KnockBack, Episode 256 | Iron Man 2
Added 2023-03-06 17:00:07 +0000 UTCIt's time for we, The Brothers Moriarty, to continue our slow trek through the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Thus, we've come to the third film in the seemingly never-ending run of new Marvel movies: Iron Man 2. Released in 2010, Iron Man 2 was actually in-production when Disney acquired Marvel, and while it's not the literal start of the MCU, you could call it the figurative beginning, one with a master plan, a host of characters, and a legion of spin-offs both planned and intended. This leaves Iron Man 2, at least from our perspective, as transparently interstitial. That said, it's still a fun watch full of interesting characters, and we're thrilled to discuss it here on KnockBack.
Comments
Deadpool movies actually had a pretty faithful comic book representation of some of the X-men. ** Vague spoilers for the X-Men and Fantastic 4 MCU situation : ** // Alternate universe X-men and Fantastic 4 characters already made their first MCU apearences in phase 4. //
MISZCZOGRZMOT
2023-03-16 21:54:34 +0000 UTCHappy to see the MCU back on KB. IM2 still held up for me although I have it 2nd so far after the original. “I don’t think you’re gonna make Mr. Fantastic cool.” Well Col, they already kinda did. 😉
NeO JD
2023-03-10 09:42:46 +0000 UTCI appreciate you guys still trudging through these gradually. They are fun in doses. I’m a life long comics and sequential art fan. And not by any means just Marvel or DC. It’s probably my main hobby and interest. I do think that a lot of the original source material is often superior simply due to the versatility of the medium and the way the audience engages and interacts with said medium. You can convey things in a way that doesn’t necessarily take the reader out of it or interfere with their suspension of disbelief. Contrary to what Hollywood suggests, Marvel, DC, and just superheroes as a whole only make up a mere fraction of comics published globally. I appreciate that the MCU did at the very least showcase Marvel and its characters to a mainstream audience. But it’s hard to say if it really opened peoples eyes to the medium as a whole. I think there is still mass confusion on what comics are outside of the portion that is superheroes. To be honest manga probably has done a better job at introducing people to comics in recent years. Comics are an extremely diverse medium just like movies, tv, fictional prose, etc. And it’s created all over the world. Manga is just comics from Japan. Bande desinee are just comics from France and Belgium. Every genre you could imagine is represented in comics. It’s an amazing story telling medium and it’s always bothered me when it is are dismissed or distilled down to something so much less. Video games and comics suffer a similar fate and one that is truly unfair. The assumption that superheroes are the whole of “comic books” is troublesome. Anyway, keep it up with these when you can. Some are from from perfect. Either straying too close or not close enough to the source material. But then other times a perfect balance is found and something really special happens (Captain America: The Winter Soldier for example).
Stray_Bullets
2023-03-08 23:26:48 +0000 UTCWe shall see!
Colin Moriarty
2023-03-08 21:50:36 +0000 UTCYeah, it does stink. The movies help a bit I think. I liked marvel's couple attempts at synergy. The ultimate Spider-Man run saved marvel comics and was in lock and step with the sam riami era, which even featured in an issue of ultimate Spider-Man. Then you had Matt Fraction reboot iron man to make his origin closer to that of the start of the MCU and, for me, his rendition is the best tony stark/iron man out there. But you're right, while these movies make people get into their world, it's hard to convert to actually reading. Honestly, the event movie or comic never really appealed to me, and sadly that's what the MCU is now. Don't get me wrong, the OG civil war story is one of the greatest runs out there but the likes of the original infinity story line don't really hold up decades later. And it's often been a way, more so now, to get readers excited. But events are never as good as one off stories or arcs. Unless it's Jonathan Hickman, who's reboot of X-Men was 10/10. And he handled the new secret wars super well, to name a couple of my favorite recent event books. And with what Amazon did to comixology, it's so hard to point to a one stop shop for people to dig into these stories. Yes, marvel unlimited exists, but it's not as easy as something "connected" in some way to the utility that is Amazon. And it's hard for a lot of people to find a local comic shop that can help guide them through such a deep history.
Dennis Johnson
2023-03-08 17:48:36 +0000 UTCSadly, the MCU really hasn't converted many of it's viewers to actual comic fans, the US comic industry is doing somewhat okay but it's still a shadow of it's former self and getting throttled by Manga both US domestically and globally, Marvel and DC need to come up with something.
Jordan Wray
2023-03-08 17:37:17 +0000 UTCI really enjoyed this conversation. Surprisingly, it got me recognizing all of my latent knowledge of the marvel comics and the MCU, as a lifelong fan from an outsider perspective; it's a lot to take in. The biggest strength and weakness of the MCU is their reliance on at least a cursory knowledge of the world. When it's at its best, you come in with some idea of the character,they present you with their version, and everything clicks. However, when they miss the mark, you find yourself looking at videos of nerds trying to explain why said character is dope, which was the job of the movie. Luckily, the MCU has been going for a while and its world exists in its own space. So, over time, as you both mentioned, you'll gain the knowledge to understand these characters more intimately. And, for me, that's the key. Over 15 plus years the MCU has turned normal movie goers into comic fans. That includes all the dumb leaps of knowledge and else-world type shit. It's really dope. You are in for a bit of a slump, in my opinion, but once you reach Avengers (2012), things will start clicking. Iron Man 2 is pretty underrated overall. I agree with all the criticism you both had, but Dagan's take that it was just fun is sadly missed on a lot of fans. It's not as dramatic as the first and felt more like a serial or quick off shoot comic, but it kind of makes it special because it was the first movie to feel like this – you can imagine this formula will be used again. The garden fight with Tony and Rhoades still stands as one of the best fight scenes in the MCU. Yes, X-Men are coming! Including a continuation of the 90s cartoon! And so far Sony is playing nice with Spider-Man still being the anchor for the MCU – for now. Sorry for the novel. I can't wait to continue this journey!
Dennis Johnson
2023-03-08 15:32:18 +0000 UTCSo good!
Noah Friscopp
2023-03-07 21:01:38 +0000 UTCI agree, he does great.
Colin Moriarty
2023-03-07 20:29:37 +0000 UTC=)
Colin Moriarty
2023-03-07 20:29:31 +0000 UTCGreat!
Colin Moriarty
2023-03-07 20:29:27 +0000 UTCMaybe in 10 years.
Colin Moriarty
2023-03-07 20:29:23 +0000 UTCWookiepedia Syndrome.
Colin Moriarty
2023-03-07 20:29:18 +0000 UTCWe're not going to commit to anything; we wanna be flexible.
Colin Moriarty
2023-03-07 20:29:08 +0000 UTCThat's great news.
Colin Moriarty
2023-03-07 20:28:56 +0000 UTCThank you.
Colin Moriarty
2023-03-07 20:28:51 +0000 UTCI can't say I agree!
Colin Moriarty
2023-03-07 20:28:47 +0000 UTCYeah, I see that.
Colin Moriarty
2023-03-07 20:28:42 +0000 UTCGood to know, I don't feel so bad.
Colin Moriarty
2023-03-07 20:28:24 +0000 UTCI agree, it's more fun this way.
Colin Moriarty
2023-03-07 20:27:59 +0000 UTCSoon enough!
Colin Moriarty
2023-03-07 20:27:33 +0000 UTCThey made the right choice.
Colin Moriarty
2023-03-07 20:27:29 +0000 UTCI see.
Colin Moriarty
2023-03-07 20:27:21 +0000 UTCTrust me, it will.
Colin Moriarty
2023-03-07 20:26:56 +0000 UTC!!!
Colin Moriarty
2023-03-07 20:26:52 +0000 UTCYes.
Colin Moriarty
2023-03-07 20:26:48 +0000 UTC=)
Colin Moriarty
2023-03-07 20:26:45 +0000 UTCI can not wait for Colin’s reaction to the captain America trilogy, especially winter soldier and civil war… I feel like he’s going to be surprised how much he loves them
Silas Koenig
2023-03-07 17:44:11 +0000 UTCSam Rockwell is so good as Justin Hammer in this.
SlayedByJay
2023-03-07 17:05:07 +0000 UTCYesssss!!
Silas Koenig
2023-03-07 16:52:55 +0000 UTCBoth the fantastic 4 and X-Men are going to be integrated into MCU at some point as Disney has bought the rights to the those characters. Also X-Men the animated series based on the original 90s cartoon is coming back on Disney plus!
Doug Abaire
2023-03-07 03:58:55 +0000 UTCAlso cannot wait for y’all to get to the movies directed by the Russo brothers
A Hind D
2023-03-07 01:32:09 +0000 UTCComic book adjacent Wiki pages are like crack. You start looking up Iron Man and two hours later, you end up on Squirrel Girl.
macdaddyx4
2023-03-06 23:24:53 +0000 UTCGreat episode it's good to see the ball rolling again. Regarding the feeling of falling behind if you can commit to watching the movies quarterly you'll be faster then marvel is releasing them. Even 3 times a year and you won't fall further behind, it's up to you though. I watched the whole slate with my GF who hadn't seen them over the course of a month pretty comfortably. The Marvel movies are generally at least good with a good chuck of them being far better then that.
Bryce Mccloskey
2023-03-06 22:59:54 +0000 UTCJust so you know Colin, Mike Myers has RECENTLY gone on record saying he would be interested in doing another Austin Powers. We can only hope.
Jason
2023-03-06 22:49:26 +0000 UTCExcellent episode my guys!! Happy y’all doing the MCU it’ll be cool to hear your takes as these movies revolve (good or bad). Again y’all are the best
A Hind D
2023-03-06 21:58:51 +0000 UTCIron Man 2 above 1. Good lord! Dag come now. 😂👍🏻
Robbie Agnew
2023-03-06 21:05:24 +0000 UTCColin says he wants to get though Iron Man 3 to get to what they are setting up but Iron Man 3 takes place after Avengers 1. check your timeline.
Trevor Myers
2023-03-06 20:45:59 +0000 UTCI think he’s talking about a photo of the “Time Traveling Hipster.” He was photographed in 1941 at the South Fork Bridge in British Columbia
Chris Goen
2023-03-06 20:41:04 +0000 UTCReally wish people would quit telling other people to stop watching Marvel movies because they stopped at Endgame. I will say for Colin that Endgame would be a perfect bookend because everything after is just a different flavor of the same thing. So unless he wants more of those types of movies I would just wait for it all to flesh out in another 5-10 years and revisit it then like he did here. Plenty of movie are still enjoying MCU. I think some forget Marvel didn't really start having consistent home runs until Guardians. A majority of the movies after Endgame have been good. Only 2 or 3 have been letdowns. Plenty of great titles in the works.
Trevor Deal
2023-03-06 20:23:27 +0000 UTCYeah in IM2 it was the body piece with mocap legs. Probably the same in the first Avengers since it looked real during the night time woods scenes and after that in RDJ’s words "when the mask comes down I’m in Starbucks"
Joshua Brown
2023-03-06 20:19:40 +0000 UTCI would think RDJ wouldn't want that more than anyone. The guy was on the edge of collapse with substance abuse. I don't imagine going to work and faking drinking would really help with recovery. But who knows.
Trevor Deal
2023-03-06 20:17:46 +0000 UTCKnown as the "Infinity Saga".
Trevor Deal
2023-03-06 20:15:10 +0000 UTCExactly. They seem like he would really be into those two specifically. I wonder how long will take to get to those.
Russell Robinson
2023-03-06 20:12:09 +0000 UTCI love the Iron Man-Endgame run of the MCU, but now I lament that each movie isn’t just Always Sunny.
Noah Friscopp
2023-03-06 19:18:27 +0000 UTCI want to answer Colin's question on Robert Downey Jr and having him be in an actual suit. Iron Man 1 was the first and last time he actually wore an iron man suit(Adding to why it looked so good in that movie). Future movies the most he would wear would be a sort of chest only version, the rest of it being being CG. RDJ just didn't want to wear the full suit anymore.
Tomas Pacheco
2023-03-06 19:16:36 +0000 UTCToybiz Marvel figures aren’t particularly expensive. Some early series carded figures ticked up in the last couple years but most of the line is $5 or less mint carded.
Kenneth Koepnick
2023-03-06 19:10:06 +0000 UTCHonestly Colin, I would stop at Avengers Endgame. It’s all downhill from there and it’s the perfect ending if you just stop there.
Bogey Zero
2023-03-06 19:03:23 +0000 UTCI’ve yet to listen, but let me commend you guys for deciding to keep the topics secret. It’s so much better to be surprised by what you guys cover than knowing ahead of time. It also is exciting to hear Colin drop the tiniest of hints in another show for the topic, makes me feel special lol.
SnipaMasta
2023-03-06 19:01:15 +0000 UTCAnyone have the link to the robe guy from the 1950s? I want to see what Col was talking about how the pic looks like it was taken nowadays.
Robbie Agnew
2023-03-06 18:54:04 +0000 UTCCan't wait till the boys cover the Captain America movies. They are arguably the best movies in the MCU
Michael centeno
2023-03-06 17:47:02 +0000 UTCFun fact, Sam Rockwell could have been Iron Man and almost auditioned to play him. RDJ nailed the role and Rockwell didn’t even get his chance. Imagine how much different this series and universe could have been without RDJ.
Michael Mashpotato
2023-03-06 17:44:25 +0000 UTCAs a big comic book guy, I honestly think Colin would really dig a lot of the political/social themes that have always been inherently a big part of American super hero comics, but they don't always necessarily translate into the Hollywood Blockbuster style storytelling, which is my biggest complaint about them (the James Gunn writing templates notwithstanding lol).
Josh Gamez
2023-03-06 17:42:32 +0000 UTCYeah Favreau wanted to adapt the ‘demon in the bottle’ storyline after the first Ironman movie which goes into Tony’s alcoholism but I imagine that went out the window around then because that’s when Disney bought Marvel.
Joshua Brown
2023-03-06 17:20:13 +0000 UTCI can’t wait till you get to The Winter Soldier and Civil War. I legitimately think you’ll like those in particular. A lot of political intrigue and philosophical questions about government overreach.
Bogey
2023-03-06 17:05:45 +0000 UTCLet the slow burn continue.
Sir Lucious Left Foot
2023-03-06 17:04:20 +0000 UTCLet’s goooo
Ant Castillo
2023-03-06 17:03:55 +0000 UTCFINALLY!
Joey Gondhalekar
2023-03-06 17:03:41 +0000 UTC‘Bout time 🍿
Joshua Brown
2023-03-06 17:02:31 +0000 UTC
