One MCU Film Is Actually A Christmas Movie
Published
One movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is more festive than you think. ‘It’s Christmas. Take ’em to church.’
In November this year, Disney+ debuted its Hawkeye series. With its jingling intro, festive tunes and frosty New York setting around the holidays, it whet comic book fans’ appetites for Christmas.
‘It’s fun, we’ve always wanted to do a story [at Christmas]… this, unabashedly, is a holiday story. I love the idea of it being a perennial that people can check out every holiday season,’ Kevin Feige said. However, the Marvel Cinematic Universe already has its own yuletide offering. ‘You know what keeps going through my head… where’s my sandwich?’
Iron Man 3 was the first film to hit cinemas following Avengers Assemble, kicking off Phase Two of the MCU. Written and directed by Shane Black (alongside Drew Pearce on the script), it dealt with the mental consequences of Tony Stark’s wormhole heroics, boasted a standout ‘barrel of monkeys’ set-piece and became one of the franchise’s most notorious movies as a result of its Mandarin twist (it’s good, by the way).
But forget that – we’re here to talk about Christmas. It’s no surprise the movie has festive undertones: Black is a purveyor of Christmas throughout his filmography, whether it’s Lethal Weapon, The Nice Guys or The Long Kiss Goodnight.
In 2019, Marvel declared Iron Man 3 to be a Christmas movie, and even backed up its position with an article.
‘The plot of Iron Man 3 could honestly take place at any time of the year – considering it’s not wholly dependent on its Christmas setting. But, the fact that it does take place at Christmas makes it a clear contender for a true Christmas movie, and we’re here to say, once and for all, that it deserves a place in the Christmas Movie Hall of Fame,’ it reads.
‘We believe Iron Man 3 is a Christmas movie because the essence of the story revolves around Tony going through hardships and coming out the other side to see the wrong in his ways. That’s the spirit of Christmas,’ it continues.
The piece argues how Killian is ‘literally a ghost from Tony’s holiday past that’s come back to haunt him’, nodding to Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, and ‘just like Scrooge (but without any of the ‘bah humbugs’), Tony needs some pushing to get to where he needs to be’, eventually leading him to destroy all of his suits, realising they were a ‘cocoon’.
‘It’s hard not to look at Iron Man 3 through a traditional Christmas story lens. Tony could have changed at any point during the year. But changing now, at Christmas, sure drives home the point that this is the season for rebirth aligned with the winter solstice… it’s hard to argue with the holiday setting, the gift-giving, the repenting for past mistakes, and Tony wanting to be better – not just for himself but the people around him, too,’ Marvel’s reasoning concludes.
This Christmas, spend time with your favourite genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist: Iron Man 3 is available to stream on Disney+.
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Topics: Film and TV, Disney+, Iron Man, Now, Robert Downey Jr
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