Tony Stark has become something of a recluse after his near-death experience in The Avengers (2012), and his girlfriend, Pepper Potts, is running the family business. Iron Man 3 also touches on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), prejudice, the military industrial complex, and drone warfare. Take Tony Stark's decision to abandon his global protector role, prioritizing domestic matters instead: that decision is likely to resonate with war-weary Americans who have only recently begun to bring back their troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, and are reluctant to send them to Syria.

In 2009, when people were growing increasingly concerned about our impact on the environment, Avatar pioneered a new form of science fiction that emphasized ecology over technology, and cast resource-hungry humans as the antagonists.Īlthough it may never become a classic, Iron Man 3 certainly reflects contemporary American debates over foreign policy. In the 60s, when space travel was finally becoming possible, 2001: A Space Odyssey raised questions about humans' place in the universe. Proceed accordingly.Ĭertain movies stand out as classics because of the way they capture the spirit of their times. This essay is riddled with plot spoilers.

Iron man 3