PopSmart

Of the many Marvel Comics movies from the past 10 years (the X-Men and Spider-man trilogies, etc.), none is better than Iron Man, opening Friday and reviewed here. With the vibe of an American James Bond film, Iron Man features terrific acting, smart writing and more of a grown-up sensibility (while still being a light-hearted PG-13 movie). Iron Man will have more appeal to non-comic fans than the usual superhero adaptation, but it includes some gold nuggets for the comic readers:

In 1963’s Tales of Suspense #39, Marvel Comics introduced Iron Man and his alter ego Tony Stark (described on the story’s third page as “the dreamiest thing this side of Rock Hudson!” Uh…). Stark was partially inspired by playboy industrialist Howard Hughes, and “Howard Stark” provides the name of his deceased father on page and screen.

In the film’s early scenes in Vegas, a jazzy musical theme follows Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) around and even provides his ring-tone. It’s an orchestral version of the title song of the all-but-forgotten 1960s “Iron Man” cartoon, as captured in its swingin’ 22-second credits:

Stark’s suit of super-powered armor began with a grey color scheme, turned gold with his second appearance (and in the early issues of the super-team The Avengers) and switched to red-and-gold by the end of 1963. As Stark tinkers with the armor in the film, the colors follow that progression.

Most Marvel Comics heroes are tormented by personal problems, and in the 1960s and 1970s, Stark suffered from heart trouble (with his Iron Man chest plate also serving as a kind of pacemaker). The film makes a corny but effective metaphor of Stark finding his heart. After Stark’s heart condition was cured, he wrestled with an alcohol problem in the 1980s (which led to some spectacular, Hancock-style disasters).

At the height of Stark’s alcoholism, his military sidekick Jim Rhodes (played by Terence Howard in the film) donned the armor and became Iron Man for a short period. The film not only implies that Stark is a hard drinker, it includes a short bit in which Rhodes looks at the suit and says “Next time,” hinting at the plot of the inevitable sequel.

In the comic books, one of Iron Man’s arch-villains was a modern-day Genghis Khan called The Mandarin. The Mandarin’s shtick was that he had a ring on each finger with a different destructive power (”Ice blast, electro blast, flame blast,” etc.). In the film, an Al-Qaeda-type terrorist group is called “The 10 Rings,” but they don’t exhibit any crazy superpowers.

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