Not many superheroes get drunk on the job, but Tony Stark isnt like many superheroes.
A promiscuous billionaire with no regards for social norms and a genius-level IQ, this superhero values public admiration above all else. At one point in the movie, Stark puts on his Iron Man suit and gets belligerent at a birthday party. Good thing there was a cast of straight-faced hard-asses to keep Iron Man in line.
Iron Man 2 refers to the sequel, but it could also refer to the second iron man introduced to the big screen, known as War Machine. The movie adds a whole new all-star cast which includes: Don Cheadle (Lt. Colonel James Rhodey Rhodes / War Machine), Mickey Rourke (Ivan Vanko / Whip Lash), Sam Rockwell (Justin Hammer), Scarlett Johansson (Natalie Rushman / Black Widow) and Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury).
Following the prequel a short time after Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) revealed his identity as Iron Man, Stark now faces a plethora of problems on top of saving the world. The U.S. government takes Stark to court demanding he hand over his Iron Man suit, since its considered a deadly weapon. The power source for Iron Mans suitthe arc reactoris slowly poisoning Stark; he has to solve theseissuesjust in time to put his life on the line yet again to battle Whip Lash. And as if that werent enough, Stark has to deal with his father issues.
The movie is based on the premise that Iron Mans suit is trying to be replicated by other countries and corporations. Using the same technology as Starks arc reactor, Ivan Vanko a.k.a. Whip Lash creates his own suit with the aid of Justin Hammer. Hammer, who owns a weapons manufacturing company, gives Vanko unlimited resources to create another iron man suit which Hammer can sell to the government and embarrass Stark with.
Vanko has his own agenda which is evident throughout the movie and unleashed at the apex of fighting scenes near the end. Stark has to team up with his friend Rhodey a.k.a. War Machine, and the two work together to bring down Whip Lash.
Sam Rockwell spoke to the CU Independent over the phone about his role as Justin Hammer during the movie Iron Man 2.
CU Independent
How did it feel playing the villain?
Rockwell
Its fun to play bad guys, you know. You get to break all the rules and its a lot of fun. The scenes with Mickey Rourke were probably the best because they gave me a lot to do.
CU:I
What did you do to prepare for this role?
Rockwell
I didnt know anything about the character prior to the movie. I got the comic books as soon as I got the part and started reading up. They didnt try to turn me into the comic book character and force a British accent on me; they gave me free reign and just let me be me.
CU:I
You typically star in indie-type movies so how was it different working in a big budget movie?
Rockwell
You know, it didnt feel like a big budget movieit was a lot of fun. There were specific guidelines but they let you drift and work in your own way. Going from indie movies to mainstream you get a little bigger dressing room, a little more money; but its a different experience that I found more challenging.
Following suit with every Marvel movie, a post-credit scene reveals a brief trailer for a future movie. The screen shows several government officials examining a crater in the New Mexico desert and finally zooms in on Thors hammer: the weapon of another Marvel superhero.
Contact CU Independent Managing Editor Adrian Kun atAdrian.kun@colorado.edu.
1 comment
–From ‘Iron Man’ —to cast iron DENIAL —
is anyone else noticing that, haivng made BILLIONS upon BILLIONS
catering to the franchise slum denial needs of history’s
–MOST– awesomely genocidal regime -bar none!
—ACROSS the Pacific —( 70 million is the latest figure)
Hollywood and media, once again, ‘mysteriously overlook’ the 60th Anniversary
of the staggeringly, damningly relevant KOREAN WAR
—even as people continue to suffer and die by–the–million?
——-TOOOOO funny!