The Marvel Cinematic Universe, despite its recent creative and commercial fumbles, remains one of the biggest cinematic franchises ever — one that came to dominate Hollywood and pop culture in a shocking amount of time. To think it all started with one man, a single character, and a movie that changed Hollywood forever: “Iron Man.”

The summer of 2008 really was the season of Robert Downey Jr., at least on the big screen. On top of his stellar, somehow Oscar-nominated turn in “Tropic Thunder,” there was also the monumental success of “Iron Man,” a film that got the world to fall in love with the womanizing arms dealer with a heart of gold, Tony Stark. It came as a shock to the superhero system; here was a guy who had zero regard for his secret identity, relished in his powers and ego, and didn’t have to deal with much in terms of personal sacrifice (his brief hostage stint aside, that is), unlike Peter Parker. Tony was fun to watch, charismatic, smart, smug, and a total star.

Downey Jr. would go on to reprise his “Iron Man” role in several movies across the next 11 years, serving as either the lead, a supporting player, or simply a minor member of the ensemble. So, ahead of Downey Jr.’s return to the franchise as Doctor Doom in “Avengers: Doomsday,” let’s rank every MCU movie Iron Man is in.

“Iron Man 2” was the MCU’s first real misfire. It’s not a disaster by any means, but it is an extremely middle-of-the-road, “fine” movie that does very little to build on the momentum of the first “Iron Man” or even “The Incredible Hulk” before it. The film brought in Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell to play its villains, yet it didn’t give them much to do and the characters were little more than one-dimensional cartoon villains (much to Rourke’s annoyance). And yet, the movie is not without its redeeming qualities. There are some great action set pieces, with the third act even boasting some sequences storyboarded by the animation legend Genndy Tartakovsky.

Still, it’s the murky politics of “Iron Man 2,” combined with the boring trip down memory lane into the Stark family’s history, that make this film a chore to get through. This was also the movie that made it clear Marvel Studios had (and still has) a complicated creative relationship with the U.S. military and that it would rarely ever offer meaningful political commentary (as evidenced 15 years later by 2025’s shockingly and disappointingly apolitical “Captain America: Brave New World”).

“Avengers: Infinity War” was a monumental film when it was first released. An unprecedented crossover, the movie brought together a decade’s worth of MCU films and their characters with them. Unfortunately, it’s not a very good movie. In fact, it’s really only half a movie — one with a dark ending that isn’t all that effective, given that it was always obvious the film’s eventual follow-up (more on that later) would undo much of what happens. (For that matter, “Thunderbolts*” did a much better job of using a similar concept.) And sure, Josh Brolin’s Thanos is a technical marvel, but his motivation is flimsy at best.

“Infinity War” is also far from the best Tony Stark movie; due to the huge number of characters in the film, he ends up having very little to actually do. Instead, his biggest moments involve him bickering and fighting with Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange (which just serves to remind audiences that they are virtually the same character from a certain perspective) and having an emotional interaction with Tom Holland’s Peter Parker at the end of the movie … one that, again, simply doesn’t have much of an impact because we knew heading in the whole thing would ultimately be undone.

“Spider-Man: Homecoming” is a fantastic movie, but it barely features Tony Stark, so it doesn’t really feel like an Iron Man film at all. Still, when it comes to Tony, it does feature him in a new and interesting role as a mentor to Peter Parker. “Homecoming” also marked the start of a theme the MCU has since begun to explore in greater depth, namely the idea of legacy in the superhero genre and the passing of the torch. Seeing how Tony understands the mistakes Peter makes and trusts him as a hero while also doubting him is compelling, and it shows how much Tony has gone through since the first “Iron Man” movie.

On top of that, of course, “Homecoming” is simply an incredible Spider-Man movie. It not only successfully integrates Peter Parker into the MCU, but it also gives us a new interpretation of Peter that’s closer to the comics. Holland is phenomenal as the titular web-slinger, while Michael Keaton’s take on the Vulture is one of the best villains in the MCU at large.

“Avengers: Age of Ultron” was, in many ways, a sign of things to come for Marvel. It marked the MCU’s “too big to fail” moment, wherein even a Frankenstein’s Monster of a film managed to make a crap ton of money at the box office. Sure, the movie is a mess — not to mention, the first indication that the MCU’s “It’s All Connected” approach can make it feel like you have to do homework to understand and enjoy each new chapter. And yet, as an Iron Man film, there’s a lot to like here. 

A direct continuation of the themes and events of “Iron Man 3,” the crux of the plot in “Age of Ultron” concerns Tony’s lingering PTSD from the climactic battle in “The Avengers.” There are some fascinating moments here regarding Tony becoming obsessed with his traumatic experiences in past MCU movies and wanting to prevent the next big attack on Earth before it happens. It’s this obsession that drives him and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) to become an Oppenheimer (or, if you prefer, Dr. Frankenstein) duo and unleash an AI extinction-level monstrosity on the planet. Again the result is far from the most coherent or well-constructed MCU film … in fact, it’s one of the worst. And yet, as an Iron Man movie, there’s a lot to admire and like.

Iron Man is ,in many ways, the main character in the MCU. At the very least, this was true until “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” at which point Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) became the soul of the franchise. That’s what made “Captain America: Civil War” so effective; it pits Steve’s heart against Tony’s pragmatism. “Civil War” is the payoff to every personal and political thematic throughline in the MCU up to the time of its release. More than that, it functions as both an “Avengers” film and a personal story for Tony as he (sort of) passes the torch to Steve as the new lead in the MCU.

Indeed, looking at “Civil War” as the climax of Iron Man’s arc, his attempt at redemption following his role in creating Ultron and, ultimately, his becoming an enemy to his own friends is both emotional and satisfying. The final fight between Cap and Iron Man is one of the best in the entire MCU, an intimate, grounded, emotionally raw brawl that encapsulates the story of both characters. This is when Tony Stark sort of steps down and becomes more of a mentor than a leader (at least until the Infinity Saga wraps up), making it a pivotal chapter in the build-up to the epic conclusion of his story.

“The Avengers” remains a monumental achievement in blockbuster cinema; it was, after all, the first real proof that Marvel’s big experiment with the franchise could work. From its humor and action to its giant beam in the sky and its banter, it remains a hugely entertaining film. It’s also a big movie for Iron Man himself, as the MCU’s self-proclaimed first public superhero (as far as the public knows when the film takes place) is forced to play with others for the first time and soon realizes even all his technology isn’t enough when there are other superheroes — along with entire alien armies — out there.

This is also the start of Tony’s arc, wherein he tries to lift the weight of having to protect the entire world off his shoulders (which continues with “Age of Ultron” all the way through to the conclusion of the Infinity Saga). For that reason, he is very much the protagonist of “The Avengers” and continues to serve as the team’s leader during their next couple of appearances … until it all falls apart.

“Iron Man” remains one of the best Marvel movies ever made. Without multiple heroes, world-ending threats, numerous cameos and references, or the constant need to deflect tension with banter and quips, the first “Iron Man” is an anomaly and a throwback to a time when Marvel movies were all about experimenting. This is Marvel by way of Nolan’s Batman trilogy, stripping the titular hero down to basics and grounding him in reality. The Iron Man suit is believable (even if it’s still fantasy), while Tony’s background as an arms dealer also gives the film a sociopolitical message that roots it in our world (back before the franchise became absolutely removed from any recognizable reality). Indeed, it feels odd to watch this movie and realize it takes place in the same universe that will one day be inhabited by Moon Knight (Oscar Isaac) and Shang-Chi (Simu Liu).

The whole thing works because Robert Downey Jr. is just so ridiculously likable as Tony, even when he’s human trash for much of the first act. What he brought to the character was not only enough to sustain this movie but to also lay the foundation for a franchise that has only grown by leaps and bounds since then.

“Iron Man 3” is the rare instance of an auteur being allowed to actually bring their own unique vision and personality to the MCU. Shane Black not only gave us the first Marvel Christmas movie, but he also delivered a nuanced exploration of PTSD in a superhero movie that’s funny as hell, all while providing Tony with a buddy for most of the film. What’s more, the movie’s portrayal of anxiety is shockingly great, and the film itself makes for a crucial building block when it comes to Tony’s evolution as a character. Indeed, “Iron Man 3” ultimately paves the way for both Ultron and everything Tony does thereafter.

Though it has some issues, mostly relating to Guy Pearce’s Aldrich Killian, “Iron Man 3” also features one of the best action scenes in the entire MCU in the form of the mid-air rescue sequence. Black and Downey had already made the phenomenal “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” (which made great use of Downey’s comedic and dramatic chops alike), and their second team-up remains an underrated gem.

“Avengers: Endgame” is the true culmination of Tony’s arc. Not only is this the single best “Avengers” movie that fulfills the promise of “Infinity War” and delivers a great second half to that story, but it’s also a movie that actually works well on its own. From the time-travel storyline that takes viewers down memory lane to some of the best one-liners in the MCU and, of course, the epic third-act fight (which offers enough fan service moments to fuel a power station with the energy generated by people cheering as they watch), “Endgame” remains a monumental blockbuster.

“Endgame” is also the best Iron Man movie to boot. It fully pays off Tony’s greater character journey, selling his transformation from a billionaire jerk to a man who would sacrifice his life to save the universe. Downey does incredible work here, delivering an emotional performance that shows how much Tony has gone through during his tenure as a hero, how much he desperately wants to leave it behind, and ultimately how much of a true hero he was when it mattered.