Was the hate that Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man 3 received just? Fans change their opinions on the previously hated film.

Robert Downey Jr’s time as Iron Man was one that was full of iconic and memorable moments, spread across multiple movies to create the character that we know and love. As the man who started the journey of one of the biggest franchises of all time, he came and went with a bang, with each time he told the audience who he was, it turned into a historical moment. The only moment that many consider to be a dark one in a time playing Tony Stark, was the third film in his own movie trilogy.
Iron Man in the MCU
Iron Man 3 has certainly been called one of the worst films by the MCU by many. While there are quite a few reasons why they believe this, it would seem that it is finally this film’s time to shine. Many fans are looking back at the criticism that this movie has gotten and wondering if it was really that bad.

Was Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man 3 That Bad?

A fan on Twitter, Zack Stentz, spoke out about their opinions on the third Iron Man film, stating that they do not agree with the amount of hate that the film receives. They started by saying that they do not believe that people respect this movie enough, despite the fact that it made over $1.2 billion at the box office. They stated that they found it quite cool, that Shane Black, director of this movie, managed to convince Marvel to let him make this movie, despite the fact that the franchise was at its peak at that point and they had not made a film like this up until that point.
Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man 3
They thought the Christmas setting, Ben Kingsley’s performance as ‘The Mandarin’, and the film’s concept being much more grounded and existing in the real world, gave this a lot more personality than other projects that were coming at the time. They even mentioned that one of the biggest things that they loved about this movie was its use of big action set pieces.
Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin in a still from Iron Man 3
The perfect example of these would be the final fight between Robert Downey Jr’s character and Aldrich Killian, as well as the fact that Tony Stark’s house was blown up into pieces, everything that gave the movie a grander feeling. At the same time, it worked as a break from all of the cosmic and otherworldly entities that were entering the franchise at the time in other projects.

Fans Support This Sentiment

While some would describe this as certainly quite a hot take, it would seem that many agree with this sentiment. Some added that even though the film wasn’t as good as the first or even the second, it was certainly entertaining and managed to capture his audience in some way or the other. This could, perhaps, be the case as the first film managed to get a rating of 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, while the second one managed to get 72%. Compared to this the third film is the second highest-ranking movie from this film series, with it having a 79%. Despite this, it is still considered the worst in the trilogy.
Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man

at the very least it was entertaining

— Mick minas your host with the most (@MOVIESTVMAD) November 26, 2023

I liked it because it actually took a realistic approach on mental health and what that might look like for actual people saving the planet over and over again.

— Caleb Champeau (@CalebShampoo) November 26, 2023

It was post Dark Knight and Kingsley seemed to be tapping into that sensibility and when they pulled that turn, I think people just couldn’t appreciate the cleverness of any of it

— Thomas Moore (@TomAandTom1) November 26, 2023
Some added that the reason why many may have disliked this movie is because it was very different from the other Marvel films in one very big aspect, that being, the mental state of our protagonist was one of the biggest highlights of this film, with Stark having serious symptoms of PTSD, and some believe that this is quite an accurate representation of what someone like him would be going through on a daily basis, with a life like his. Some even added that they do not consider this to be an Iron Man film but a Tony Stark film, with his life as the focus.
Robert Downey Jr and Gwyneth Paltrow

It’s always been in my top 5 Marvel films. It’s the classic trope of ‘superhero loses their powers’, but even without his tech, Tony still has a brilliant mind. That’s what makes it compelling.

— RachelKoz (@RachelKoz) November 26, 2023

It’s great and got swept up in a truly ridiculous “they didn’t respect the Mandarin!” internet backlash that had a lot of people pretending they were huge Mandarin fans for the first time in their life (the Trevor reveal scene is so damn funny!)

— Eric Goldman (@TheEricGoldman) November 26, 2023

I absolutely adore that movie and it’s a purely character driven narrative in a way the MCU rarely gets to be (but when it DOES get to be that way, that’s when it works well)

What I like to say is “It’s not an Iron Man movie. It’s a Tony Stark movie.”

— Char 🌈✨ (@CharCubed) November 26, 2023
One fan even added that, perhaps, audiences got a little too wrapped up in the way that the Mandarin was showcased in the movie. Considering that this is a very big villain in the comics, many were upset that he had been turned into a mockery in this movie. It could be, that many could not look past anything after this and completely dismissed the film and the things that had actually ended up getting right.