Tony Stark, nog steeds de machiavellistische entrepreneur uit deel 1, maakt er in elk geval geen geheim van dat hij het gezicht is van Amerika's favoriete actieheld Movie Iron Man 2. In de openingsscene, die wellicht niet toevallig aan de inauguratie van ene Barack O Movie Iron Man 2. doet denken, deelt Stark zijn dubbele identiteit mee aan de wereld ('I have successfully privatized world peace', aldus zijn niet geheel bescheiden alterego) Movie Iron Man 2. Stark weigert echter informatie te onthullen over zijn blikken omhulsel, omdat hij bang is dat de informatie in de verkeerde handen terecht zal komen Movie Iron Man 2. Bijvoorbeeld in die van Whiplash (Mickey Rourke), een Russische booswicht die nog een eitje te pellen heeft met Stark Enterprises. Don Cheadle and Samuel L Movie Iron Man 2. Jackson are more difficult to pin down Movie Iron Man 2. The former is a military officer who straps on his own iron man outfit, sometimes to battle by Stark's side, and sometimes to battle Stark himself when he is out of control. Jackson is a sort of Interpol leader Movie Iron Man 2. He wears an eyepatch for the same reason that Daryl Hannah does in the Kill Bill movies, that is, the director thinks it makes him look cool. Downey seems to float above it all, riding a cloud of attitude that's equal parts "WTF?" and "what the hell?" Cheadle, Gwyneth Paltrow, Favreau himself - they all fill roles that are like barely written shadows filling in the background Movie Iron Man 2. Rourke makes a hulking but not particularly appealing or threatening villain; only Rockwell, one of our great undersung actors, finds a fresh spin for virtually every line, finding the humor in Hammer's seething resentment and inferiority complex. Stark is an entertaining character when he is "on". It just does not happen enough. He shares a few good moments with a Senator, and a couple with Pepper Movie Iron Man 2. His best scene is when he is talking to Hammer and an attractive reporter. It is full of sexual innuendo, but only Stark seems to pick up on it Movie Iron Man 2. For some reason, they cut the scene from the commercials where Pepper throws the helmet out of the plane and Stark tells Pepper, "You complete me!" Those are the moments that make Stark likable, not the ones where he sits alone in his lab working on his equipment Movie Iron Man 2.