Robert Downey, Jr. Is Iron Man

In Jon Favreau's Iron Man, Robert Downey, Jr. plays Tony Stark, CEO of his own weapons manufacturing company. The movie begins in Afghanistan, where Stark is demonstrating his new Jericho missile ("the weapon you only have to fire once"). When Stark is kidnapped and forced to build a Jericho missile for extremists, he instead builds a suit of armor that lets him escape. Thus, the first incarnation of Iron Man is born.

After escaping, Stark has a change of heart, and publicly announces that his company will stop making weapons until he can figure out what they should do. Not having previously consulted anyone about this, some people are understandably upset, and the board of directors blocks his decision. Stark learns that his company is selling weapons to terrorists under the radar, and he makes it his mission to stop them.

The movie turned out to be far better than I could have hoped for. A lot of this is because of a surprisingly good performance by Robert Downey, Jr. After his major problems with drug abuse, many people didn't want to see Downey in the part. In fact, Favreau originally wanted an unknown actor to play Iron Man.

But Downey's trouble with drugs is exactly what made him the perfect choice. Tony Stark is an arrogant jerk. He had a life-changing experience that made him decide to use his powers for good, but people don't completely change overnight. Stark's search for meaning and struggle to do good are paralleled by Downey in real life. He's believable because he doesn't have much acting to do.

Unfortunately, I walked out during the ending credits, not knowing that there was a stinger at the end. Apparently, there's a quick scene with Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division). He tells Stark that he's not the only superhero in the world, and he wants to talk about the "Avenger Initiative." Incidentally, Stark makes a brief appearance at the end of Louis Leterrier's The Incredible Hulk, telling General Ross that a team is being put together. These incidences refer to the upcoming movies The First Avenger: Captain America (scheduled for May 2011), and The Avengers (scheduled for July 2011).

Two Iron Man sequels are planned, with the first scheduled for April 30, 2010. Robert Downey, Jr. has signed on for both sequels, as have some other stars from the original. As someone who had never really heard of Iron Man before, Downey made me into an instant fan, and I'm looking forward to seeing him in the sequels. He is Iron Man.