Batman and Iron Man share one interestingly similar movie story – and in retrospect, I can’t believe I never noticed as much until now. Over the course of the superhero genre’s history, both Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark have served as two of the industry’s biggest movie names – though with notably different trajectories.
While the MCU timeline killed off its Iron Man 6 years ago, the legacy of the film universe’s version of the character is impossible to ignore – and Batman’s reputation speaks for itself. As such, it’s all the more interesting to note that these two cornerstones of the genre have had a strikingly similar on-screen story for one live-action installment.
Batman Forever & Iron Man 3 Have Surprisingly Similar Stories
Despite being from different corners of the superhero sphere – with Batman naturally being one of DC’s core staple heroes, and Iron Man being a Marvel hero who grew into further prominence thanks to the MCU and Robert Downey Jr’s take on the character – Batman and Iron Man’s stories mirror each other in various ways, but especially in one film instalment.
While The Batman offered our newest live-action take on the Riddler, Paul Dano’s iteration of the character is predated by Jim Carrey’s version of the villain, who appeared in Batman Forever. In the film, the Riddler is depicted as a disgruntled former Wayne Enterprises employee, who turns rogue after Bruce Wayne discounts his research and experimental science proposal.
Interestingly, the third installment in the 90s Batman movie series is mirrored by the third MCU Iron Man installment, as Iron Man 3 follows a similar villain origin story and trajectory.
In the same way Bruce Wayne’s rejection of Edward Nygma’s experimental proposal turns him into a villain, Tony Stark’s rejection of Aldrich Killian’s experimental scientific research leads to him becoming Iron Man 3‘s villain.
Both villains hold onto residual animosity towards their respective billionaire foes, and in both cases, the antagonists are undone with the very same research that initially sent them down this path – with Nygma being harmed by his own brainwave device, and Killian being dispatched by an Extremis-powered Pepper Potts.
Why Batman Forever & Iron Man 3’s Stories Being Similar Makes Sense
While Batman Forever and Iron Man 3 are very different films in a lot of ways – in terms of the franchises they are a part of, the overarching tones they have, and in terms of what their stories mean to their respective heroes – the two movies being decidedly similar does make sense.
Batman and Iron Man are often used as comparison points for one another due to them having some key shared ground – namely, in terms of being heroes who have no inherent superpowers, and who instead operate effectively in the role thanks to their own considerable intelligence, their inventions, and due to the wealth both billionaires fund into their superhero efforts.
As such, the pair having a similar movie story here does make sense, especially since the Riddler and Killian work well as antagonists for the two heroes thanks to them being on their level intellect-wise, and provide a different kind of on-screen challenge for both Batman and Iron Man as well.
