1) Iron Man – Tony Stark Creating The Mark 1
As stated before, Iron Man was what really launched this franchise, and it would be a crime to ignore its contributions. Featuring stellar direction from Jon Favreau, who was a fan of the comics, alongside the perfect casting of Robert Downey Jr., Iron Man was an example of damn fine filmmaking merging with a genuine passion for the world being created.
Nowadays, the character’s become the de facto mascot of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and has been appearing in a lot more films than just his own sub-series. Only, he’s never really there: advances in digital technology have allowed near-perfect CGI models to take the place of an actual figure, meaning Downey Jr. honestly just has to show up for the Tony Stark scenes.
That was not the case in the 2008 film, though, specifically the beginning where the self-described genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist was thrown into a cave with a box of scraps and told to make a jericho missile. With the help of his fellow captive Yinsen, Stark slowly began piecing together the pieces needed to create his first armor: the Mark I.
Seeing Downey Jr. hammer the plates together, hot work the helmet, charge up the battery and ultimately kick ass was an invigorating experience to watch, as it showcased just how innovative the future superhero was without access to anything. And that’s something that you unfortunately just don’t see anymore with the insta-suits.