The MCU may have gone from strength to strength since the franchise started in 2008, but it hasn’t been able to beat one particular Iron Man moment in well over a decade of movies. After the massive success of Iron Man, the MCU got off to a running start. With a spate of successful films in just a few short years, the franchise then offered up an unprecedented cinematic team-up in The Avengers that marked the true beginning of one of the industry’s most successful shared universes.
In the years that followed, the MCU continue to grow, introducing countless new heroes in the process. Each new character was given a degree of narrative attention and an opportunity to shine, each being introduced with a story that set them apart from the other heroes in the franchise. One particularly common trope in both the franchise and in the genre as a whole is the “suit up” moment, in which the hero first enjoys (or not, as the case may be) exploring their powers.
The idea of incorporating a scene of that nature into a hero’s introductory story is fairly self-explanatory. It establishes a baseline for their capabilities, and offers up an opportunity to make the character seem relatable or to tap into a more comedic vein. However, it’s also something that the MCU perfected in Iron Man, and they haven’t been able to replicate that moment since.
The Moment Iron Man Suits Up Is Still The MCU’s Best Hero Introduction
The scene in which Tony Stark first takes flight as Iron Man is near-perfect. Robert Downey Jr. is able to inject a good deal of comedy into a performance that comprises equals parts terror and thrill, perfectly encapsulating the MCU’s Tony Stark in the process. The visual representation of the scene is also spot on, with shots of both the suit flying through the sky and close-ups of Stark inside the suit monitoring his own display.
It’s a scene that makes the viewer understand exactly what Stark is feeling at that moment. It’s fun and fast-paced, with Stark’s wild and barely-controlled flight marking his willingness to leap before he looks. By allowing the audience to feel part of the action, it doubles down on the film’s ability to offer pure immersion to those watching. In essence, it allows us to step into Stark’s shoes for a few brief moments.
In the years since, no MCU movie has recaptured that feeling. Few other heroes are as complex and relatable as Stark, and that certainly contributes to the MCU’s inability to bring back that particular sense of kinship with a newly formed hero. Though there have been epic moments, emotional ones, and countless laughs, no other “suit up” scene has quite matched that first Iron Man moment.