End Game highlights just how amazing Ironman 2 is

Most consider Ironman 2 one of the weaker Ironman titles. The first one rocks, the second one is meh and the third has mixed reviews given how it plays out the story of one of Ironman's biggest comic villain. However, I've always been hugely fond of Ironman 2. Mainly because of the personal struggle in Tony that feels less focused on.

Ironman 2 shows a outwardly cocky guy who has it all - massive profit/success, an expo which honors him and the tech world, a special lady whom he has a budding relationship with, a good friend whom he respects (despite jabs here and there), and a superhero persona and suit which has no equal. He seems on top of the world. Yet behind the scenes he knows he is dying and it taking steps to have a legacy; hes preparing to leave his company to Pots, hes keeping the expo running to let tech thrive and possibly have a new protege, hes giving his suit to his close friend who he trusts more than the government (and rightly so). All of this goes well until someone replicates his arc reactor and he has to come back in as the hero and somehow find a way to stay alive.

Despite his victory of his enemy and death, Ironman 2 is about a man coming to grips with his mortality. This same theme carries through just about every major act of Tony Starks' life; those metal shards near his heart, carrying a nuke to space, dropping an entire city on himself, going up against Thanos and getting run through the chest, floating aimlessly in space with no oxygen, the list goes on and on. Stark has had countless brushes with death knowing it might be his last. This whole journey started with Iron Man 2 and finally hits it at End game.

Despite Rogers claiming Tony as the guy who would never 'make the sacrifice play,' he goes through it time and again. He just finally accepts it and picks the most crucial time to do it. Its amazing to see that arc carried throughout all these movies and means more to me than the usual focus on line of 'I am Ironman.' It makes me understand why RDJ didnt really want to say it at first. His character already had its conclusion and saying that line in some ways cheapened the whole journey. I personally think it adds to it and glad they kept it, but I hope others still see this timeline as more important than the line itself.

If you havent watched Ironman 2 in a while, do it. It makes you appreciate Tony's journey even more.