History YMMV / IronMan2

* Hammer's last line in the movie counts as this. "You're making a problem for me? I'm gonna make a problem for YOU. I'll be seeing you again...REAL soon!" And after a decade and 20 movies...he was still never heard from again.

** The Internet is riddled with comparisons between Tony's Senate hearing and Hank Rearden's trial in ''Literature/AtlasShrugged''. ''Film/{{Iron Man 3}}'' turns Jack Taggert into "J. [[SpellMyNameWithAnS Taggart]]" -- Jim Taggart is the name of an antagonist in ''Atlas Shrugged.''

* {{Narm}}: As cool as the suitcase armor is, it's very hard to take seriously when you consider that Vanko is presumably just standing there right in front of Tony watching it happen, and not taking the opportunity to hit him in mid-transformation. Mind you, it's [[JustifiedTrope justified]] by the fact Vanko was trying to "make god bleed", so he probably wanted to fight Tony while he was wearing the armor.
** The demise of Vanko's father is rather tragic, until Vanko starts screaming in a rather bizarre way to mourn him.
** "I vant my burd".

* EarWorm: The Stark Expo theme, as played over the closing credits. ''Make way! Make way! Tomorrow's heading our way...'' And written by Richard Sherman, one of the masters of the earworm, having written "It's a Small World" and many other catchy Disney songs.
** Fitting, as this movie was one of the first Marvel films to be released after their acquisition by Disney (though Paramount would maintain the film's distribution rights until 2013).

** Howard Stark is an {{expy}} of Creator/WaltDisney himself. (Guess who bought Marvel just a few months before this movie was released?)

** This movie is the closest the MCU has come to portraying Tony as an alcoholic like in the comics, but here his excessive drinking and unstable behavior is merely a reaction to slowly dying from his implanted arc reactor.

* FunnyAneurysmMoment:
** Tony's self-destructive behavior at his birthday party isn't pretty, but it's justified because he thinks it's his LastDayToLive. It looks a lot uglier considering how DJ AM (who had a cameo as the DJ at the party) died of substance abuse shortly before the film's release. Even harsher, the "phat beat to beat my buddy's ass to" opens with "Another One Bites the Dust" by Music/{{Queen}}.
** Hammer's technology is treated as a joke here. Which makes the reappearance of the company in ''Series/LukeCage2016'' as the manufacturer of the Judas bullet harder to bear.
* GeniusBonus:

** There is no reasonable way that [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall Tony's quick whisper-chat with Rhodes]] (at the Senate meeting) wasn't [[TakeThat scripted to reference]] a [[MoneyDearBoy certain unpleasant dispute]] from the [[TheOtherDarrin first film]]. "[[TemptingFate ...Next time, baby]]."

** [[http://blog.cratchit.org/2008/03/larry-ellison-is-iron-man.html This blogger speculated]] in jest that Oracle CEO Larry Ellison is Iron Man in RealLife. This was in March 2008. Two years later, Ellison makes a cameo at Tony Stark's birthday party in ''Iron Man 2''.
*** People also call Elon Musk the "real-life Tony Stark". Guess who else makes a cameo in Iron Man 2?

** The scene where Tony greets "Mr. Musk"--Elon Musk, CEO of both Tesla Motors and [=SpaceX=], playing himself--and Tony comments about how "Those Merlin engines are fantastic." Back in 2008 when the movie was released, this was just an inside gag about some new technology buzz. Since then, the Merlin engine has become the basis of [=SpaceX=]'s Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launch systems, which look likely to slash the cost of orbital insertions compared to conventional rockets, including contracts with the DOD and INTELSAT.

** Ivan Vanko's speech is hilarious when you take into account Tony Stark's well-known alcoholism. "If you could make God bleed, people would cease to believe in Him. There will be blood in the water." Knowing Tony Stark, [[{{Pun}} there probably already is blood in his water...]]

** Tony refers to the Avengers as a "superhero boy band". Then in 2012, the same year that the Avengers came together, [[Music/OneDirection an actual boy band also debuted]].

** Also, Tony watches his father's video message telling him, "What is and always will be my greatest creation... is you.", only to confront [[spoiler:the Winter Soldier for killing just his mother [[Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier years later]]]]

** The race in Monaco features 1970s to 1980s UsefulNotes/FormulaOne car designs. Some of the cars seen are cars from the 1976 season; most clearly seen is the Penske [=PC4=] and the Ferrari 312T2. The film ''Film/{{Rush 2013}}'' is based on the 1976 season, and have a cast of ''two'' MCU actors; with Film/{{Thor}} himself (Creator/ChrisHemsworth) playing James Hunt, while Baron Zemo from ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'' (Creator/DanielBrulhl) playing Niki Lauda. As a bonus, Brühl is using that exact Ferrari model type in ''Rush''.

** The two members of [[Film/TheAvengers original six Avengers]] meet each other for the first time, Tony and Natasha. [[spoiler:[[HeroicSacrifice Guess what happens to them]] [[Film/AvengersEndgame couple of years later...]] The fact that a major scene has them discussing what they would do if it was their last night on earth lends an additional layer of sadness and poignancy since both are closer to the end of their lives than they suspect]].

*** Also, Tony watches his father's video message telling him, "What is and always will be my greatest creation... is you.", only to confront [[spoiler:the Winter Soldier for killing just his mother [[Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier years later]]]]

* DracoInLeatherPants[=/=]GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: Judging by the internet, a significant portion of Russian viewers seems to be [[RootingForTheEmpire rooting for Ivan Vanko/Whiplash]], despite his villainous status. Given that he comes across as a much more credible and threatening villain than Justin Hammer, combined with some patriotism, this is no surprise. Not to mention that he sets out to avenge his ripped off father, a [[AntiVillain much more sympathetic goal than the other villains in the films,]] and Creator/MickeyRourke put a lot of effort into making the audience sympathize with him to the point that he was frustrated when several of his humanizing scenes got cut. Of course, a lot of people ignore the fact that he attempted to kill Tony for something his ''father'' did before he was even born, murdered several racecar drivers at the Grand Prix, both Hammer's security guards, and both a prisoner and a guard while locked up, as well as shot up the Expo and left bomb-loaded drones strewn about.

** The two members of [[Film/TheAvengers original six Avengers]] met each other for the first time, Tony and Natasha. [[spoiler:[[HeroicSacrifice Guess what happens to them]] [[Film/AvengersEndgame couple of years later...]]]]

** The two members of [[Film/TheAvengers original six Avengers]] met each other for the first time, Tony and Natasha. [[spoiler:[[Film/AvengersEndgame Guess what happens to them couple of years later...]]]]

* FunnyAneurysmMoment: Tony's self-destructive behavior at his birthday party isn't pretty, but it's justified because he thinks it's his LastDayToLive. It looks a lot uglier considering how DJ AM (who had a cameo as the DJ at the party) died of substance abuse shortly before the film's release. Even harsher, the "phat beat to beat my buddy's ass to" opens with "Another One Bites the Dust" by Music/{{Queen}}.

** Hammer's technology is treated as a joke here. Which makes the reappearance of the company in ''Series/LukeCage2016'' as the manufacturer of the Judas bullet harder to bear.

* DracoInLeatherPants[=/=]GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: Judging by the internet, a significant portion of Russian viewers seems to be [[RootingForTheEmpire rooting for Ivan Vanko/Whiplash]], despite his villainous status. Given that he comes across as a much more credible and threatening villain than Justin Hammer, combined with some patriotism, this is no surprise. Not to mention that he sets out to avenge his ripped off father, a [[AntiVillain much more sympathetic goal than the other villains in the films,]] and Mickey Rourke put a lot of effort into making the audience sympathize with him to the point that he was frustrated when several of his humanizing scenes got cut. Of course, a lot of people ignore the fact that he attempted to kill Tony for something his ''father'' did before he was even born, murdered several racecar drivers at the Grand Prix, both Hammer's security guards, and both a prisoner and a guard while locked up, as well as shot up the Expo and left bomb-loaded drones strewn about.

* FunnyAneurysmMoment: Tony's self-destructive behavior at his birthday party isn't pretty, but it's justified because he thinks it's his LastDayToLive. It looks a lot uglier considering how DJ AM (who had a cameo as the DJ at the party) died of substance abuse shortly before the film's release. Even harsher, the "phat beat to beat my buddy's ass to" opens with "Another One Bites the Dust".

** The race in Monaco features 1970s to 1980s UsefulNotes/FormulaOne car designs. Some of the cars seen are cars from the 1976 season; most clearly seen is the Penske [=PC4=] and the Ferrari 312T2. The film ''Film/{{Rush 2013}}'' is based on the 1976 season, and have a cast of ''two'' MCU actors; with Film/{{Thor}} himself (Creator/ChrisHemsworth) playing James Hunt, while Baron Zemo from ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'' (Daniel Brühl) playing Niki Lauda. As a bonus, Brühl is using that exact Ferrari model type in ''Rush''.

** Fans are split as to whether they preferred Howard's or Cheadle's take on James Rhodes. Mostly applies to this film, as Cheadle's performance in ''Film/IronMan3'' was much more well-received. His appearance in ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'' has practically solidified him as fan favorite.

* CriticProof: Rotten Tomatoes scores designate this as one of the least well-received movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's first phase, second only to ''Film/TheIncredibleHulk''. It is also tied with the first ''Film/{{Thor}}'' film for the worst score on Metacritic among the Phase One films. Despite this, it became one of the highest-grossing movies in the phase, trailing only ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}''. A lot of this likely has to do with the built-in good will that the first film had, building anticipation for this one.

** The brusque, collected Natasha Romanoff is easily the most understated major character in the film when it comes to personality tics. Some fans liked this, finding her [[FemmeFatale icy and enigmatic]] while others found her [[DullSurprise bland and lacking in personality]]. This is difficult to gauge considering Natasha spends the majority of her time undercover so she doesn't have much time to display her true personality.
*** An interview with [[WordofGod the director]] revealed that the more flirtatious scenes between Natasha and Tony were cut to preserve the Tony/Pepper relationship. A scene from the first trailer even features Natasha ''smiling''.

* PanderingToTheBase:
** Some people accused the movie of setting up the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe more than its own, due to the greater presence of {{Call Forward}}s like Captain America's shield, a clip from ''Film/TheIncredibleHulk'', Tony being evaluated for the Avengers, Black Widow, Nick Fury's return, and [[spoiler:Thor's hammer being found]].
** However, Nick Fury doesn't appear until more than an hour in and even then his purpose is more to [[WhatTheHellHero get Tony off of his ass and work]] than to convince him to join the Avengers. He even tells Tony that how annoyed he is Tony has become his problem to deal with when [[ComicBook/{{SHIELD}} S.H.I.E.L.D.]] has more on its plate to handle.
** Pandering also seems to be parodied when Coulson discovers an incomplete ComicBook/CaptainAmerica shield. Tony asks for it excitedly... and uses it to prop up his machine.

* {{Narm}}: As cool as the suitcase armor is, it's very hard to take seriously when you consider that Vanko is presumably just standing there right in front of Tony watching it happen, and not taking the opportunity to hit him in mid-transformation. Mind you, it’s [[JustifiedTrope justified]] by the fact Vanko was trying to “make god bleed”, so he probably wanted to fight Tony while he was wearing the armor.

** Bill O'Reilly, who makes a surprising cameo as himself, commenting on his show about [[spoiler:Pepper Potts becoming CEO of Stark Industries]]. It's much like the segments on his show in real life, but the fact that he was in ''Iron Man 2'' made it hilarious. Became a FunnyAneurysmMoment in later years when Sexual Harassment claims were filed against him that ended his [[Series/TheOReillyFactor show]] and [[RoleEndingMisdemeanor career]] as a result.

** The race in Monaco features 1970s to 1980s UsefulNOtes/FormulaOne car designs. Some of the cars seen are cars from the 1976 season; most clearly seen is the Penske PC4 and the Ferrari 312T2. The film ''Film/{{Rush 2013}}'' is based on the 1976 season, and have a cast of ''two'' MCU actors; with Film/{{Thor}} himself (Creator/ChrisHemsworth) playing James Hunt, while Baron Zemo from ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'' (Daniel Brühl) playing Niki Lauda. As a bonus, Brühl is using that exact Ferrari model type in Rush.

** According to WordOfSaintPaul, the Expo kid wearing an Iron Man helmet from the climax, was a young [[ComicBook/SpiderMan Peter Parker]] and he was played by director [[Creator/JonFavreau Jon Favreau]]'s son Max Favreau. Two years after this film came out, and the [[Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan unrelated Spider-Man movie]] has another actor named Max (Max Charles) playing a young Peter Parker, before he [[TimeShiftedActor grows]] [[Creator/AndrewGarfield up]].
** On a similar note, Tony telling Rhodey that "Iron Man doesn't have a sidekick" becomes ironic given that some people have criticized the MCU's version of Spider-Man as essentially being Iron Man's sidekick.
** One of the songs DJ AM plays during Tony and Rhodey's fight at the party is "It Takes Two" by Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock. Said song would end up being extensively used by Marvel in the advertising for Film/AntManAndTheWasp.

** Howard Stark is an {{expy}} of Creator/WaltDisney himself. (Guess who owns Marvel now?)

** Bill O'Reilly, who makes a surprising cameo as himself, commenting on his show about [[spoiler:Pepper Potts becoming CEO of Stark Industries]]. It's much like the segments on his show in real life, but the fact that he's in ''Iron Man 2'' made it hilarious. Became a FunnyAneurysmMoment in later years when Sexual Harassment claims were filed against him that ended his [[Series/TheOReillyFactor show]] and [[RoleEndingMisdemeanor career]] as a result.

** Bill O'Reilly, who makes a surprising cameo as himself, commenting on his show about [[spoiler:Pepper Potts becoming CEO of Stark Industries]]. It's much like the segments on his show in real life, but the fact that he's in ''Iron Man 2'' makes it hilarious. Became a FunnyAneurysmMoment in later years when Sexual Harassment claims were filed against him that ended his [[Series/TheOReillyFactor show]] and [[RoleEndingMisdemeanor career]] as a result.