Iron Man

Military Humvees go in a convoy across the Afghan desert. Tony Stark, a multibillionaire inventor of weapons, is a passenger in one of them and is travelling alongside active-duty military personnel. He is making jokes with a few others in the convoy who appear to be genuinely pleased by him and his extravagant public character. The convoy is abruptly assaulted by unidentified gunmen. The troops engage in combat to protect themselves but are fatally wounded. Tony escapes the Humvee and hides behind a big rock. The Stark Industries mark is painted on a nearby missile just before it explodes a short while later. His body armour is pierced by a small piece of shrapnel, which causes him to be pushed backward and lose consciousness.

36 hours earlier, in Las Vegas

In Las Vegas, Tony Stark is going to collect the Apogee Award. Tony's life story is documented in a presentation: Tony Stark is a child prodigy who built his first circuit board at the age of four, his first V8 engine at the age of six, and graduated with honours from MIT at the age of 17. Tony is the son of renowned weapons developer Howard Stark. When he was 21 years old, he took over as CEO of Stark Industries, where he still serves today, after his parents died in a vehicle accident in 1991. Tony is not present as Colonel James "Rhodey" Rhodes (Terrence Howard) is ready to give Tony the honour.

Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges), Tony's right-hand man and his father's former business partner, accepts the honour in Tony's place. Later, Tony is found having fun in a casino by Rhodey. A reporter called Christine Everhart (Leslie Bibb) approaches Stark as he is leaving with some inquiries about the morality of his weapons business. The two decide to spend the night together at Tony's Malibu oceanfront home after Stark quickly sidesteps her inquiries.

Christine is woken up the following morning by a voice on a computer screen. It's JARVIS, the artificially intelligent programme in charge of managing Tony's home and lab (voice: Paul Bettany). Virginia "Pepper" Potts, Tony's human helper, greets Christine as she leaves the house (Gwyneth Paltrow). Before leaving for the airport, where his plane is waiting, Tony gets some work done with the assistance of Pepper. Rhodey and Tony converse while in the air. Tony tries to convince his old pal to calm down because Rhodey is upset by his carefree attitude. They quickly become inebriated and begin to sneer at the flight attendants.

Tony travels to an Afghan military outpost to present the Jericho, a cutting-edge super-missile system, which is the newest creation of his company. Obadiah calls Tony after the demonstration, and they both express their satisfaction that everything went well. Tony departs in a different Humvee where the attack from the story's introduction takes place after refusing to travel with Rhodey.

Tony regains consciousness a long time later, in a cave. A bizarre contraption that is shoddily linked to a car battery is on his chest. Dr. Ho Yinsen (Shaun Toub), a different detainee, tells that he attempted to operate on Tony but was unable to completely remove the shrapnel. To prevent the leftover shards from shifting and inflicting more harm on his heart, Yinsen invented a gadget that functions as an electromagnet. The assailants who kidnapped Tony and Yinsen walk into the space. They want Tony to construct them a Jericho missile, according to Yinsen's translation. They torture Tony by submerging his head in water when he refuses.

A few hours later, the terrorists—who are part of the Ten Rings—display a sizable arsenal of weaponry, many of which were produced by Stark Industries. Although Tony first caves and begins constructing the missile, he has other ideas. Tony streamlines a much larger design utilised at the headquarters of his corporation to create a small version of an arc reactor with the help of Yinsen's steady doctor hands and palladium gathered from his weaponry.

Stark's heart could be powered for "fifty lifetimes... or something far bigger for roughly 15 minutes" with the power output available. Additionally, it will be sufficient to prevent Tony's heart's shrapnel from moving any further and killing him. Yinsen briefly introduces himself to Tony before revealing that he was a resident of the Afghan village of Gulmira, which was assaulted by the Ten Rings. He is unsure of the state of his family's health. He also says that he met Tony at a conference years before, but Tony was probably so inebriated that night that he doesn't remember him.

Tony appears to have changed his mind after being prodded. He starts creating the blueprints for a weapon system that will be an arc reactor-powered armoured suit that he would wear while fighting the terrorists. Raza (Faran Tahir), the leader of the Ten Rings, shows up in the middle of the project and threatens to torture Yinsen because he believes Stark is not building the Jericho as quickly as they would want. Tony offers to take Yinsen's life in exchange for his services as an assistant. Raza gives them one more day to finish.

Overnight, Tony works frantically to finish his job. As Yinsen fastens Tony into the finished armoured suit, he shows him how to exit the cave. As Tony charges his suit, they detonate a grenade inside the cell door to draw the attention of the guards. Yinsen understands that there won't be enough time. Despite Tony's objections, he takes a gun and flees to divert the remaining guards.

Tony pushes his way through the cave as his suit is now fully energised. The guards attempt to stop him, but he easily defeats them by beating them or killing them with the weapon fire deflected by his armour. He also launches a missile from the suit at Raza, who is blinded by the explosion. Stark discovers Yinsen halfway out of the grotto, dead from his injuries. Yinsen admits that this was his intention when he gave his life to allow Tony to flee; his family has already passed away and he will now see them in the afterlife. Tony sobs in gratitude to Yinsen for saving him. The last advice Yinsen gives Stark is to not squander his second opportunity at life.

Tony activates flamethrowers and launches missiles at the remaining terrorists while wearing his suit. While he disarms their arsenal, some of their heavier-caliber weapons start to harm his suit. To escape the valley, he launches himself using a crude jet-pack. His jet-pack malfunctions shortly after shooting, but he survives a crash in the desert. The US helicopters fly overhead as Stark leaves the suit behind and wanders into the desert. Tony is discovered by a gang of troops, led by Rhodey. Rhodey is ecstatic to learn that his companion is still with him.

Tony is swiftly transported back to the US. Pepper urges Tony to get medical attention when he gets to Edwards Air Force Base, but Tony only wants two things: an American cheeseburger and a press conference for his company. Tony then stands in front of the media, clearly humiliated and no longer the haughty CEO he was before to being captured, and declares his intention to quickly close down Stark Industries' weapons manufacturing section. Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) from the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement & Logistic Division approaches Pepper at the same time. They want to speak with Tony about being taken in. For them, Pepper makes an appointment.

Obadiah confronts Tony about his behaviour later that night, incensed. Obadiah is aware that this announcement will have a significant negative impact on their company's stock value and, consequently, their financial situation. Tony wants to advance the arc reactor technology at Stark Industries, but Obadiah believes that it is merely a PR ploy. Obadiah learns of Tony's Mark I chestpiece during their talk, but Tony won't allow the gadget to be investigated for production. Tony is persuaded by Stane to keep quiet for a while while the business sorts things out.

Pepper looks. When Tony pleads for her assistance, Jim Cramer delivers a stinging news report on Mad Money on the declining worth of Stark Industries. While his aiding robot, Dummy, attempted to put the arc reactor into Tony's chest but was unsuccessful, Pepper's hands are small enough to fit into the chamber in Tony's chest, thus Tony needs help installing the improved and significantly more potent mini arc reactor, the Mark II chestpiece. Tony is on the verge of going into cardiac collapse after Pepper inadvertently pulls out the old reactor's cords too soon. They succeed in finishing the procedure on schedule. Tony, who is not a sentimental person, urges Pepper to burn the old model.

Tony comes to Rhodes and requests assistance with a fresh personal endeavour. Rhodey disagrees with Tony's strategy because he believes Tony needs time to heal from post-traumatic stress disorder brought on by his capture.

Tony seeks assistance from JARVIS, his other close friend. It is revealed that Tony's strategy involves upgrading his armoured suit (referred to as Mark II; the suit from the terrorist cave was Mark I). Tony streamlines the design by removing many of the components while looking at a 3D CGI-mapped image of the Mark I. In the meantime, Raza searches the desert for any remaining pieces of the Mark I suit that Tony left behind despite having survived his fight with Stark and being gravely disfigured by the rocket attack in the cave.

Tony decides that the flight system of the armour needs to be improved first. He develops repulsors for the feet and stabilisers installed on the palms for balance because the leg-mounted jets proved to be too unstable. He is testing the stabilisers when Pepper enters, and they discover that it also produces a potent repulsion beam that might be used as a weapon. The repulsor blows him backward in his first test. Tony receives a gift from Pepper in the form of a package wrapped in paper.

Obadiah informs Tony that the board of directors has requested an injunction to take control of Stark Industries when he visits him. Tony is unconcerned because he still owns a controlling stake in Stark Industries.

Tony perfects his flight system after several painful and unsuccessful tries, and he is excited at the idea of taking to the skies.

Soon, the Mark II armoured suit will be completed. Tony's Mark I armour appears to be a greatly streamlined version of this. Tony communicates with JARVIS to keep tabs on the suit's development. Tony decides to test it out against JARVIS's recommendations and is blown away by how well it works. Tony pushes the envelope of high-atmosphere flying, but at such extreme altitudes, the icy air coats the suit, and his power supply fails.

Tony barely gets his thrusters back on in time to keep from hitting the ground. When Stark arrives home, his beloved sports car is crushed and the armour crashes through three floors of the house. The Mark I arc reactor sits inside the box Pepper earlier left behind, enclosed as a prize with the inscription "Proof That Tony Stark Has a Heart," as Tony is recovering from his crash landing.

In order to address the icing and weight issues, Tony examines further data before deciding to rebuild the suit using gold titanium from an earlier effort. He leaves to attend his annual benefit dinner while the next suit is put together and painted, giving JARVIS the order to add some hot-rod red trim to the next suit, code-named Mark III.

Agent Coulson, who is still interested in learning about Tony's incident, joins Tony at the charity event. They have a brief moment together in the moonlight before Tony departs to dance with Pepper.

Christine, the journalist Tony slept with before travelling to Afghanistan, approaches him angrily and presents him with images of his guns being used by terrorists the day before in Yinsen's hamlet, a rural Afghan town called Gulmira. Obadiah admits that he is the one who brought the injunction against Tony when Tony confronts him about the situation. Obadiah, who self-identifies as a "iron monger," has no qualms about providing both sides of the fight with Stark Industries' armaments. Tony comes home in a rage.

He observes news coverage of the deteriorating situation in the Gulmira region while he is there. He experiments with his hand repulsors, using them as a weapon to shatter many panes of glass. When the new suit is finished, a robotic automatic system fits it on his body. Stark, desperate to make amends for his company's mistakes, takes off at hypersonic speed for Gulmira.

When Tony arrives, militants in Gulmira are collecting up citizens for abduction and killing. They cannot stand a chance against his Mark III armour. He disarms the first group of terrorists in a matter of seconds, killing several of them with his cutting-edge weapons while sparing no innocent people any harm. He abandons the top lieutenant of Raza, the head of the organisation, alive and helpless so that the villagers might exact revenge on him.

Iron Man crashes while flying to locate his armaments after being hit by a tank shell. A second shell almost misses him as he stands up. In response, he destroys the tank by firing a mini-missile at it. He destroys the seized Jericho missiles with the palm repulsors he created. Raza gets there just in time to witness Tony take off after they are destroyed.

Tony is spotted by CENTCOM at Edwards Air Force Base, who mistakes him for an errant drone. Col. Rhodes is questioned regarding any recent developments. He gets in touch with Tony, who says he is unaware of what is going on. Tony is then met by two F-22 Raptors in the interim. Although he tries to outrun the jets, he is unable to do so. When Rhodes answers the phone, Tony tells him that he is in charge of the "unidentified vessel." When Tony reveals that the "equipment" in his new invention is actually him, Rhodey is horrified and enraged at the same time. Tony had sent in equipment without his permission.

Tony gets struck by a fighter jet, which causes him to fly into the second plane's wing. The pilot must eject, but his parachute does not deploy. Still under attack, Iron Man flies in and opens the parachute in time to save the pilot. Tony persuades Rhodey to claim that the incident with the jets was a "training exercise."

Pepper catches Tony as the robotic system is taking off his suit after he returns home. Since the disassembly is not going as well as the assembly, Tony jokes that Pepper has witnessed him in much worse circumstances.

In the meantime, Stane pays a visit to the Ten Rings' base and reveals that he paid the group to find and murder Tony, but that when they recorded their recording, they learned who Tony was and demanded a far larger price. Raza is rendered temporarily paralysed by a powerful sonic gadget used by Stane, who also seizes the remaining pieces of the Mark I armour they have gathered. The entire camp is then put to death by Stane's troops.

Tony tries to get Pepper to assist him because he thinks that the only thing that matters is saving the individuals he has put in danger. Tony's dedication touches Pepper, and she agrees. With a flash drive preprogrammed to copy files from the computer, she enters Obadiah's office. Pepper searches through the files in storage and discovers a video from the terrorists that shows Obadiah was the one who captured Tony.

When Obadiah enters the office, he notices Pepper using the computer, but Pepper is able to conceal what she is actually doing. As soon as he turns on the computer, Obadiah realises what she was up to when she leaves the office. Agent Coulson is on the way out when Pepper spots him and tells him he can have his interview right away so that he may follow her out of the building safely.

Obadiah meets with his group of designers who are creating a customised version of the Mark I armoured suit. They have restored the parts, but Stark's arc reactor still cannot be made smaller. Stane is enraged but gives in after the chief developer informs him that he is not as smart as Tony. Obadiah is aware of his alternate choice.

When Stane gets to Tony's house, he uses the sonic weapon to paralyse him. Tony's Mark II chest piece is yanked out by Obadiah, who makes fun of Tony by saying that it will usher in a new era of weaponry. Tony comes to the realisation that the preserved arc reactor Pepper gave him as a gift is his last chance for survival when he departs. He stumbles down to his workshop and struggles to get the reactor back after Dummy hands it to him. Just before Rhodey arrives, Tony installs the reactor. Five operatives have reportedly gone to apprehend Obadiah, according to Rhodey, but Tony is aware that this is not nearly enough manpower.

As Tony gets dressed, Rhodey marvels at the Iron Man suit. When Rhodey inquires about Tony's wants, Tony replies, "Keep the sky clear." Rhodey notices the Mark II prototype suit in silver as Tony takes off, shakes his head, and murmurs "Next time."

A number of operatives, including Pepper, Coulson, and others, arrive at Obadiah's research centre. They locate the Mark I armour as well as a storage area where another item was housed. Suddenly, a massive robotic suit known as the Iron Monger, powered by the chest piece Obadiah stole from Tony, comes to life and assaults them.

JARVIS cautions Tony that he only has around half the suit's power left as he flies near the research site because the older chest piece wasn't made to power the Mark III during prolonged flight.

Tony shows up right before Obadiah is ready to kill Pepper. Tony tries to shield any uninvolved bystanders as the two ironclad warriors start a big, brawling combat that overflows into the streets close to Stark Industries. As Tony soars into the upper atmosphere, Obadiah follows. Obadiah fights, but eventually his suit starts to ice up—it has the same issue as Tony's Mark II. Tony lingers in the air while Obadiah starts to descend to Earth. Tony falls back to Earth and lands on top of his factory, which is still working on backup power as the older arc reactor progressively loses power.

Obadiah resurfaces and assaults Tony once more. Obadiah's weapons tracking system is taken out by Tony, who also manages to elude him long enough to give Pepper the order to overload the building's arc reactor, which will produce a shock wave powerful enough to take out Obadiah's suit. Pepper is hesitant because she thinks Tony might also perish. Even as she increases the power to the reactor, Tony is able to continue fighting. The Iron Monger suit is knocked out by the reactor's shock wave and falls into it, killing Stane and destroying the reactor. Tony is able to live thanks to Stark's initial micro arc reactor igniting once more.

Days later, Rhodey addresses the media regarding the encounter with the two "robots." Tony is inspired by the moniker "Iron Man" suggested by the media and intends to use it. The "truth" regarding Iron Man (who will be described to as Stark's bodyguard) and the death of Obadiah (who will perish in a little plane crash while Tony is ostensibly away) have both been covered up by Agent Coulson. Pepper praises Coulson but is unable to recall the complete name of the organisation he is a part of. They should call it "S.H.I.E.L.D.", advises Coulson, and they'll be in touch soon.

Tony appears in front of the media once more and is ready to follow the cover story. However, as he starts to speak, he tosses his notes aside and proclaims, "I am Iron Man." There is a media frenzy.

A mystery guy in black greets Tony when he gets home much later (after the credits), informing him that as Iron Man, Tony has joined a bigger universe. Tony enquires about the man. He turns around and identifies himself as S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). He is here to speak with Tony about the "Avenger Initiative," a forthcoming undertaking.