The success of Iron Man in 2008 not only guaranteed the arrival of a sequel but also set the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe in motion. Iron Man 2 was also a commercial success, though it isn’t a film that’s held in high esteem. It’s certainly good, but it ranks near the bottom of the MCU for most people.
That has more to do with the consistent quality of the MCU than Iron Man 2‘s quality. However, there’s one aspect of the movie that delivers a ton of potential, only to not get developed beyond face value. Had the film focused more on that, it would likely be considered a top-tier entry in the franchise.
Iron Man 2 Should’ve Explored Tony’s Alcoholism Deeper
A focal point of Iron Man 2 sees Tony learn that the palladium core in the arc reactor in his chest is actually poisoning him. Without a proper substitute, that means that his continued use of the Iron Man suit is killing him. This sends Tony into a spiral that involves him drinking heavily.
He gets drunk at his birthday party in the Iron Man suit, and his recklessness leads to a fight with James Rhodes, now in the War Machine suit. The film should’ve gone further down the path of this storyline to make Iron Man 2 a more engaging film.
In the eyes of many, one of the best comic book storylines involving Iron Man is known as “Demon in a Bottle,” which sees his alcoholism get worse as a dangerous villain threatens him. It’s a compelling journey that further fleshes out Tony Stark as a flawed character.
It also would’ve given Robert Downey Jr. something to really dig into from an acting standpoint. That could’ve led to his best performance as Tony Stark.
The Reason Iron Man 2 Didn’t Adapt “Demon In A Bottle”
Alas, the storyline mostly comes to an abrupt, unsatisfying conclusion. S.H.I.E.L.D. shows up and just so happens to have the information that provides Tony with a replacement for the palladium core. He gets back on track, stops drinking, and defeats the villain rather handily afterward.
Even Downey Jr. seemingly wanted to go down this route, noting that Tony would likely do this given his impending death and Pepper’s new romance. However, while it was noted that “Demon in a Bottle” was a heavy inspiration for Iron Man 2, the studio downplayed the alcoholism for the film.
Studio executives were concerned with how the character dealing with alcoholism would impact merchandise sales. At this time, Tony Stark wasn’t as established or developed as he is now, when they could likely pull that storyline off. Without this storyline, Iron Man 2 caps at being, yet not a great MCU film.
- Release Date
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May 7, 2010
- Runtime
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124 minutes