Phase 2 of the MCU kicked off with the return to the franchise that started it all. Iron Man 3 proved to be the final solo film for Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark and one of the most divisive MCU films. The movie follows Tony’s paranoia following the events of The Avengers and the attacks by the villain known as the Mandarin.
The film reunited Downey Jr. with his Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang director Shane Black, who infused a great pulpy sense of humor to the film as it took Tony Stark out of his comfort zone. While not everyone’s favorite of the series, it is one worth revisiting. Here are some of the most memorable quotes from Iron Man 3.
“Nothing’s Been The Same Since New York.”
While there were connections and references in place before The Avengers, the team-up movie changed the world of the MCU. There was no ignoring the events of that movie, and Iron Man 3 deals with the impact of that event in a very interesting way.
The film finds Tony battling PTSD from the Battle of New York and becoming obsessed with building more suits to protect himself and his loved ones from the bigger threats. It’s a more vulnerable side of Tony than viewers have seen thus far.
“It’s Iron Patriot Now.”
Don Cheadle is a welcome return for the film, once again playing Rhodey. Shane Black allows Rhodey and Tony to have a lot of fun buddy cop banter while also giving Rhodey a not-so subtle upgrade for his armor.
The movie introduces the Iron Patriot design from the comics with Rhodey adopting the new title as well. It’s a funny ongoing joke throughout the movie that everyone seems to love the new name while Tony hates it. It’s a fun jab at an admittedly over-the-top character rebrand.
“And You’ll Never See Me Coming.”
The Mandarin is Iron Man’s most famous villain from the comics and one that fans had been looking forward to seeing on the big screen. After hints to the character in the first two movies, the Mandarin is finally revealed.
The first half of the film sets him up as a truly terrifying threat who continues to teach “lessons” to the American people through his terrorist acts. Ben Kingsley’s delivery of his threat “you’ll never see me coming” is chilling and might also be a nod to the later reveal of the character.
“You Know What Keeps Going Through My Head? ‘Where’s My Sandwich?'”
Though fans were sad not to see Jon Favreau return in the director’s chair for Iron Man 3, Shane Black was a fun new addition to the franchise. With Black also handling the script, the movie was infused with his signature dark humor.
This can mostly be seen in Tony’s friendship with a young boy named Harley. Tony pulls no punches with the kid, making light of his absentee father and throwing snowballs at him. Within minutes of meeting, Tony demands a sandwich from Harley, and a great duo was born.
“Oh My God. That Was Really Violent.”
One of the most underrated aspects of the Iron Man films is Gwyneth Paltrow’s performance as Pepper Potts. She doesn’t get to do all the fun things Tony does, but Paltrow adds a great comedic flair to Pepper, who is always flustered at being caught up in these dangerous adventures.
This time around, Paltrow gets in on the action a bit as she is turned into one of the Extremis soldiers. After proving off her badass skills and killing Aldrich Killian, she shows she is still the same Pepper as she exclaims, “Oh my god. That was really violent.”
“Remember That Game, Barrel Of Monkeys?”
Iron Man 3 delivers one of the franchise best action sequences and one of the most underrated sequences in the MCU with the midair rescue. After Killian’s thugs take over Air Force One and kidnap the president, they drop all of the passengers out of the plane to fall to their deaths.
With way more falling victims than he can carry, Iron Man takes some inspiration from an old children’s game. He begins grabbing the falling people and getting them to link up before bringing them safely down to the water.
“I Wouldn’t Go In There For 20 Minutes!”
The trailers for this movie really set up the Mandarin as a chilling villain who could pose a real threat to Tony Stark. But Shane Black and Marvel have a big twist up their sleeve with the unexpected reveal of the Mandarin’s true identity.
When Tony finally meets the Mandarin, he emerges from a bathroom talking in an English accent and making a poop joke. He’s not a terrorist — he’s an actor playing a terrorist. While not what some fans wanted, it is a clever twist on how early the fear of “the other” can be manipulated.
“You Walked Right Into This One: I’ve Dated Hotter Chicks Than You.”
While the Mandarin may not be a real threat to Tony, he does have to face off with several of the Extremis henchmen, including Brandt, a vicious mercenary. The fight sequence with Brandt is peppered with Black’s usually great one-liners.
As Tony baits the (literally) fiery woman into a trap, he can’t help but throw out this zinger that even he admits is a bit on-the-nose. It’s a lot of fun hearing Iron Man spout sharp Shane Black dialogue.
“Honestly, I Hate Working Here. They Are So Weird.”
Shane Black is known for his fun and often hilarious ways of subverting genre tropes. His films are often fresh takes on the kinds of things we are used to seeing in action and crime movies, and he brings that same fun sense of humor to this film.
The film’s biggest laugh comes when Tony takes on Killian’s thugs. After taking out most of the bad guys, there is one left. The man simply puts up his hands and quits his job right there on the spot. Why don’t more henchman do this?
“It’s Christmas. Take ‘Em To Church.”
Of course, another big thing that Shane Black is known for is his love of setting his films at Christmastime. Lethal Weapon, The Long Kiss Goodnight, and Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang are all technically holiday movies.
Indeed, Black keeps up the tradition while making the only MCU Christmas movie. The climax of the film finds all of Tony’s suits coming to the fight. As they square off with the bad guys, Tony gives the perfect holiday one-liner, “It’s Christmas. Take ’em to church.”
