Hard to believe in our age of two Marvels a year, when everything kicked off, not only was it nearly two years between films, but this one was the only one we got in all of 2010. Iron Man 2 is not without its controversy, as a large portion of online opinion isn't all that kind to the film. I agree that it's certainly unfocused, has too much going on, at times feels like set up for The Avengers, and comes up short in its inevitable comparisons to Iron Man. I don't think it's a bad movie, though and it does try to give Tony some more depth with his sickness. Plus, it's fun, though the final showdown with the villain, much like the first Iron Man, is underwhelming. It was certainly a step up from The Incredible Hulk at any rate.
This movie, though, is when the main vs. supporting character line begins to blur. Tony, Pepper, and Rhodey (recast) are back and seem easy enough to categorize. But what about the main villain, Ivan Vanko? He gets jailed and disappears for what seems like a good part of the movie. What about the debut of Black Widow? Does she have enough of a role to be considered main? Sam Rockwell's Justin Hammer, who most seem to forget was even in the movie? Happy Hogan in an expanded role? It all comes down to judgment calls, I suppose, which is a major part of this exercise. I do my best, but who knows if anyone reading this will agree?
Main Characters
Tony Stark a.k.a. Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.)
Stark's back! Shocking, I know. And this time he's slowly being poisoned to death. But don't worry, an inspiring hidden message from Dad will help him synthesize a new element! Okay, then.
Pepper's back and now CEO of Stark Industries! Which makes Bill O'Reilly skeptical. Say it ain't so, Bill!
Colonel James "Rhodey" Rhodes a.k.a. War Machine (Don Cheadle)
Rhodey looks... different. Don't know what it is. Maybe because he gets to put the suit on this time around. (Seriously, though, the situation makes me feel bad for Terrence Howard. A lot of money he didn't get because of this recast).
Natalie Rushman a.k.a. Natasha Romanoff a.k.a. Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson)
Our new beautiful, deadly SHIELD agent with impractically long, styled hair. She couldn't fit a hair tie in that bag of hers? And please tell me undercover agents in real life are given names that are not that close to their real names. That happens, right? Right?
Ivan Vanko a.k.a. Whiplash (Mickey Rourke)
The son of Howard Stark's brilliant but uncredited scientific collaborator, Vanko wants what we all want: revenge. And his bird. Maybe we don't all want that. Anyway, he makes his own Arc Reactor and instead of revolutionizing Russia's energy industry, he makes whips. And a bunch of cool looking but surprisingly ineffective robotic combat drones. I kind of hope they tie Hammer's drones into the Ultron plot.
Now, are those really the main characters? Is it just Tony and Pepper? Just Tony? I don't know, it's all arbitrary. Not like Rockwell would help with the diversity quotient anyway.
Supporting Characters
Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell)
I'll admit, the second time I watched the movie, maybe a year or two later, I'd completely forgotten that Rockwell was in the movie. Which is weird, because I love Rockwell. Great in Galaxy Quest, great in Matchstick Men, greatest in Moon, even decent in the Hitchhiker's Guide movie. But I forgot he was a character in this. He even makes the most of his scenes, like when he's showing off his weaponry to the military. But the material isn't the best and it is a character that feels like anyone could have played so... sorry, Sam. I liked your cameo in the Mandarin short.
Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson)
Welcome to an expanded role, Nick! Okay, maybe he was put in to make people excited for The Avengers and maybe his stated purpose halfway through was still not really resolved by the end. But who cares? I got excited and I don't even read Marvel comics. I didn't know jack about Iron Man outside of that two-parter on the Spider-Man animated series where he and War Machine helped Spidey against Venom and Carnage. His appearances brought in a new era of big budge films, at least with one company. It's like getting the longer storytelling of TV or books on the epic scale of film. And Jules/Mace/Shaft/Frozone was just the guy to bring it to us. Thanks, Nick.
Harold "Happy" Hogan (Jon Favreau)
Happy's back and more active than ever, hitting Whiplash with a car and taking down a guard in the time it takes Black Widow to handle a dozen or two. Gotta love a director who doesn't mind making himself look like a fool on screen.
Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg)
Coulson gets a slightly (very slightly) expanded role, so I'm promoting him to supporting character. There isn't really a difference in the end, so whatever. Welcome back, Coulson. Enjoy New Mexico. Thanks for the Captain America gag.
J.A.R.V.I.S. (Paul Bettany)
Minor Characters
Christine Everhart (Leslie Bibb)
I honestly wasn't sure if I was going to give the movie credit for bringing Ms. Everhart back since her reprisal was so brief. But it's technically two scenes (I think) that she appears in and she gets some credit for reprising the role, so congratulations, movie! You have another female character!
Senator Stern (Garry Shandling)
It was not until I started this series that I realized Shandling spells his first name with two R's. I wonder what he's like in real life because he is really good a making this senator detestable, so much so that I was rooting for Tony in both scenes where they directly interact. Nice work.
Howard Stark (John Slattery)
We got to see Howard Stark! Tony's dearly departed dad! Played by John Slattery for the first and only time (until Ant-Man, apparently), guilting me every time I see him over the fact that I've never watched Mad Men. I will, John, I will. Some day.
Major Allen (Tim Guinee)
I initially wasn't going to include this character in the minor characters list, but he's close enough to the rules I set out that I'm throwing him in. He's in at least two scenes (Rhodey's arrival with the suit and Hammer's weapons presentation) and he's a reprisal from the first Iron Man, so welcome to the minor characters, Major! I'm going to have to go back to Iron Man. And now that I'm thinking about it, I think he might have been in two scenes in Iron Man as well. He was definitely in the F-22 scene and then I think he shows up later when Man's fighting Monger. Time to retcon!
Miscellaneous
- Future Sue Storm Kate Mara makes an appearance as a U.S. Marshal who gives Tony his subpoena to appear in front of Senator Stern. Christiane Amonpour cameos as herself. Olivia Munn also cameos as reporter Chess Roberts who quite closely resembles Olivia Munn when she worked for G4.
Scores
Of our five main characters, only two are white men, giving us a Diversity Score of 60. If you cut it down to just Tony and Pepper, you're still at 50, but let's go with the five. Diversity Score: 60
The entire cast breaks down as follows:
White men (cast): 9 (2 main, 4 supporting, 3 minor)
White women: 3 (2 main, 1 minor)
White men (characters): 8
Non-WHMs portrayed by white guys: 1 (J.A.R.V.I.S.)
White men (characters): 8
Non-WHMs portrayed by white guys: 1 (J.A.R.V.I.S.)
POC
Men: 2 (1 main, 1 supporting)
Women: 0
Women DS: 21
Women DS: 21
Diversity Score: 38 (43)
Yikes
Tabulation
Iron Man: Main, 50; Women, 19; Total, 55 (64)
The Incredible Hulk: Main, 25; Women, 33; Total, 56
Iron Man 2: Main, 60; Women, 21; Total, 36 (43)
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