I didn't get into superhero movies much until last year, but since then I've become quite fond of them. I still haven't seen much of the DC heroes, so most of my experience is with the Marvel ones, especially the Avengers. I suppose the main attraction of superhero movies is the action, but my favorite part is the character development. In the Avenger movies, at least, there seems to be a big focus on how each character learns what it means to be a hero. Some of them are better at it than others, so some of them are necessarily more interesting than others. My favorite Avenger, Captain America, seems to be a very instinctive hero. Even before he became Captain America he would save people instinctively. Some people (you know who you are) say that this makes him less interesting as a hero because he didn't have to grow into it like the others. I disagree. I think it makes him that much more interesting as a character because his story has to go beyond merely becoming a hero and find other things to focus on, like him learning how to cope with the way people see him and the way he sees himself and eventually with being dumped 70 years into the future. What bugs me about other superheroes, specifically Iron Man, is that he seems to have the same storyline over and over again because unlike Captain America, being a true hero is totally alien to him. It was interesting in the first movie, but by this point it's starting to get a little tiresome. I do think as a team, Iron Man and Captain America are fun to watch because they are such different characters. But I still think Iron Man has a lot to learn, which apparently translates into a lot of problems for him in Iron Man 3. So, moral of the story, be an awesome person from the beginning like Captain America and at least the problems you have won't be your fault.
I disagree with several of your points. You said that the storyline of the Iron Man movies is repetitive, when really there isn't that much similarity in the plotlines. The first one is about Tony first being captured by terrorists and the repercussions of this, which involves alot of character development. By the end of the movie he has changed alot from the beginning of the movie. If he had stayed exactly the same, he would still be manufacturing weapons. Yes, he is narcissistic, but that's just his personality. His intentions for creating the Iron Man suit were entirely for good, not because he wanted the glory. Yes, he did end up with that in the end, but people would have figured it out anyway and sometimes geniuses deserve a bit of attention. I'm not saying he doesn't have many downfalls as a character, because he certainly does, but in my opinion it just makes him more interesting. Moving on to the second movie, the plot is entirely different than the first one. This is about Tony dealing with the effects of thinking he only has a short time to live, as well as recognizing that his father did indeed have some feelings for him. He does slide back a bit from his progress in the first movie, but in the end I think he is a much better person. So the plots of the two movies are obviously different. Also, if we're going to compare Captain America and Iron Man, I would like to point out a few things. Yes, Captain America was bullied, but he atleast had loyal friends like Bucky. He was obviously taught from a young age what was right and wrong. Iron Man, on the other hand, grew up with a father who barely paid him any attention. Therefore, he most likely had to seek attention elsewhere by making trouble and trying to impress people. Also, the fact that he is a genius probably plays alot into a character. He is literally much more intelligent than most every other person in world. Growing up, this probably meant he had very few friends. There is a reason the people he talks to most are the robots in his workshop. Perhaps the reason he isn't as inclined to be a hero is because he's never had a true hero to look up to. Considering all these different pieces of his character, it is actually impressive that he has come so far that he would sacrifice his life to save the entire world. (cough cough how is that not a hero cough)In the Avengers, Iron Man clearly does learn alot from Captain America, but in the end it is Tony Stark who leads the nuke and the aliens into the other dimension, all by himself. If you don't see this as heroism, I am a bit curious about what your definition of heroism is.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I'm not saying Iron Man isn't a hero. I'm just saying that he's not the most original character nowadays. Captain America is original because instead of being a stereotype from today, he's a stereotype from the past that has become somewhat of an endangered species. It's nice to have a hero who is a good guy from the start simply because the whole jerk-turns-good story is getting a bit old. I'm not saying I don't like these kinds of stories, because I obviously do, I'm just saying it's refreshing to see something different. I also find Captain America's story more relatable because at the beginning of the story he has nothing special about him except for his good heart. He's not a genius like Tony Stark or a god like Thor, and the only reason he gets special powers is because of his good heart. As the professor says, the serum only magnifies the characteristics you already have. Not everybody can be a genius like Tony Stark, but everyone can try to be a better person like Captain America. Yes, Tony Stark is the flashier hero with his brains, his angst, and his cool toys. But Captain America is the person we can relate to, the kind of hero that we might meet in real life.
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