fresh take on the popular character. The movie doesn’t shy away from the high school elements of the character and attempted to make a high school rom-com but with a superhero as the protagonist. Tony Stark makes a cameo here as the mentor to the teenager and this starts off their relationship, which blossoms over the course of a couple of movies. The movie accurately portrays the teenager in Peter Parker’s character, and his friendship with Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon) provides a good amount of humour to the film. Fans had been waiting for a decent Spider-Man movie ever since “Spider-Man 3” way back in 2007, and it’s safe to say that “Spider-Man: Homecoming” put an end to that.
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
All of the Avengers movies have managed to be successful, and “Avengers: Age of Ultron” is not an exception. The movie accumulated a box office total of $1.403 billion and went on to become one of the highest-grossing movies ever at the time. “Avengers: Age of Ultron” saw the Avengers go up against the AI Ultron, accidentally created by Tony Stark and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo). While not as acclaimed as its predecessor, “Avengers: Age of Ultron” was a solid continuation of the Avengers saga. The movie did a lot of heavy lifting in terms of character building and provided a lot of depth to previously ignored characters, namely Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye. “Avengers: Age of Ultron” saw the beginning of the conflict between Steve Rogers and Robert Downey, which would reach its melting point in “Captain America: Civil War.” It also gave us the relationship between Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) and Bruce Banner. The movie also features some great action sequences, such as the opening action sequence and the Hulk-Buster scene. In short, “Avengers: Age of Ultron” helped strengthen the bond between the core Avengers and provided crucial character motivation to a string of characters that went on to majorly influence their paths in future movies and could be considered an underrated film.
Iron Man (2008)
The one that started it all, Marvel Studios, probably wouldn’t be the giant it is today if this film had flopped. Due to its bad financial situation in the 90s, Marvel Studios had to sell movie rights to some of its most popular characters. This left them with B-grade superheroes such as Iron Man. Ironically, no one would consider Iron Man a B-grade character now. That’s how big the impact of Iron Man in the MCU is, and it all began here. It was meant to be, as Marvel happened to cast Robert Downey Jr., whose career was on a downward spiral at the time. Robert Downey Jr. was the embodiment of Tony Stark; both Stark and Downey had substance abuse issues, and like Stark, Robert was born into a wealthy family with successful parents. Robert was a problematic man, and it suited the best for a character like Tony Stark. If “Spider-Man” and the X-men movies paved the way, then “Iron Man” set the stage on fire. The movie was a smash hit and changed the movie landscape forever. With “Iron Man,” Jon Favreau was able to make an action blockbuster that never lets you off the hook, and combined with a complex and enigmatic protagonist, it was hard not to like the film. The movie also features Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane, one of the best villains the franchise has to offer.
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
After their massive success with “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” they were given the opportunity to direct the third movie in the trilogy. This time it was more than just a Captain America movie; “Captain America: Civil War” features the majority of the superheroes in the MCU and has major repercussions for future movies. It is one of the strongest entries in the franchise and is also one of the more mature MCU movies, with a serious ethical dilemma at its core. But the movie balances the grit with a brush of humour thanks to characters like Spider-Man and Ant-Man. “Captain America: The Civil War” has one of the best action sequences of the franchise. All the action scenes here are top-notch, from the opening scene in Lagos to the airport scene and the vicious close combat of the climax. The Russo brothers proved to be masters of filming hand-to-hand combat, and their style of grounded action brought a freshness to the otherwise CGI-heavy franchise. The movie also features one of the more compelling villains of the franchise, Baron Zemo, played brilliantly by Daniel Bruhl.
The Avengers (2012)
“The Avengers” made the impossible possible. Before its release, people were skeptical whether it could balance all these larger-than-life characters at the same time. Joss Whedon gave us a movie filled to the brim with unforgettable action scenes, but not at the expense of its characters. He smoothly transitions the characters from their solo movies without missing an ounce of their character beats. The movie sees these characters struggling initially to form a cohesive team. This was refreshing and made these superheroes feel human. Tom Hiddleston shines here as the infamous villain Loki, along with excellent performances from all the cast members. The finale of the movie is a thing of beauty as the team fights the Chitauri in New York City before being ultimately saved by Iron Man. “The Avengers” is a landmark achievement in terms of superhero team-up movies and movies in general and surely deserves a spot on the list.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
“Avengers: Endgame” was the pinnacle of superhero movies. After the tragic passing of half of all life in the universe, the remaining heroes on earth take a final stand to try and bring them back. “Avengers: Endgame” was an event unlike any other. After “Avengers: Infinity War” ended on a cliffhanger, fans were going crazy wondering what would come, coupled with the knowledge that it would be the last film for some of the main characters of the franchise, which meant that no one could ignore the hype of the movie. “Avengers: Endgame” was the culmination of 11 years and 22 films, and it felt like something big was coming to an end. “Avengers: Endgame” had the job of dealing with the aftermath of Infinity War. It had to deal with the resultant grief and loneliness, and it did it beautifully. We got to see these larger-than-life superheroes struggling, and it was commendable that the movie spent time reflecting on the grief that comes with such a loss. Black Widow finally gets the spotlight she clearly deserved, and her story ends on a poignant yet satisfying note. The movie takes its time in the beginning as it focuses on these emotions, but it quickly starts moving after a while. The whole “time heist” sequence was entertaining and provided a lot of humour, callbacks, and some touching reunions. The finale was unlike anything we have witnessed before, as all the heroes we have come to love stood together against Thanos and his army. The portal sequence took the fandom by storm, and Cap’s “Avengers Assemble” was music to the ears. “Avengers: Endgame” had the important and difficult job of giving a satisfying conclusion to the decade-long saga with multiple storylines and characters, and it did it flawlessly.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
“Avengers: Infinity War” could be described as the peak of the MCU. The movie brought together all the heroes we know and have loved over the past ten years to create an epic film of gargantuan proportions. The number of characters the movie flawlessly handles is mind-boggling, and the pacing and tone surprisingly didn’t lag at all. The glue that held it together was Thanos. Josh Brolin was the perfect casting for the evil villain. Thanos felt like a real threat here; he felt more menacing than any other villain before him. It felt like our heroes were under real threat when they were fighting against him. But he wasn’t just brute force; Thanos was in many ways the protagonist of the movie; he was the most well-rounded character in the film, and his actions, though questionable, had a clear motivation. The action in this film is jaw-dropping; it’s everywhere. The runtime is littered with one amazing action set piece after the other. Our heroes are separated for most of the film, and this helps the movie explore diverse landscapes such as outer space, alien planets, and much more, and results in vastly unique visuals in each scene. “Avengers: Infinity War” is everything an action movie fan can ask for, and it delivers in every aspect.
See more: All Spider-Man Movies That You Have Seen, Ranked
