Trailer
Plot summary
Tony Stark inherited Stark Industries from his father Howard Stark and supplies weapons to the United States military. He flies to Afghanistan to show off the Jericho, a new missile system, accompanied by his friend and military liaison James "Rhodey" Rhodes. The convoy he rides in afterward is attacked by a group called the Ten Rings, and he is gravely wounded by a missile carrying his own company's mark. He comes to in a cave, a captive, with an electromagnet fitted to his chest by a fellow prisoner, the doctor Yinsen, to stop shrapnel from shifting into his heart. The Ten Rings' leader, Raza, offers him freedom if he builds the group a Jericho missile.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Iron Man (2008)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- It was Downey's idea to have Stark hold a news conference on the floor, and he created the speech Stark makes when demonstrating the Jericho weapon. Downey also improvised the film's final line, "I am Iron Man", which Feige felt was in line with the character's personality.
- In January 1997 Nicolas Cage expressed interest in portraying the character, and in September 1998 Tom Cruise expressed interest in producing as well as starring in an Iron Man film. Cruise later declined the role as he was not comfortable taking it.
- Feige said Clive Owen was the studio's top choice for Stark and that Owen was offered the part but was not interested. Favreau then met with Robert Downey Jr. and became convinced that he was the right actor for the role.
- In October 1999 Quentin Tarantino was approached to write and direct an Iron Man film at Fox. That December Fox sold the rights to New Line Cinema, reasoning that it had too many Marvel superheroes in development and "we can't make them all."
- Howard Hughes was one of the inspirations for the comic book, and the filmmakers acknowledged the coincidence that they would film Iron Man creating the flying Mark III where the Hughes H-4 Hercules was built.
- For the home releases of the film, the image on the newspaper Stark reads before he announces he is Iron Man had to be altered, because an amateur photographer filed a lawsuit against Paramount and Marvel for using his on-location spy photo in the scene.
- A single 90 lb version of the suit was built, and it caused concern when a stuntman fell over inside it, though both the stuntman and the suit were unscathed.
