Is Iron Man 1 one story with an early MC change or 2 different stories? Other?

analysis
#1

I’ve always been puzzled by the first Iron Man movie. It seems like it could be 2 stories: the captivity story and the post-captivity story. I say that because the MC has one perspective in the first part and seems to have a different perspective in the second. Or that could be explained by one story with a very early MC change (with Yinsen as the steadfast IC).

  1. Do you think the MC changed extremely early? Or was this “captivity” story a separate story? Or was his “I’m not making weapons anymore” a partial change that was completed toward the end?

  2. If the captivity story was a separate story, then who was the change character in the longer post-captivity story? My first thought was Pepper, but she doesn’t seem to change her perspective. Another option is there is just one story with an early MC change and the IC is Yinsen/Pepper, and the RS is responsible for a lot of the conflict that appears to be MC TL.

  3. Perhaps it isn’t a grand argument story.

Thoughts?

Examples of exotic yet complete storyforms, like Psycho?
#2

I think the reason it’s so hard to pin down is, according to Jeff Bridges (and later corroborated by Favreau):

They had no script, man. They had an outline. We would show up for big scenes every day and we wouldn’t know what we were going to say. We would have to go into our trailer and work on this scene and call up writers on the phone, ‘You got any ideas?’ Meanwhile the crew is tapping their foot on the stage waiting for us to come on."

Given that they had to just kind of piece it together as they were going, it’s highly likely there’s not a storyform. There absolutely could be, since they had an outline, but… something in my gut says it’s not entirely cohesive.

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#3

Hmm. I hear you, but I admit I don’t find that answer completely satisfying. I loved the first Iron Man and not in an Infinity War “wow-this-had-a-lot-of-cool-stuff-but-doesn’t-hold-together” way, but a wow, what a cool story way.

This was the movie that launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe and has been held up as the paradigm of storytelling that other superhero movies try to live up to. I mean, it basically re-invented the genre. And it’s got a 94% Rotten Tomatoes rating.

Not that any of this proves anything Dramatica-wise. But it seems odd to me that it wouldn’t have something resembling a complete story.

My first guess would be that @HaroldLloyd is right and that Yinsen is the steadfast IC for the first storyform, and that Tony is a Steadfast MC in the second. I would say Stane is the IC but I can’t think of evidence of change. (But isn’t there a you and I are both alike thing between him and Stane at some point?)

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#4

Well, like I said, it’s totally possible. The presence of the outline and that RT score make me think there could be something there (and the fact that it’s one of the most rewatchable movies of the entire MCU). I’m just very cynical when it comes to multiple writers and a storyform – usually ends up with conflicting or messy stories (like Brave).

In fact, in that same interview, Bridges mentions how the original outline had his character living and they changed it on the day of shooting. Which could just as easily be writer’s intuition of ‘this feels wrong’, but who knows? I’d be very interested in seeing an argument for a full storyform, regardless.

It’s definitely more coherent than Infinity War, though.

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#5

Okay I’ll put my stake in the ground. Here’s what I think the storyform is (for the first part - Tony/Yinsen – no idea about the second part).

STORY ENGINE SETTINGS: “Tony/Yinsen”

CHARACTER DYNAMICS:
MC RESOLVE: Change
MC GROWTH: Stop
MC APPROACH: Do-er
MC MENTAL SEX: Male
OC RESOLVE: Steadfast

PLOT DYNAMICS:
DRIVER: Action
LIMIT: Optionlock
OUTCOME: Success
JUDGMENT: Good

MAIN CHARACTER
Tony Stark
DOMAIN: Universe
CONCERN: The Future
ISSUE: Delay vs. Choice
PROBLEM: Support
SOLUTION: Oppose
FOCUS: Pursuit
DIRECTION: Avoidance
UNIQUE ABILITY: Openness
CRITICAL FLAW: Denial
BENCHMARK: Progress
SIGNPOST 1: The Past
SIGNPOST 2: Progress
SIGNPOST 3: The Future
SIGNPOST 4: The Present

SUBJECTIVE STORY
(The Subjective Story)
DOMAIN: Psychology
CONCERN: Becoming
ISSUE: Obligation vs. Rationalization
PROBLEM: Logic
SOLUTION: Feeling
FOCUS: Help
DIRECTION: Hinder
CATALYST: Rationalization
INHIBITOR: Attitude
BENCHMARK: Being
SIGNPOST 1: Becoming
SIGNPOST 2: Conceiving
SIGNPOST 3: Conceptualizing
SIGNPOST 4: Being

OBJECTIVE STORY
(The Objective Story)
DOMAIN: Physics
CONCERN: Obtaining
ISSUE: Attitude vs. Approach
PROBLEM: Support
SOLUTION: Oppose
FOCUS: Help
DIRECTION: Hinder
CATALYST: Approach
INHIBITOR: Obligation
BENCHMARK: Doing
SIGNPOST 1: Understanding
SIGNPOST 2: Learning
SIGNPOST 3: Doing
SIGNPOST 4: Obtaining

OBSTACLE CHARACTER
(Obstacle Character)
DOMAIN: Mind
CONCERN: The Subconscious
ISSUE: Hope vs. Dream
PROBLEM: Conscience
SOLUTION: Temptation
FOCUS: Help
DIRECTION: Hinder
UNIQUE ABILITY: Closure
CRITICAL FLAW: Preconception
BENCHMARK: The Preconscious
SIGNPOST 1: The Subconscious
SIGNPOST 2: Memory
SIGNPOST 3: The Preconscious
SIGNPOST 4: The Conscious

ADDITIONAL APPRECIATIONS

GOAL: Obtaining
CONSEQUENCE: Becoming
COST: The Subconscious
DIVIDEND: The Future

REQUIREMENT: Doing
PREREQUISITE: Being
PRECONDITION: The Preconscious
FOREWARNINGS: Progress

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#6

100% correct. Two storyforms - Change in the first, Steadfast in the second. Rhodes is the Changed character in the second (hanging up the phone).

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#7

Of course! Rhodes is the IC in the second storyform. That all adds up.

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