Iron Man 2 wasn’t the most well-received movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Though there were worse films, it played a crucial role in establishing the MCU as a connected universe, thanks to one pivotal scene. At the end of the movie, after Tony Stark defeated Whiplash, he was approached by Nick Fury. Fury assessed whether Tony was suitable to join the Avengers Initiative. Although Tony was considered for a consulting position rather than becoming a member, this moment was essential in signaling the MCU’s direction—a connected universe with stories told across different movies by different characters.
Even before this scene, the movie hinted at something bigger than just Iron Man’s adventures. Iron Man 2 can be seen as the launching point of the MCU proper. Without it, there would have been no slow setup for Thor or hints that the Avengers would be the next big move for the first true cinematic universe. So, perhaps some gratitude is owed to this movie.
The Moment The Avengers Became A Possibility
The appearance of characters like Nick Fury and Black Widow in the movie was surprising enough. It created a sense that Tony Stark was not the only major player in the MCU, despite his fantastic inventions.
This was confirmed by the movie’s ending. After saving the day and dealing with his enemies, Tony was taken by Nick Fury to a remote location for a final assessment of his performance.
Throughout the movie, Fury had been guiding Tony, trying to get him to save his own life and, more importantly, see if he had the right character to join the team of exceptional individuals Fury was assembling.
This is why Fury planted Black Widow in Tony’s company—to keep an eye on him and evaluate whether his personality met S.H.I.E.L.D.’s high standards. Unfortunately for Tony, his impulsiveness and narcissism made him a potential liability. At the time, S.H.I.E.L.D. still assumed that the Avengers would function like an elite military team, not realizing that most of the individuals they would recruit were not suited to a paramilitary hierarchy.
So, while the Iron Man suit and its technology were recommended for the Avengers Initiative, Tony, with all his personality flaws, was not. This led to a compromise between him and Fury. Tony would be retained as a consultant. He wouldn’t see field action, but his intellect would still be an asset. Of course, fans knew immediately that Tony would never heed this arrangement. By the scene’s conclusion, it was clear that an Avengers movie was where all these superhero films were inevitably headed.
Iron Man 2 Launched The True MCU
This is what made Iron Man 2 so important to the MCU. The story could have been better, and it probably could have been worse, but it established how interconnected everything in these movies was. It turned a self-contained story into something far more interesting and alive. Sure, Iron Man was dealing with a murderous genius who wanted him dead to settle a vendetta against his father, but Fury’s involvement made it clear that other problems were occurring in the world. In many ways, this reflects real life. There’s more than just one faction of bad people operating at a time, and the same is true for those who do good.
From this movie came all others. Iron Man 2 didn’t set up every Marvel movie that followed, but it did increase fan interest. With the knowledge that some of their favorite heroes and villains might appear in live-action under the care of directors who can bring these nuanced characters to life, suddenly, anything became possible. The studios could guarantee that there would always be interest in another movie, and they had literal decades worth of content from comic history to craft the arcs of each phase in the MCU.
Iron Man 2 was by no means the best movie in the MCU, but in terms of relevance, it is arguably one of the most important. Without it, it’s hard to say if the movies that followed would even have been given the green light. So, fans might actually owe some thanks to the film, giving it the credit it deserves as a vital part of the MCU.
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