Iron Man 3 is a great movie to put on during the holidays with the festive backdrop and Tony Stark’s cheeky holiday tone. But it also goes a lot deeper than that.
Is Iron Man 3 a Christmas Movie?
Despite its holiday-centric setting, some people still tell me that Iron Man 3 is not a conventional Christmas movie.
I know certain elements of the film didn’t resonate well with some audience members, like the twist around the antagonist or the use of Iron Patriot (I disagree with both complaints, btw). so there’s always been an argument around how “good” Iron Man 3 performs as a movie in general.
But this isn’t like the classic “is die hard a christmas movie?” argument just because there’s more than just the holidays happening in this iron man threequel; no, I would contest that, on the grounds of whether Iron man 3 is a Christmas movie, it’s just as much a Christmas movie disguised as a superhero film as it is the other way around.
Christmas Themes in Iron Man 3
Christmas is both festive and reflective. Iron Man 3 blends several familiar Christmas movie themes into its plot, offering tones of redemption, second chances, and reconnecting with others as Tony Stark celebrates the winter holiday. This resonates especially well during the holiday season when everyone’s being especially introspective.
And who isn’t reminded of the iconic style of a Hallmark Christmas movie when Tony Stark visits a small Tennessee town wearing a flannel and trucker hat to play father-figure for a young tech prodigy?
Tony Stark as a Christmas Character
Tony plays the main figure of a Christmas movie, and he’s in the doghouse because his selfishness is getting in the way of the holiday season.
It’s really a bit more serious than that; I still think Tony’s PTSD is one of the best-crafted MCU stories.
But when you blur your vision a bit, Tony fits into a similar mold in Iron Man 3 as George Bailey did in the Christmas classic It’s A Wonderful Life.
Tony’s Self-Discovery Journey
Not to mention that Tony is presumed dead during half of this film—mainly while he’s on his journey of self-discovery.
Harley (the small town kid) reminds me of George Bailey’s angel, Clarence, guiding him through a new trial while also adding a layer of complexity to the problem.
Maybe Tony helped Harley earn his wings, because Harley was a great guide for Tony as he struggled with his internal and external battles.
reminding the genius-philanthropist that even he needs help believing in himself sometimes is a tall task, but Harley broke down Tony’s barriers in a way that only a guardian angel could do.
Also, the movie kind of starts by giving a character his wings–Happy Hogan earned his wings as (fore)Head of Security and he was basically floating as he patrolled Stark HQ, brimming with authority and enthusiasm.
also also, j.a.r.v.i.s. has his own stocking.
Pepper and Tony’s Relationship
As a result of Tony’s selfishness, the wife of the main Christmas character (or Pepper, in this case) isn’t happy until Tony drops the selfish thing he’s been holding onto and picks up some real holiday spirit instead.
Did I just describe Iron Man 3 or decks the halls? The answer is yes!
In this case, it’s Tony’s suit-building that’s taking up all of his time and energy. He’s constantly building better Iron Man armor in the name of ingenuity while it’s really his anxiety being masked as productivity (preach).
The Symbolic Sacrifice (even if it didn’t last)
This ends up putting Pepper in danger because Tony starts getting sloppy with his work, which drives Pepper to distance herself from Tony and become bitter towards him.
Tony ends up sacrificing his suits as a Christmas gift to Pepper, much like Tim Allen’s character gives away his cruise tickets to be with his family in Christmas with the Kranks.
A sacrifice made in the name of the holiday season rarely lasts, which is ironically exactly what happened with Tony’s tendencies to tinker.
I’m referring to Tony Stark’s very next MCU appearance two years later, in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, which features three new suits of Iron Man armor. The new suits even pick up at number 43 after Tony’s last suit in Iron man 3 was mark 42.
This feels just like the way Christmas with the Kranks ends the movie—by suggesting they really learned nothing from their mistakes and might try ditching Christmas again next year.
So has Tony really moved on from the Iron Man persona? Not in the slightest (thank God).
Rather, Iron Man 3 is an example of how we can all put our selfish tendencies aside for the sake of others during the holiday season (even if we fall back into bad habits later on).
I’m pretty sure I’ve made a new year’s resolution to be better at responding to emails + texts for at least 5 new years now. Some of it’s about intention, and some of it is about action. The intention grows into a lot stronger of an urge during the season in which we’re all looking at how good everyone else is being and comparing it to our own lackluster efforts.
you’re doing enough, by the way. The holiday season has a way of twisting things to make it look like you’re not, but you are.
anyway, merry Christmas, let’s move on.
Shane Black’s Directorial Touch
on a different note, this also speaks to the creative direction that was taken during the writing process for Iron Man 3.
looking back, it’s unlikely the MCU was planning on Tony making an ultimate sacrifice of all his suits, but director Shane Black was likely allowed to do it in the name of Christmas.
Basically, I’m of the mind that Tony wouldn’t have done something as major as blowing up all his available tech in Iron Man 3 if he wasn’t allowed to say “merry Christmas.”
Jon Favreau directed the first two Iron Man movies, and while I wouldn’t have minded if he had done all 3, Shane Black brought a special touch that really makes Iron Man 3 feel like a Christmas movie.
Black once said he likes making movies set around Christmas because it’s an emotional time of year and it makes for an easier time at uncovering characters’ vulnerabilities.
Just thought I’d share that, in case you were wondering why Black did this for movies like Lethal Weapon and The Long Kiss Goodnight, too.
Tony’s Vulnerability
We get to see a side of Tony in Iron Man 3 that we had only seen in glimpses before. The crooked look he’d give himself in the mirror, or the quickness of putting his shades on when presented with a difficult situation, were signs of Tony’s internal struggles.
After the events of 2012’s The Avengers, those struggles reached a tipping point. Tony isn’t able to internalize his anxiety anymore, and Shane Black used the holiday season to bring Tony’s worries to a boil in a creative and relevant way (even if Marvel decided to release this Christmas movie in the middle of May).
Another Shane Black holiday film fact! this isn’t the first movie that Black has directed that is:
- set around Christmastime
- is narrated by Robert Downey, Jr., and
- features the TCL Chinese Theatre for no apparent reason.
See Kiss Kiss Bang Bang if this floats your boat. ^^
for the record: I don’t look at these details as the absolute reasoning as to why Iron Man 3 should be considered a Christmas movie; rather, I hold this blog post as evidence that the movie must be regarded as such if a conversation like this can be had about it.
“It’s a big bunny, relax about it!”
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