Movies at Christmas: There has been much discussion in recent years over whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie or not due to its yuletide setting. While that has been covered enough elsewhere, I will instead be looking at other movies that use Christmas as a festive backdrop. Check out my previous article on Batman Returns here.

Iron Man 3 represents a lot of firsts for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not only is it the first solo superhero movie in the MCU timeline after Avengers Assemble but it is also the first Iron Man movie to not end with metal men kicking seven shades out of each other. More importantly, it arguably represents the first time Marvel attempted to intertwine a director’s unique voice with that of the established universe. With the hiring of Shane Black comes many tropes found in his previous films such as shady business men, mismatched buddy comedy and yes, Christmas.

Though Shane Black only wrote Lethal Weapon, Iron Man 3 has more in common with that action classic than his other movies. Even if Kiss Kiss Bang Bang features similar narration and Robert Downey Jr before his casting as Tony Stark. The relationship between Stark and Don Cheadle’s Rhodey certainly recalls a certain Riggs and Murtaugh. However, this is ultimately a lighter affair and while it has everything you could expect from the MCU, there are enough quirks to make it feel like Black’s movie. For that reason alone, I have always found this to be one of the best of the series.

What makes Iron Man 3 so effective is its willingness buck the trend and make unexpected choices. Tony spends much of the time outside of the famous suit, there is a child sidekick, the villain’s master-plan includes amputees and Eiffel 65’s ‘Blue (Da Ba Dee)’ features on the soundtrack. Best of all, the bad guy is not a Middle Eastern terrorist as originally expected but a rich American business man (Guy Pearce) who uses that stereotype to commit crimes unnoticed. You have to admire Black’s gumption to inject sneaky political commentary into an established franchise.

Iron Man 3 also made a tonne of money which catapulted Black to a fortunate position where he can make what he wants. While that resulted in brilliant but under-seen comedy The Nice Guys, it is also the reason we got the festering pile of rubbish that is The Predator. Whatever the aftermath, Iron Man 3 is the MCU movie that proved distinctive directors could work within the gargantuan franchise. While Black may not have been given the freedom Taika Waititi got with Thor: Ragnarok, it still stands out from the rest of the Marvel output. It is also the only MCU movie to be set at Christmas.

Disclaimer Notice: Any thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely my own. Any images (copyrighted or otherwise) have been used according to Creative Commons and if needed, have been referenced to the best of my knowledge.

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