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Drawing parallels to current events, this is a brief argument that Iron Man is an allegory of the fragmentation of the American soul.
The major conflict within Iron Man is not a hero versus villain or a defender of democracy against fascism; it is a battle for the soul of a man and a nation. The latest comic-movie sensation, Iron Man, is one of the more obvious examples of a kind of subtle political expression once very popular among comic media. The post 9/11 American audience can’t help but make the connections between Afghanistan and Iraq. The hero, Tony Stark, a genius-level industrialist and womanizer, is captured after a weapons demonstration and held in a cavern compound by terrorists, the very al-Qaeda like Ten Rings. Stark becomes the embodiment of Capitalist America purely by the nature of his relationship to his captors. Now the audience begins to step outside the realm of popular entertainment and recognizes this as a depiction of the fragmentation of America’s sense of self. America the ProtectorTony is a hero faulted only by ego. His character was modeled by Stan Lee on the enigmatic Howard Hughes, another inventor, aviator, and man of epic vision. Hughes was notorious for extravagant projects with little concern for cost, time or labor. Hughes and Stark are both hampered by their intoxication with achievement, preoccupied by records and reputation. Fixations of this kind keep men of their intellectual and spiritual caliber from achieving true greatness. Tony is a voracious consumer and a detached lover. He has never been challenged or even aware of his responsibilities to anyone or anything outside his sphere. Under such circumstances, the idea of community and partnership fade. Tony is a patriot, but with such narrow-mindedness, he believes that any gesture for America is good and true. “That’s how Dad did it, that’s how America does it and its worked out pretty well so far.” Tony’s revelation comes almost too late. When his army escorted vehicle is attacked in the desert, he is wounded by a piece of shrapnel from one his own weapons. He uses his ingenuity to secretly construct a “arc generator”, a device that keeps the deadly shard from burrowing into his heart. Having brushed so closely to his end and realizing that his own weapons have been acquired by the wrong kind of people, he sets off to right his life and protect others from indiscriminate violence. His arc generator stands as a symbol of his newly made heart and newly found purpose. He spends the rest of the movie perfecting the Iron Man suit and seeking justice. As Iron Man, Tony is a graceful protector finally able to reconcile who he was with what he is capable of. The Dark WarriorOpposite Tony is Obadiah Stane. The movie depicts him as a double-dealing creature of excesses. He smokes cigars, he rides a Segway personal scooter and wears a long white, silk scarf (a purely cosmetic accessory). Whereas Tony reawakens his conscience, Obadiah exists only for himself and the propagation of his exceptional standard of living. In the movie he steals the original plans for Tony’s suit and creates a steel-terror, which many comic book fans would identify as “Iron Monger.” It stands for exorbitance, materialism and greed. The armor is by no means as beautiful or versatile as Stark’s red and gold suit; it seems clumsy by comparison, with dull and dark surfaces that seem scorched and carelessly connected. When in the suit, Obadiah is dehumanized. He becomes a goliath of amorality. He is an America who abuses or steals resources for himself. The only thing remaining is the warrior.
The copyright of the article Iron Man Movie in Sci-Fi/Fantasy Films is owned by Robert Ferzola. Permission to republish Iron Man Movie in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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