Iron Man 2 (2010)

Iron Man 2, released in 2010 was directed by Jon Favreau, produced by Kevin Feige, written by Justin Theroux. The film focuses on Tony Stark facing the consequences of revealing his identity along with the nature of his own mortality and his past as he is confronted by Ivan Vanko, also known as Whiplash.

Plot:
After the passing of his father, Anton Vanko, Ivan Vanko discovers that the Arc reactor technology that resulted in the success of Stark Industries was partially due to his father. He finds an old blueprint of an Arc reactor and successfully miniaturises it. 

Six months later Tony has continued to use his suit to protect people and has re-opened the Stark Expo to celebrate the legacy of his father, however at the Expo he realises that his blood toxicity is rising and attempts to keep this a secret from everyone.

Tony faces increasing pressure from the government to hand over his technology to them, however he rejects it humiliating Justin Hammer, a rival tech industry leader, in the process. After returning home he examines the blood toxicity levels and determines the Arc Reactor palladium is slowly killing him, yet he cannot remove it otherwise the shrapnel would reach his heart and kill him. 

With no suitable alternatives to palladium he ends up promoting Pepper Potts to CEO of Stark Industries with Natalie Rushman replacing her as his personal assistant. She proves herself very quickly but Tony and Pepper are a little suspicious of her talents.

Realising he might soon end up dying, Tony recklessly decides to compete in the Monaco Historic Grand Prix where he is attacked by Ivan Vanko sporting an arc reactor and electro-whips. Tony uses a new suit, the Mark 5, that unfurls form a brief case to fight back.

Although Tony ends up managing to defeat Ivan Vanko, in a cell, Ivan reveals he only intended to prove that Tony could be beaten - this would show he is not invincible as Iron Man and encourage others to turn against Tony Stark. Impressed by Ivan's actions and jealous of Tony Stark, Justin Hammer helps fake Ivan's death and encourages him to build a line of armoured suits to upstage Stark.

At his birthday party, that he believes to be his last, Tony Stark ends up getting very drunk while wearing the suit resulting in James Rhodes putting on the Mark II armour trying to restrain him. The fight ends in a stalemate as the two use repulsors against each other resulting in an explosion. Rhodey leaves and takes the armour to the U.S. Air Force but is reluctant to let others have access it, choosing to upgrade it himself with tech from Justin Hammer. 

Nick Fury meets with Stark and reveals that Natalie Rushman is actually Natasha Romanoff, also known as the S.H.I.E.L.D agent Black Widow. He also reveals that Howard Stark was one of the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D. and someone Nick Fury knew personally. Fury reveals that Vanko's father, Anton, worked together with Howard to develop the Arc reactor, but Anton tried to sell it and Stark had him deported. After failing to sell the Arc reactor to the Soviets, Anton was sent to the Gulag. 

Fury gives Stark some of his fathers old materials prompting Tony to look through his fathers stuff, discovering a hidden message in the diorama of the 1974 Stark Expo - which appears to be a diagram of the atomic structure of a new element. Seeing his father in a new light, Tony ends up working with his A.I. Jarvis to replicate the new element using it to replace his arc reactor. He also learns that Ivan Vanko is still alive and heads to the Stark Expo believing that he'll make an appearance.

Justin Hammer reveals a bunch of armoured drones for varying military purposes along with James Rhodes wearing a new weaponised version of the prototype suit as War Machine. Ivan, partially to get revenge on Tony, partially to get revenge on Justin Hammer for threatening and using him, causes the drones and War Machine to attack Stark.

Teaming up with War Machine, Iron Man defeats the drones however Whiplash appears in a new upgraded suit. He is quickly defeated by Iron Man and War Machine using the repulsor explosion to injure him, resulting in him self-destructing all the drones and his own suit, killing him.

Tony manages to save Pepper from the drones and reveals the truth, finally kissing Pepper Potts. In a debriefing with Nick Fury, it is revealed that they only intend to use Tony as a consultant, tying into 'The Consultant'. Tony Stark and James Rhodes recieve medals for heroism while Justin Hammer is arrested. In a post-credit scene, Agent Phil Coulson reports to a scene where a Hammer has been found in a crater in New Mexico, teasing Thor.

Iron Man (2008)

Iron Man, released in 2008 was directed by Jon Favreau, produced by Avi Arad & Kevin Feige, written by Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Art Marcum and Matt Holloway. The film focuses on self-claimed genius billionaire playboy philanthropist Tony Stark who ends up having a change of heart as he's forced to confront the reality of his weapons manufacturing business - creating a suit of armour becoming the hero known as Iron Man.

Plot:
Tony Stark is the CEO of leading military defense contractor, Stark Industries after the passing of his father. He demonstrates his company's new Jericho missile while in Afghanistan while he is a accompanyed by his friend and military liaison, Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes, a member of the U.S. Air Force.

After an attack on the transport convoy, Tony is captured and held in a cave by the Ten Rings. Ho Yinsen builds an electromagnet to keep the shrapnel that wounded Stark from reaching his heart and killing him. Raza, Leader of the Ten Rings, offers Stark freedom; in exchange for the construction of a Jericho missile for the terrorists. Realizing Raza will kill them upon completition of the missile, Stark and Yinsen secretly build a powerful electric generator called an Arc Reactor to power Stark's electromagnet. They then begin to build a powered suit of armor, designed by Stark, to help them escape. 

Yinsen sacrificing himself to distract them while Stark's suit powers up. In his dying moments Yinsen reassures Stark and urges him to continue his escape and not waste his life. An enraged Stark leaves the cave and destroys the terrorist encampment before flying away, crashing in a desert destroying the armored suit.

 

After being rescued by Rhodes, Stark announces that his company will no longer manufacture weapons, having seen the damage they cause in the wrong hands. Obadiah Stane, his father's old partner and the company's manager, informs Stark that this may ruin Stark Industries and his father's legacy. 

 Stark begins work on an improved version of his arc reaction and redesigns the suit resulting in the creation of the Mark II and Mark III suit. Stark learns from confronts Stane about the supplied weapons and learns that Stane is trying to replace him as head of the company.

Tony Stark flies to Afghanistan in his Mark III suit, where he saves the citizens of Gulmira from the Ten Rings attack. Flying home, Tony Stark is engaged by two F-22 Raptors on behalf of the U.S. Air Force. He phones Rhodes and reveals his identity in an attempt to call off the attack. Meanwhile The Ten Rings gather the pieces of Stark's prototype suit from the desert. Raza meets with Obadiah Stane and offers to exchange the suit with him. Stane betrays Raza and his faction eliminated, taking the suit for himself. Returning to Stark Industries, Stane orders his scientists to have a new suit reverse-engineered from the wreckage.

Seeking to find any other weapons delivered to the Ten Rings, Tony Stark sends his trusted personal assistant, Pepper Potts, to hack into the company computer system from Stane's office. Potts finds evidence of Obadiah Stane supplying weapons to the terrorists, but also discovers that Obadiah Stane had initially hired the Ten Rings to kill Stark in Afghanistan. Pepper Potts meets with Phil Coulson of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division to inform him of Obadiah's actions.

Obadiah Stane's scientists reveal that they cannot finish his suit, as no one can manage to duplicate Stark's Arc Reactor. Stane ambushes Stark at his home, using a Sonic Taser to paralyze him and take his current Arc Reactor. 

Left to die, Stark manages to crawl to his lab and saves himself by re-using his original arc reactor. Pepper Potts and several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents attempt to arrest Stane, but he dons his suit and attacks them. Stark fights Stane, but is outmatched without his upgraded reactor to run his suit at full capacity. Tony lures Obadiah Stane atop the Stark Industries building and instructs Pepper Potts to overload the large Arc Reactor there. Doing so unleashes a massive electrical surge that knocks Stane unconscious, causing him and his armor to fall into the exploding reactor, killing him. 

 

The next day, the press has dubbed the armored hero "Iron Man." Agent Phil Coulson gives Tony Stark a cover story to explain the events of the night and the death of Obadiah Stane. At a press conference, Tony Stark begins giving the cover story, but then instead reveals his identity stating "I am Iron Man".

Nick Fury breaks into Tony Stark's home, stating that Iron Man is not "the only superhero in the world," and wants to discuss the Avengers Initiative.