Chapter 586: Iron Man

Tony Stark was out chasing women, of course. The film's opening established the protagonist's personality and background: passionate, flamboyant, outgoing, brilliant, a show-off, and fiercely independent. A playboy and a wealthy heir, he was the center of attention wherever he went and never lacked female companionship.

A female reporter chased after him for an interview, but Tony Stark completely ignored her. Only when his bodyguard, Happy, pointed out that she was gorgeous did he immediately turn around.

In reality, few people would probably like a character like this, but the effect on the silver screen was completely different. To Drake, this opening—drastically different from the leaked online version—was genuinely fascinating. The character of Tony Stark, in particular, made audiences fall in love with him in just a few short minutes.

"Robert Downey Jr.'s performance is excellent..."

In a theater on Long Island, Little Jefferson said to his father, a layman when it came to movies, "But the director's skill is equally important. Duke has done an outstanding job, as always."

Without a doubt, the Tony Stark that Duke presented on the big screen was a character everyone loved and envied. He had mansions, luxury cars, a beautiful assistant, a private jet, and billions of dollars in wealth. He had slept with countless celebrities; just thinking about his life was enough to make anyone drool.

But given such a comfortable life and the philosophy that "if you want people to fear you, your stick has to be bigger than theirs," how did Tony Stark become the righteous Iron Man?

No one's life could be smooth sailing forever. A major setback triggered this transformation.

Tony Stark went to Afghanistan to demonstrate the newest Jericho Missile for the military, only to be attacked by terrorists. Not only was he captured, but he was left with shrapnel embedded in his body. Fortunately, someone helped him build an electromagnetic device to save his life.

Just like all superheroes, Tony Stark felt a sense of loss and confusion when he saw that the weapons in the terrorists' hands were all manufactured by Stark Industries. Ultimately, he chose to save himself. Using the opportunity provided when the terrorists ordered him to build a Jericho Missile, he created the first generation of the Iron Man Suit—the Mark I!

And so, a massive battle naturally erupted.

Drake's eyes were already wide open. Many people around him were doing the exact same thing; like him, they had clearly seen the leaked online copy without special effects and were eager to see the scenes with the effects added.

A massive explosion rang out. Orange-red flames replaced the green screen from the other version. Fire filled the entire silver screen, constantly surging forward as if it were about to burst out of the frame and burn the theater to ashes.

"He really lives up to his reputation as an explosion maniac..." Drake clearly heard someone mutter. "His mastery of explosions is truly divine."

Not only were there explosions, but there were also highly entertaining scenes.

Amidst the fiery glow of the blast, Tony Stark shot into the sky wearing the Mark I. He broke out of his predicament, only to crash into the desert in a somewhat comical fashion.

"What a rare sight."

Little Jefferson suddenly made this remark.

Anthony Jefferson couldn't help but ask curiously, "How is it rare?"

"Dad, you haven't watched many of Duke's films. You probably don't know this, but he almost never shoots comedic scenes." Little Jefferson took on the full demeanor of a professional. "From the beginning until now, this Iron Man movie has had a lot of funny moments. But Duke handled them perfectly; they only showcase the character's wit without ever feeling vulgar."

Anthony Jefferson thought back for a moment and nodded gently. "That's very true."

Every director had things they excelled at and things they did not. Duke himself had no talent for comedy. When shooting these kinds of scenes, he relied more on the script and the actors' performances. The witty, clean scenes and lines in the film either came from the screenwriters or the actors' improvisations.

The terrorist kidnapping segment provided ample buildup. When Tony Stark finally returned to his own life, his ideology had undergone a massive shift. He wanted to shut down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark Industries, which subsequently triggered his conflict with Obadiah Stane.

This former partner of his father's had always been eyeing the Stark Group, eager to claim it for himself.

Sitting in the Hollywood Chinese Theater, Aerin watched the movie intently. She had loved Duke's films for a very long time and understood his style perfectly. The completed segments of Iron Man carried Duke's typical flair, but there was also something else she couldn't quite put into words.

In truth, this was the mark of Marvel. Ultimately, this was a Marvel superhero, so the characterization inherently carried the Marvel style.

Although Duke had offered a lot of feedback, the script—one of the foundational pillars of the film—was penned by Marvel's screenwriting team. Naturally, it had to align with the needs of the overarching Marvel plan.

Even though Duke had always been a supporter of Marvel's superhero films, he had to admit that their plots were relatively simple. The characters often fell into clear-cut categories of good and evil, and the villains were heavily stereotyped. The only villain with a truly distinct personality was Loki, and a large part of that was due to the actor's performance.

In the Iron Man script, the characterization of the Iron Monger, Obadiah Stane, similarly lacked room for the director and actor to maneuver. Furthermore, given Duke's production style, rather than digging deep into a character's inner world, it was much more worthwhile to make the special effects as outstanding as possible.

Besides, was there really any need to waste time fleshing out the villain's inner world for this kind of film?

To put it bluntly, it was ultimately just a popcorn blockbuster.

However, popcorn flicks were just as difficult to shoot. It was an acknowledged fact in Hollywood that producing big-budget commercial films was far more demanding than shooting niche indie movies.

As the film played on, the curiosity Drake had developed from watching the leaked version was largely satisfied. For instance, during the sequence where Tony Stark built the Mark II, the leaked version only showed Robert Downey Jr. in a motion capture suit pantomiming in front of a green screen. The final result with the added special effects, however, was simply mind-blowing.

The camera meticulously displayed every single detail inside the Iron Battle Suit. During Tony Stark's experiments, before the outer plating was installed, the audience could even see every gear and transmission belt turning. The level of detail was staggeringly intricate.

Up next, the dogfight between Iron Man and the F-22 Raptor Fighter left Drake completely spellbound.

How could the leaked online version possibly deliver this kind of viewing thrill? For a movie like this, you could completely ignore that version.

Even in the scenes without special effects, Drake noticed that the theatrical cut differed significantly from the leaked version, ensuring it never lost its sense of novelty. In particular, a character who hadn't appeared in the leaked version brought an absolutely fresh thrill.

Halfway through the film, Tony Stark was barred from entering Stark Industries by the board of directors, who had been manipulated by Obadiah Stane. Initially wanting to resolve the issue legally, his law firm dispatched a representative.

"So this is the Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff."

As a fan of Iron Man, Drake was naturally familiar with Marvel's characters. "Not bad, but I wonder how good her combat skills are."

He knew very well that Duke's eye for casting had always been excellent. Take Robert Downey Jr. and Rachel McAdams, for instance. After watching the movie, they effortlessly left the audience with the impression that Tony Stark and Pepper Potts were meant to look exactly like them.

However, as the plot unfolded, Drake's attention gradually shifted away from Natasha Romanoff, focusing instead on an agent who popped up from time to time.

This agent, named Coulson, was clearly from the same department as Natasha Romanoff. He even mentioned the name of this department to Pepper Potts several times—the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division!

Wasn't that S.H.I.E.L.D.?

Drake immediately recalled the rumors circulating online. Marvel's ultimate goal was to assemble The Avengers on the big screen!

Thinking of this possibility, Drake trembled with excitement. The thought of those famous superheroes joining forces in a movie was enough to drive anyone crazy.

He thought it was highly likely. For instance, the film mentioned several times that Howard Stark had once fought alongside Captain America, Steve Rogers. Or when Natasha Romanoff, during a secret meeting with Agent Coulson, sighed and mentioned that she was nearly a hundred years old.

According to the comic book lore, the Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff, had crossed paths with Captain America and the Howling Commandos.

Perhaps she would be a crucial character.

Drake couldn't help but think so. Up to this point in the film, Scarlett Johansson hadn't had much screen time, nor was her performance particularly standout. According to media reports, she was the girlfriend of director Duke Rosenberg and a rather famous actress in her own right. Why would she play a character who merely served as background dressing?

The development of the plot quickly proved this point. When Scarlett Johansson was talking on the phone with a black man, she mentioned wanting to put together a team!

However, these details only flashed by in the characters' dialogue; after all, this film was titled Iron Man.

The movie's plot didn't have many twists, nor was it particularly complex. Just as Drake had determined that Obadiah Stane was the main villain shortly after watching the leaked online version, this key figure in Stark Industries was the very mastermind behind the terrorists' kidnapping of Tony Stark.

He had also built an Iron Battle Suit, but unable to miniaturize the Arc Reactor, he resorted to ambushing Tony Stark and stealing the second-generation Arc Reactor from his chest.

Relying on the first-generation Arc Reactor that Pepper Potts had kept, Tony Stark managed to survive. Meanwhile, Pepper Potts led the legal counsel and the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division into Stark Industries.

Since the film was called Iron Man, the final battle was undoubtedly going to center around him.

Thus, the final climactic battle was divided into two parts: one was the clash of technology and metal between Iron Man and the Iron Monger, and the other was a showcase of Natasha Romanoff's personal combat skills.