Marvel Origins: Iron Man (2007)

Marvel Origins: Iron Man is a 2007 American superhero film based on the Marvel comics character Iron Man. The film stars Patrick Dempsey, Jessica Chastain and Cuba Gooding Jr.

Plot
Tony Stark is visiting war-torn Afghanistan to demonstrate the latest weapon by Stark Industries, the Jericho missile, with his friend Lt Col James "Rhodey" Rhodes. Their convoy is ambushed, however, and even though Rhodey escapes, Tony is injured and captured. He wakes up in a cave and finds that he is a prisoner of a terrorist group known as the Ten Rings.

Tony meets a man named Ho Yinsen, who is also imprisoned in the same cave. Yinsen is forced to graft an electromagnet into Tony's chest to prevent a piece of shrapnel embedded in his chest from reaching his heart and killing him. Raza, the terrorist leader, offers to let Tony go once he builds a Jericho missile for him.

Stark and Yinsen decide to instead build a large electrical generator called an arc reactor as well as a large suit of armour, planning to use the arc reactor to power the suit and escape.

When the group figure out what's going on, however, Tony and Yin sen are forced to act quickly. As Tony powers up the suit, Yinsen runs out of their cell and manages to retrieve a gun, but is killed in the ensuing firefight. Enraged, Tony uses the suit to ignite a massive fire and then flies away, but crashes into the middle of the desert. The suit is destroyed, but Tony is soon rescued by Rhodey.

Returning home, Tony announces that his company will no longer manafacture weapons, against the wishes of company manager Obadiah Stane. In his home workshop, Tony sets about building a newer, better version of the suit which saved him. He also begins to grow close to his secretary, Pepper Potts.

Meanwhile, a new threat arises in the form of the Mandarin, who turns out to be the leader of the Ten Rings. The Mandarin is able to pirate the airwaves and make threats against America, as well as detonating two bombs within the country. In the desert, the Ten Rings, overseen by Raza, collect the scattered pieces of Tony's first suit.

Tony watches a news report about the Ten Rings whilst tinkering with his suit, and decides to use the suit to return to Afghanistan and take the Ten Rings down. Once the suit is functional enough, Tony flies to Afghanistan where the Ten Rings are attacking a small village. Tony lands and a firefight ensues, ending with Tony killing most of the terrorists and leaving the group leader for the residents of the village to do with as they please. Raza, who was watching from afar, informs the Mandarin of this new threat.

On the way back, Tony encounters two fighter jets and he is forced to call Rhodey and reveal his identity to prevent himself from being shot down.

The Mandarin reappears in television, executing a kidnapped American and threatening to kill more unless Tony (who he identifies as the Iron Knight) surrenders to him.

Tony, now more determined then ever, invites Rhodey to assist him in assaulting the Mandarin's lair. Rhodey is reluctant but agrees to go along with it to save the American prisoners. The two infiltrate the Ten Rings headquarters, where they free the remaining prisoners, who then arm themselves with the weapons of the fallen terrorists. Tony then goes to confront the Mandarin while Rhodey leads the soldiers against the Ten Rings. During the subsequent shootout, Rhodey fatally shoots Raza.

A final showdown then occurs between Tony and the Mandarin, during which the faceplate on Tony's suit is knocked off to reveal his identity. The Mandarin is surprised and laughs, warning Tony that there is more in store for him that he realises. In the following battle, Tony manages to take advantage of the Mandarin's moment of vulnerability and blasts him through a wall. Afterwards, Tony, Rhodey and the freed prisoners return home.

The film ends with the captured soldiers reuniting with their families, the surviving terrorists being put on trial, and Rhodey being honoured as a hero while Tony happily watches from afar. All is not well, however, as the gathered pieces of the first suit and now revealed to be in possession of Obadiah Stane.

Cast
Patrick Dempsey - Tony Stark/Iron Man

Jessica Chastain - Pepper Potts

Cuba Gooding Jr - James Rhodes

Chow Yun Fat - The Mandarin

Ed Harris - Obadiah Stane

Sequels
The film was followed by The Invincible Iron Man and Iron Man Extremis.