Robert Downey Jr. anchors the whole Marvel Cinematic Universe in his Tony Stark role, seen once again in Iron Man 3. Without him it’s difficult to imagine the current peak of global interest in the comic book characters that comprise that group or the high box-office grosses of superhero movies in general, even those based on properties from their “Distinguished Competition”.

If the first Iron Man, directed by Jon Favreau, had not been successful, modern cinema would be very different. Sequels were inevitable, especially taking into account Marvel’s “Phase One” master plan that culminated in The Avengers. Iron Man 2, also by Favreau, was a bit long and slower-paced than the original, but it almost had to be considering it’s job was world-building. Still, it helped develop the Stark character, as well as explore his motivations, personal relationships and demons. Like the first one, it benefited from linking all similarities the acclaimed actor shared with his brilliant and fictitious engineer/entrepreneur.

Raising the Stakes

Now comes Iron Man 3, the first installment of Marvel Studios’ new Phase Two of intertwined superhero films, which will culminate in a sequel to The Avengers, itself one of the most commercial successful and acclaimed feature films of all time. While not as much as Avengers “part deux”, the expectations for Iron Man 3 are high. As if that weren’t stressful enough for the filmmakers, they didn’t have Favreau as director this time around, since he gave up his seat to Shane Black (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang). To make matters worse, rumors abound that this could be the last round for Downey Jr. as Stark. With such obstacles, could the Marvel Studio people achieve a repeat miracle after five years? Apparently so, since Iron Man 3 is right up there with the original in terms of history while surpassing it in the action department.

Iron Man 3 in a Nutshell

For those who like good flying armored suits stories, the plot is as follows: on the eve of 2000, during his hedonism phase, Tony Stark meets two young scientists he will run into again in the future. One of them, the beautiful and intelligent Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall), Tony seduces; the other, disabled and self-conscious Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), he ignores. Years later, Stark is living happily with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). Tony’s girlfriend is now also his boss at Stark Industries. Meanwhile, Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau), his former bodyguard, has been promoted to head of security. However, the events showcased in The Avengers – heretofore referred as “the New York incident” – have left Stark with some mental scars. He suffers from frequent insomnia and anxiety attacks when out of his armor.

It’s during this existential crisis that Killian returns, this time conceited and cured of his physical defects. He offers Pepper some biotech called Pepper Extremis, as well as a night out, if she’s willing. Maya Hansen, now working for Killian, contacts Stark with suspicions about her boss. Add to this the rise of a mysterious terrorist called the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley), who has taken credit for several attacks with mysterious explosives. His apparent obsession with destroying the United States has led the U.S. President (William Sadler) to order his capture. James Rhodes (Don Cheadle), Tony’s best friend, gets the task as the Iron Patriot. (His War Machine armor, painted in Captain America’s colors). Happy is wounded in another strange explosion while investigating Killian, which motivates Stark to declare war on the Mandarin. Only this time it will be without the help of super-beings or S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.