Iron Man 3 *SPOILERS*

[Delta_Squad]

But did Killian even really want the cure to begin with? My memory could be faulty but didnt Maya go about capturing Pepper to use against Tony herself without telling Killian her plan? And I totally agree that Killian could have chosen a better way to mess with Tony, but he could also have chosen not to be a raving psychopath. Killian just seems to like making people suffer, especially when dealing with the man who almost made him commit suicide years ago.
As stupid as it may be that Tony can solve the problem with the Extremis drug, Maya had evidence that he could from the formula he wrote on the note he left her, so from her point of view it would make sense to go after Tony.

There are a lot of problems with the movie, but I dont see this one as such a glaring hole.

[Kojiro]

But did Killian even really want the cure to begin with? My memory could be faulty but didnt Maya go about capturing Pepper to use against Tony herself without telling Killian her plan?

Maya didn't want to 'capture' Pepper, she wanted to persuade Tony through her, but there was no force or coercion involved. Maya is acting on the idea Tony can help- something Killian clearly doesn't know. If he did he a) would have sent Maya to talk to him and b) not tried to have Tony killed.

The thing is Extremis is wholly worth funding- it's fricking amazing. If Stark's not interested in the super soldier aspect that's fine but what about the healing possibilities? It has unquestionable humanitarian merit which is what would have had a decent shot at convincing Stark to help.

And I totally agree that Killian could have chosen a better way to mess with Tony, but he could also have chosen not to be a raving psychopath. Killian just seems to like making people suffer, especially when dealing with the man who almost made him commit suicide years ago.

I certainly get the whole revenge thing but I kinda thought he liked Pepper. Maybe one of the side effects of Extremis is you become a psychotic jerk prone to rash action, certainly wouldn't be the first experimental drug with an unforeseen effect, so I suppose you can lay some of there. But still, when is giving your enemy super powers ever a good idea?

There are a lot of problems with the movie, but I dont see this one as such a glaring hole.

It's the hole that leads to Killian's death and saves Stark. Of all the things he could have done, he chose to give his enemy super powers. Shockingly this did not work out for him.

[Ahriman238]

American release is today, going to see it later.

Marvel released a prequel comic, per usual. It mostly serves the importance purposes of tying the film to the first (establishing the Mandarin as the head of a far larger Ten Rings organization) and answering the question "where was Rhodes when aliens were invading New York?" (answer, in Hong Kong fighting a robot tank while investigating the Mandarin.)

I'll let you know if anything there adds to the film experience.

[CaptainChewbacca]

Anyone know who the guy was that Yensin was trying to introduce Tony to in Switzerland?

[Lost Soal]

Anyone know who the guy was that Yensin was trying to introduce Tony to in Switzerland?

His surgeon from the first film

[CaptainChewbacca]

Right, I know who Yensin was, but Yensin was trying to introduce Tony to some Asian guy.

[The Xeelee]

I loved the movie and while I found it hilarious, I was disappointed that Ben Kingsly wasn't the mandarin.

[Admiral Valdemar]

I think if you're going to pull the wool over the audiences' eyes in an effort to show how enemies of the state can be media fabrications, then Kingsley's real persona there nailed it. It was funny, though, listening to the utter silence as that scene came up. I knew it would make or break the film for many who were expecting too much grimdark, or who were keen to see The Mandarin finally.

[CaptainChewbacca]

I liked that Tony was starting to figure it out from the beginning. 'Muslim iconography, south American tactics, and he talks like a Baptist preacher'.

[lance]

This doesn't have to mean the mandarin and 10 rings weren't real, it could be that the imagery and the like were coopted by killian.

Why would they have to use some drug addict to do the persona? Because he looked like the real manarin!

This is all wild ass guessing on my part, but I like my theory

[Panzersharkcat]

My explanation for the poor performance of the suits beyond the Mark VII is because JARVIS is kind of overextending himself controlling so many suits at once in addition to them being built without much testing while horribly sleep-deprived. As for why they didn't use ranged weapons, Extremis guys are fairly agile and missing with that kind of firepower might blow up the whole place. I seem to recall there being oil on the ship still.

[Bedlam]

My explanation for the poor performance of the suits beyond the Mark VII is because JARVIS is kind of overextending himself controlling so many suits at once in addition to them being built without much testing while horribly sleep-deprived. As for why they didn't use ranged weapons, Extremis guys are fairly agile and missing with that kind of firepower might blow up the whole place. I seem to recall there being oil on the ship still.

To me there are multiple Jarvis's which are in contact with each other, so each suite would have its own copy installed running it so there shouldn't be an overextension problem, although you could argue that Jarvis was not supposed to run a suit without a pilot leading to reduced performance. The Oil idea seems to have merit although there was enough damage caused anyway.

[Crossroads Inc.]

For those talking about the "Wasted Potential" of The Mandarin...

Let us be hounest for a moment, the Mandarin as bad guy has always been a bit "Silly"
In the comics he runs from mystical Sorcerer with magical powers to crazed warlord with ancient alien technology. No matter what you did with him it was going to be problimatic.
The first movie did make notes to the "Ten Ring Terrorist" group. But as many have said, it was totally ignored in the second movie with no addtional build up. As such, in order to have ANY sort of credable bad guy you would need to have put in a bunch of background, build up, and back story to cram just who is the Mandarin into the film.

The movie of course side steps this totally by making him a nobody, a puppet of the 'Real' bad guy. As far as I am concerned this ways a BRILLIANT move. We don't have to worry about extra back story, or wasted plot lines, or cramming stuff in, because they make the Mandarin just a puppet. Some might say that 'real' bad guy wasn't that bad or memorable, but really, what were you expecting?

Also as for as the problems of "tissue paper" Armor suites. Didn't anyone else consider that the easier Stark makes them to slip in and out of, the less durable they are?

[Admiral Valdemar]

It's not like his early suits were much different mechanically. They required sliding on with a lot of complex machinery, except the Mk. V which was an emergency, non-flying and fully portable chassis. The Mk. VII and up all seem to be able to come apart fully or remain as one piece that can be entered from behind or the front without such machinery. The Mk. XLII has the somewhat buggy flying sections feature.

[LadyTevar]

Personally, I like that they didn't try to explain how Extremis worked. We see the first test with the plant in Switzerland, and the nasty problem of it exploding. The rest of the movie shows what the Female Scientist intended, a way to heal/regenerate wounds, and also the drawbacks of overdoses/non-regulation. Otherwise, we have no idea how it works, why it works, only that when it works you get a nigh-instoppable super-soldier with anger-management problems or a bomb.

As for suits Mark 1-42, yes, they do have a "lego toy" problem. I did ask myself once after the truck hit 42 if that would have held together better with Stark inside, or if falling apart was a "feature" when unoccupied. Other than that moment, I didn't think of it again.

[Admiral Valdemar]

You mean VIII to XLII.

[Kojiro]

To me there are multiple Jarvis's which are in contact with each other, so each suite would have its own copy installed running it so there shouldn't be an overextension problem, although you could argue that Jarvis was not supposed to run a suit without a pilot leading to reduced performance. The Oil idea seems to have merit although there was enough damage caused anyway.

Way back in IM1 when the MKII is being tested out Jarvis confirms he is indeed uploaded to the suit. I'd be stunned if each suit didn't have it's own JARVIS and they simply communicated.

It's not like his early suits were much different mechanically. They required sliding on with a lot of complex machinery, except the Mk. V which was an emergency, non-flying and fully portable chassis. The Mk. VII and up all seem to be able to come apart fully or remain as one piece that can be entered from behind or the front without such machinery

The way the new suits just seem to be able to crack apart, front or back was just a touch too far for me. It pushed the armour from super science to magi-tech, which I can understand is a fine (subjective) line. I just couldn't reconcile how they could have all those additional moving parts and have all the additional joints without losing its protective value. I suppose given the performance you could argue they didn't have much protective value, after all the Extremist 2IC couldn't just hack through that water tower support but had to spend some time heating it up. It also robbed Stark of that transformation, that other half of him. It'd be like watching Batman where he just throws on a ski mask or whatever comes to mind but never really transforms into the alter ego. I suppose to me it devalues the significance of the suits which to me are a core part of Iron Man- it's the source of his superhero powers. Again, just how I felt.

Another thing someone pointed out to me is the attack on Stark is kinda insane. Aside from Tony's apparent value to Extremis, who would really send three up armed civilian choppers after Iron Man? A team of Extremis assassins I'd get but... In what world are three choppers anywhere near enough to deal with Iron Man? It's the same flaw as Stark's attack on the Mandarin's stronghold where Tony should have factored in the presence of Extremis personnel. But act of plot means the target is actually vulnerable to an attack that should never have succeeded.

As for the Mandarin, I loved Sir Ben Kingsley's performance. He was fantastic and I couldn't care less they went that way with him. Curious to know if he's the real Mandarin SHIELD were investigating back in IM2 or just a clone.

[PainRack]

See I thought that right up til Killian shot the genius designer/creator Maya(?). If she's essential- and he wants Tony to replace her- he's just bet his life on whether Pepper survives the treatment because as I said, if she dies Tony is certainly not going to help and letting them blow up sorta solves the problem by default. It also irks me that he's even capable of fixing the issue given it lies completely outside his field of expertise. Shit why not just remake the Captain America serum if he can knock out Extremis in a few days?

Why does Killian need Maya? He only needs her to make the "improvements" to Extremis that will make it stable, the "cure" Stark is supposed to look for.
Given Killian megalomania, its possible that he's focused entirely on the military potential to discount the value of improving Extremis. Not to mention, pyscho shooting Maya because she disobeyed him, tripping up his ego.

The problem with Pepper having Extremis was the huge anti-climax at the end, where there's no emotional impact.

[dragon]

having drank to much soda I was unable to stay for the scene after the credits. So what was the after credits scene?

[Crossroads Inc.]

The problem with Pepper having Extremis was the huge anti-climax at the end, where there's no emotional impact.

yeah.. I remember watching her fall in the Theater and for a VERY brief amount of time I thought "Holy shit they killed her! They killed her off!"

But I realized if they were REALLY going to go that deep or dark, then there would be more of an emotional impact on Stark after she fell, more anguish or weeping or something. As it was We see him joking around a few scenes later. So either HE knew she wasn't dead, or the producers, knowing she wasn't dead, didn't bother making any big crying for Stark.

Either way it was a hell of a tease with not much emotional payback.


Still all in all that is a minor gripe for what is soon becoming my favorite of the Iron Man movies.

[The Grim Squeaker]

having drank to much soda I was unable to stay for the scene after the credits. So what was the after credits scene?

Stark's Monologues/fades to blacks during the movie are shown to have been him talking to Bruce Banner, who says Ï'm really not that kind of a doctor"..

[Alkaloid]

I really liked it. I'd go so far as to say it was the best of the three. Shane Blacks hand was pretty obvious, which is a good thing, the man makes excellent films, but it was a pretty nice character piece.

As for why Killian didn'tmaim/not drug pepper, he flat out fucking says he wants her as his trophy. He's insane, shes some one he lusted after and who rejected him for a man he hates and he wants her addicted to him/something only he can provide. Stark accessed AIM's files through War machine/iron patriot because AIM did the upgrade on the suit, and he was able to access AIM via the software, presumably the same way they deactivated it to take Rhodes prisoner.
Honestly, the only issue I had was the conclusion to the Stark/Killian/Potts throw down was a little pat. I'll buy suits meant to be operated by pilots with a support AI struggling as drones, I'll buy over the top super soldiers (it's a fucking super hero movie for gods sake) but Potts coming back from the dead to finish the job was just meh (also, anyone who had paid the slightest attention to the plot knew that was not going to kill her)

As for Starks operation, it wasn't something they could all of a sudden do. It was always a (risky) options because Stark was treating it like his suits, it was a crutch he used to keep himself and his new moral sense inline, and he worried if he removed it he would lose some of what it gave him. The movie ends on him having it removed, giving up the suits and still being Iron Man, only now thats something new. Character development is good.

[Dartzap]

I really enjoyed it. I felt the PTSD was done well, and was a good means of identifying what Stark was thinking and planning. I think it perfectly fulfills its intended genre label of being a techno thriller.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Well I just came back from seeing the film at the cinema, had to say I didn't get how Iron Patriot was captured so easily, at least completely intact. And when he was on Air Force One, clearly their security was non-existent, especially as the others have said after him becoming MIA himself.

Not sure how Stark could have solved something that was outside his area of expertise (extremis), though Avengers did sort of address this when Stark becomes an expert in Banner's field overnight "because he did the reading" or somesuch. The whole removal of the shrapnel was not unexpected given it's been done in the comics, though without his arc reactor he could now be vulnerable to Loki's mind control Obviously it was the casing and shrapnel he threw away, since he's not going to chuck a fully-functional arc reactor into the sea!

I like what they did with the mooks, especially the ponytail guy who quit because it was getting weird

I drew the line at each piece of the suit having its own thrusters and guidance- clearly Stark wasn't firing on all cylinders since he'd been up 3 days straight, no wonder the suits weren't perfect. He called in what, 35 near the end? Yes it was fucking cool, though none of them seemed to have any of the weapons seen in the MKVII save for the repulsors, and you couldn't help but think that it wasn't a big deal whenever one of them was destroyed. And at the end, he does "Clean slate" so that the remaining suits would self-destruct to make a bunch of pretty fireworks, as if we hand't gotten the point that they were a bunch of expendable, disposable assets

Stark getting caught with his pants down at his house was just ridiculous, they just had to gimp his suit, how else were 3 fucking attack helicopters going to pose any kind of challenge? And the arm missile not working, when it's been in use since the MKVI.

I can kind of understand what they were doing with Stark to show that he was suffering from PTSD, which clearly hadn't manifested at the time in NY. Mind you, being woken up by the Hulk's roar would probably scare anybody shitless

[Kojiro]

As for why Killian didn'tmaim/not drug pepper, he flat out fucking says he wants her as his trophy. He's insane, shes some one he lusted after and who rejected him for a man he hates and he wants her addicted to him/something only he can provide.

She is beyond a doubt the worst person in the world to try that shit with. Assuming she doesn't blow up- which would rob him of his trophy- if he truly believes Stark can help- as he can- it's the weakest threat he could possibly make. Giving Extremis to the significant other of the one person on the planet who can cure her. What is wrong with just threatening her life?

Stark accessed AIM's files through War machine/iron patriot because AIM did the upgrade on the suit, and he was able to access AIM via the software, presumably the same way they deactivated it to take Rhodes prisoner.

See I did not get that. I didn't see any 'hacking', just Tony borrowing Rhodes credentials and getting access to the videos about as fast as you'd get access to mine if you knew my YouTube password. If they'd made it clear that Rhodes suit was upgraded by AIM (again, I totally missed that) I could absolutely see control being overridden and the suit just flying to wherever they tell it. But it seems absurd they can shut down the communications, GPS etc (while presumably flying it directly to Florida) and yet not have it simply spit Rhodes out. Also at the end it seems to revert control back to Rhodes (even when he's not wearing it!). And it was clearly a different suit to the original Warmachine suit- that was not a simple repaint/rearm.

The movie ends on him having it removed, giving up the suits and still being Iron Man, only now thats something new. Character development is good.

To me that just doesn't work and it flies in the face of his Avengers speech to Banner about accepting the things they formerly saw as burdens as the potential blessings they are. After all, those things give us two of the Avengers. Secondly in some way at least one part will have to be undone. Character development is a good thing but this felt like a step backwards from the last time we saw him. He's going to build another suit and another arc reactor to power it. Either that or he'll have a very limited role in the big fight in Avengers 2.

And yeah, throwing a fully functional palladium arc reactor away is just incredibly wasteful. Go power a small town or something.