IRON MAN 3: A REVIEW.

“All beings so far have created something beyond themselves; and do you want to be the ebb of this great flood and even go back to the beasts than overcome man?” [Nietzsche on the “Ubermensch”]

The past comes back to haunt Tony Stark in the third installment of the MARVEL franchise,  with the film being one of most bolt-busting and action-packed in the trilogy.

Image Rights Owned by ©Marvel Studios 2013.

Touching on the aftermath of superhero blockbuster “Avengers Assemble”, Stark comes to suffer from an undeniable anxiety problem following the day’s events in New York (I reckon that’s standard considering one had suffered a near-death experience), giving the film immediate leverage, as Stark reveals himself to be at his physically weakest; the man inside the suit becoming a broken man on the verge of a breakdown. Granted, he has always been a relatively self-destructive character, what with the laddish aura, the below the belt sense of humour and the inherent materialism, but c'mon, that's all part of his appeal.

Analysis of a Converged Media Text

Captain America

When Captain America was introduced in 1941, he represented a “patriotic ideal” that related to the consumer, its target audience either aspiring young men or soldiers of war. “A hero emblazoned in stars and stripes was never going to be an easy sell” (Lupoi, 2012), yet he became the symbol of an “idealised freedom fighter” during World War II, branded with a costume modelled on the American Flag. He represented Liberty during the “Golden Age” of America. “The fact that many readers would soon find themselves in that… army helped ensure ‘Cap’s’ popularity; the new soldiers remained comic book fans, and they, too, hoped to be heroes in disguise.” (Abrams, 1991, [Online]) His popularity meant Captain America became a “leading patriot”; an “artefact” of popular culture through “old” and “new” media convergence.