A Great Character Moment: Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man
Rarely is it engrossing to watch a fictional character watch television. So it just goes to show how awesome it is that one of the best scenes in the original Iron Man happens to be just that, a scene where we watch Tony Stark…watch tv.
This scene encapsulates why Iron Man is so great. It’s unexpectedly intense, which is strange since its a simple scene with a guy sitting on his couch tinkering with one of his gadgets with a screwdriver.
Tony is slumped back, almost in a defeated posture, as the television blares in front of him. He has just learned that his mentor and business partner, Obadiah Stane, was the one who filed the injunction against him to lock him out of the company, not the other board members like he had previously been told. Not only that, Stane also confirmed that he’s been selling weapons under the table behind Tony’s back; weapons that led to the deaths of dozens of US troops and local populations overseas.
“You know what? I was naive before when they said, ‘Here’s the line. We don’t cross it. This is how we do business,’” Tony previously said when he confronted Obadiah outside of a lavish restaurant. “If we’re double-dealing under the table… Are we?”
Obadiah turns and wraps his arm around Tony and forces him to look at the paparazzi. “Tony. Who do you think locked you out? I was the one who filed the injunction against you. It was the only way I could protect you.”
As Tony ponders over these revelations, intently watching the television set, he calmly uses a screwdriver to tighten up a piece of equipment on his right gauntlet.
The television shows an overseas report showcasing the violence being perpetuated by a terrorist organization. Tony listens as the reporter says, “Recent violence has been attributed to a group of foreign fighters referred to by locals as the Ten Rings. As you can see, these men are heavily armed, and on a mission. A mission that could prove fatal to anyone who stands in their way. With no political will or international pressure, there’s very little hope for these refugees.”
A strange intensity grows. The intensity is behind Tony’s eyes.
As the voice on the TV continues to describe the horrific acts of horror on the other side of the world, Tony’s eyes deepen. He clenches his gauntleted fist and stands, throwing the screwdriver onto his kitchen counter.
There is no snarkiness, no playful half-smile, no clever quip.
In a controlled act of rage, Tony raises his gauntlet and releases a blast of energy that destroys a hanging fluorescent light.
A small smile emerges on Tony’s face. An idea begins to formulate in his mind.
In the background, the news reporter goes on to say, “There is very little help for these refugees. Refugees who can only wonder, who, if anyone will help.” Tony glances at the glass wall that separates his workshop from the staircase and sees his reflection. He realizes that he could be that person. If no one else will help, he might.
He quickly raises his gauntlet once more and shatters a panel of the glass wall. He then destroys another and spins around and blows up the third and final sheet in a blast of debris.
With a satisfied look, Tony confidently walks out of frame.
Tony has made up his mind.
We’ve literally watched Tony evolve in front of our very eyes.
The scene is poignant because — without a word uttered by the character — we see him make a decision. There’s no swelling musical score to inform us of this fact, there is no dialogue. All we see is the character moving from one mental state to another; from point A to B.
It’s a testament to the talent of Robert Downey Jr. as well as the confident direction of Jon Favreau that they are able to portray such a complex transformation with little to no monologuing or character interaction.
We see what’s happening behind Tony’s eyes in his very soul.
Tony Stark doesn’t become Iron Man when he first puts on the suit, or when he saves the middle eastern villagers, or when he defeats Obadiah Stane, aka Iron Monger.
He becomes Iron Man when he’s made the decision to do something about the problem that he helped create by his own arrogance. As is the recurring theme in the Iron Man films, Iron Man is not the suit, Iron Man is the man, not the machine.
This particular scene starts with a guy watching television, but it ends with a man becoming a hero.
