The Iron Man movie came out in
2008, and by most criteria it is a classic superhero movie. The reason that I
find the hero’s journey of this movie so compelling is the moral dilemmas
present throughout the film. Although Iron Man is a “superhero” movie, grouped
with the likes of superman, the hero himself does not have any innate physical
advantages. At least for me, this made the hero more understandable as there
are no supernatural differences between him and me.
For a
little more background on this story, the main character is Tony Stark a very
rich weapons manufacturer who is kidnapped in the Middle East. To escape he
builds his first metal “suit” starting his journey to approach world peace. Tony
Stark’s hero’s journey is especially compelling as a story because of the internal
conflict the character faces. He struggles with his past, when he ran a
company, and whether it was right to create such destructive weapons, all the
while he is improving his own weaponized suit. The internal conflict of morals
adds an interesting aspect to this hero’s journey, one that is often missing
from stories like Captain America where the hero is the “perfect” example of a
good guy.
For this blog,
I thought about how this movie may have changed my views in small ways. I
thought about how such an accessible character forced me to think about what I
might do in the same situation. Although it is hard to do, just as in the
batman short story, I realized that there will always be some form of moral
dilemma with war, simply because it is never black and white. I do not believe
that the events of the movie will ever parallel my life, but in some small
ways, I think the hero’s journey undertaken by Tony Stark may have helped me
see the difficulty of making certain decisions.
I agree with what you said about superheroes being less understandable because of their supernatural traits. I've never really been compelled by superheroes as much as I have by other heroes, even those with some supernatural traits, for this reason. I also think that being a "perfect" hero makes one harder to relate to. It is easier to be influenced by a hero if you can relate to them.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with your your point about the lack of special abilities making the hero more relatable. This same idea is what makes other superheroes, such as Batman, compelling. The two moral conflicts of Tony Stark are very important to the movie. The first is Stark's struggle with whether the weapons he develops really protect the people of the United States as he had originally intended. When his own life is put in danger because of his weapons. The second is Stark taking the law into his own hands. This is an issue in all movies of vigilantism and was addressed in the Batman reading earlier this semester. Although the protagonist ultimately saves lives, what makes them special to make judicial systems in matters of life and death?
ReplyDeleteI agree that having the lack of supernatural powers definitely makes Iron Man a more relatable character. Though Iron Man, like many superheroes, has a very physical journey, I liked the aspects that you talked about such as the dilemma of war and vigilantism. Nice post!
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