Iron Man may have once been thought of a s second-tier superhero icon once upon a time but that's certainly not the case anymore. The armored hero has, thanks to the unbeatable magnetism of actor Robert Downey Jr. in the lead role, become just as much of a household name as Marvel's Spider-Man or even DC's Superman.
This doesn't necessarily mean that every movie that the character has been involved with in the colossal Marvel Cinematic Universe has been a massive hit with critics or fans. Some are looked at more fondly than others. The scores of each movie on review aggregate site Metacritic paint a more varied picture of success.
10 Iron Man 2 (57)
One of the lowest-rated movies of the MCU overall with both fans and critics, Robert Downey Jr.'s first sequel as the titular hero was never a big failure nor a big success in relation to the popularity of his debut.
Nevertheless, it has been appreciated a little better over time and a few of the casting choices that made their first appearance in Iron Man 2 became some of the franchise's most lasting and beloved.
9 The Incredible Hulk (61)
Tony Stark only appears briefly at the end of The Incredible Hulk but the post-credits-type scene was placed as the movie's final scene, tying in the movie's story to a wider universe very strongly.
This was, after all, only the MCU's second movie but it has since become somewhat of an oddity as the character of Bruce Banner/The Hulk was recast and most of the movie has been forgotten from the series' course of events.
8 Iron Man 3 (62)
Certainly an improvement over Iron Man 2, at least in terms of box office success, the third live-action Iron Man movie was not without its controversial talking points among fans and critics.
It was actually the character's fifth movie appearance at this point including The Incredible Hulk and The Avengers and, though it may have ridden some on some of the popularity of the latter, Iron Man 3 has cultivated its own strong fanbase and was one of the highest-grossing movies of the year of its release.
7 Avengers: Age of Ultron (66)
The second Avengers was not as successful with either fans or critics as the first but still did quite decently all things considered at both the box office and in the overall calculations of review scores.
Similarly to Iron Man 2, any failings with the story or the pacing were made up for by the movie's introductions of fan-favorite characters into the franchise and the furthering of overarching plotlines.
6 Avengers: Infinity War (68)
Faring much better than Age of Ultron at both the box office and with critics, the third Avengers movie took Iron Man to space and combined his charisma with the upbeat charms of the MCU's hit Guardians of the Galaxy movies.
The movie also furthered the character's relationship with the franchise's iteration of Spider-Man while setting up the production company's biggest box office success to date.
5 The Avengers (69)
The Avengers finally paid off on all of the setup throughout the MCU up to that point and secured Marvel Studios' reputation as a leading player in the world of movies.
Though surrounded by other heroes vying to be the top dog in any given scene, Iron Man fit right at home in the expanded world of Marvel and still sat comfortably as the center of attention.
4 Spider-Man: Homecoming (73)
Though the character would debut in the next movie on our list, the MCU's version of Spider-Man wouldn't get his first solo movie until the following year and, even then, he would share a lot of it with his mentor in the franchise, Iron Man.
The movie furthered the parental themes surrounding the two leading superheroes all while establishing the webslinger as a replacement for tech genius Tony Stark in the makeup of the fictional universe.
3 Captain America: Civil War (75)
Robert Downey Jr. was able to show off a slightly darker side to his usually easygoing character in the third Captain America movie which functioned much more as followup to Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Pitted against his longtime ally, and a team of heores who support him and his opposition to a new set of laws limiting the freedom of the Avengers, Iron Man is arguably a villain in the movie but it worked well with both fans and critics.
2 Avengers: Endgame (78)
The movie that finally brought the story of the MCU's leading characters to an end (for now at least), Avengers: Endgame broke box office records to become not only the highest-grossing Marvel Studios movie released so far but the highest-grossing movie of any kind released so far.
Robert Downey Jr.'s run as the character came to an end in an emotional and finalistic way but, as Spider-Man: Far From Home proved, his presence will be strongly felt in the universe for quite a while yet.
1 Iron Man (79)
In the eyes of critics, and very often fans, nothing quite beats the original appearance of the superhero on the big screen.
Robert Downey Jr. delivered one of the most significant performances in the history of the genre with his quick-witted and caddish playboy with a heart.
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