Iron Man The Rewatchables
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Iron Man

Picking Nits

Captors’ plan; Malibu traffic; cheeseburger; chest device; security; grooming; dating; phone reception; Obadiah’s armor proficiency

In the discussion (14)
Approx. transcript time · 00:44:59Read transcript
  • Giving the world’s greatest weapons engineer the equipment to build his captors a weapon is an obviously self-defeating plan, despite Obadiah’s presumed goal.
  • Characters reach the remote Malibu house implausibly fast from downtown Los Angeles without traffic.
  • Burger King is questioned as Stark’s post-captivity choice when a true Los Angeles resident might prefer In-N-Out; waiting time and enthusiasm for the chain are disputed.
  • Yinsen performing the chest-device surgery alone strains plausibility, though a counterargument asks for the same suspension of disbelief as the desert-built armor.
  • Stark personally demonstrating weapons in a war zone with minimal protection seems unnecessary; the panel acknowledges not knowing real demonstration practice.
  • His carefully maintained facial hair after months in captivity is implausible, although a little scruff is noted.
  • Returning without consulting a heart specialist seems reckless; the defense cites his refusal of hospital care and exceptional engineering confidence.
  • Rapid Malibu-to-downtown driving ignores normal traffic; Carmageddon and early COVID are remembered as rare real exceptions.
  • Pepper remaining single is questioned; romantic patience is the offered explanation, with imagined suitors illustrating the disbelief.
  • Clear phone reception while flying at extreme speed is questioned, then defended as a minor capability compared with a flying suit.
  • Visitors seem to enter the house too easily; familiar visitors have clearance, while Fury’s espionage expertise explains his intrusion.
  • An apparent absence of Stark’s heart is explicitly corrected: the device keeps fragments from reaching his existing heart, rather than replacing it.
  • The chest opening still looks excessively large; the distinction between the arc reactor and his functioning heart is reiterated.
  • Obadiah seems instantly able to use armor that took Stark weeks to learn; prior practice is proposed but challenged because he only just obtained the power source.