10 of Iron Man’s most memorable scenes in the MCU

2. Testing out Mark II

Building and testing the progress of the Mark II Armor was a comical journey in the first Iron Man film. While innovating and creating helps Tony cope with his anxiety and PTSD, watching him test fly the Mark II was a cathartic clip in Iron Man’s cinematic history. It gave him something to appreciate amid his tinkering.

Seeing Tony smile while flying in his first modern Iron Man suit design gives us a multitude of reactions every time we rewatch it. It’s a reliable pick-me-up clip, and even more so now that we’ve watched Endgame more than we’d care to admit. Tony wasn’t just excited that he was flying, he was bewildered and surprised that his design actually worked.

Earth’s best defender deserves to get some kind of joy in his work. Sure, he might have overdone the extent of his test run. But, would it really be a Tony Stark official test flight if he didn’t overexert the limits of his suit? (The answer: no. No, it wouldn’t.)

However, the Mark II flight test also signified the start of Tony’s journey as a hero. It’s a bittersweet moment because you know this is one of the few times in cinematic history that Tony is genuinely excited and isn’t overwhelmed with the dread of saving the universe. We’ll gladly cling to this moment, and it’s something that Thanos and any future big bad can never take away from us.