Serious Thoughts: Why Iron Man is the Best Super Hero

So, about a week ago, I saw the new Iron Man movie, Iron Man 3, and, even though I have a long standing allegiance to Spider-Man, I have to say, it made Iron Man one of my favorite superheroes. And you all know how I feel about Spider-Man.

I think that Iron Man is such a likeable character because he's not perfect. He doesn't even actually have super powers; he's human. Like, if you see Iron Man in the supermarket, you can be all "hey Tony - double stuffed Oreos? Good choice - so much better than regular stuffed", but, if you saw Superman in the supermarket, it would be really weird and awkward and he would be all like "excuse me, do you know if this cereal contains kryptonite?" and I would be like O_o. But, that sort of thing doesn't happen with Iron Man because Iron Man understands people. I mean, he's not really a people person, but he is a person who understands people. The problem with Superman is that he's so super, he doesn't understand what it's like not to be super.

Like I said before, Iron Man isn't super. He's just a normal, genius millionaire with normal, genius, millionaire problems. And Iron Man has a lot of problems: he has issues with his heart, he has insecurities, he has trouble with relationships, in Iron Man 3 he has anxiety attacks and he can't sleep at night, also, people are always trying to steal his suits. Really, as Tony Stark says in Iron Man 3, the suit is a cocoon because deep down, he's scared. He knows that the world isn't safe and he can't doing anything about it and it makes him feel so insecure because he knows that he can't make the world safe.

That's a superhero that people can relate to.

He's a Person Too

I liked Iron Man 3 because we get to see past the egotistical, show off, pompous Tony Stark that everyone knows and loves and, instead, we see an insecure, frightened man who is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. This is the human side of Iron Man, vulnerable and weak. Actually, what's interesting is that, in the Iron Man movies, a lot of people don't like Tony Stark. They respect Iron Man because he saved the world, but Tony Stark as a person is a deeply controversial and widely hated. Most superheros are loved but Stark isn't your average superhero, he's a flawed human being, he makes mistakes, he says stupid things, and does things that are unpopular. But Iron Man is the sort of person we need to see. Because, when it comes down to it, we are all Iron Man. We all have fears and insecurities and that's why we love Iron Man. He has fears too, but he does something about it. That's why he's a hero.

Wow, that was sentimental.

You should all go see Iron Man 3 because there were lots of explosions and people who can breathe fire and robot fights - you know, all the stuff that makes a good movie.

Superman is called the man of steel, but that's not what the world needs. Steel is hard, invulnurable. Iron can be turned into steel, but it's malleable, adaptable, and comes in many forms. We don't need another Superman, we need an Iron Man.

Just sayin'