Tony Stark. Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist. Son of legendary inventor and weapons contractor Howard Stark. When Tony Stark is assigned to give a weapons presentation to an Iraqi unit led by Lt. Col. James Rhodes, he's given a ride on enemy lines. That ride ends badly when Stark's Humvee that he's riding in is attacked by enemy combatants. He survives - barely - with a chest full of shrapnel and a car battery attached to his heart. In order to survive he comes up with a way to miniaturize the battery and figures out that the battery can power something else. Thus Iron Man is born. He uses the primitive device to escape from the cave in Iraq. Once back home, he then begins work on perfecting the Iron Man suit. But the man who was put in charge of Stark Industries has plans of his own to take over Tony's technology for other matters.
Page 3 of 4
Coulson rattles off SHIELD's full name as the 'Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.' That's actually a tweak on the comics, where the acronym has shifted over the decades from its original Cold War-era meaning to something a bit more current.
This was the first movie Marvel Studios financed entirely on its own, rather than licensing a character out to another studio. It was also the opening chapter of a planned six-picture distribution deal with Paramount, which later got reshuffled once Disney bought Marvel outright.
Kevin Feige deliberately tucked Nick Fury's Avengers Initiative cameo after the credits so it wouldn't overshadow the main film if the bigger universe plans never panned out. He was stunned by how fast it blew up anyway, with outlets covering it within days.
Early projections had the film capping out around $100 million domestically for its entire run. It ended up making nearly that much in just its opening weekend alone and kept going from there, a result that genuinely surprised the people who greenlit it.
Marvel exec Isaac Perlmutter famously avoided cameras and interviews, but he wasn't about to miss opening night for the studio's first film. He reportedly showed up at the premiere wearing a fake mustache and glasses so he could watch it happen without being recognised.
Marvel's whole business plan hinged on merchandise, but toy manufacturers weren't convinced a guy in a metal suit would move units before the film actually came out. One exec later said they basically couldn't give the license away, right up until the movie proved them wrong.
There's a shot of Ivan Vanko hunched over his gear in a grim little garage that's framed almost identically to Tony building his very first suit in the cave back in the original film. It's a nice touch, both men cobbling together something brilliant out of scraps and desperation, just on opposite sides of the law.
When Rhodey is dragged in to testify at the Senate hearing, he mutters to Tony that it's him and he's here so just get over it and move on. It reads as a direct nod from the filmmakers to the fact that Don Cheadle had taken over the role from Terrence Howard, basically telling the audience not to make a fuss about it.
