Iron Man
In 2008, science fiction fans could enjoy Iron Man, a fascinating thriller by Marvel Studios. Robert Downey Jr. starred in this film.
Tony Stark, a billionaire, who earned his fortune by designing and selling weapons, was kidnapped by terrorists in Afghanistan during a presentation of military hardware he had developed. A weapon exploded next to Stark, causing severe injuries. Now his life is at risk, not only because of the terrorists, but also because small pieces of shrapnel that could penetrate his heart. Stark designs and creates a special electromagnet to be implanted in the chest. It is powered by an arc reactor and prevents shrapnel from reaching the heart. Terrorists want Stark, together with a fellow captive, who is a professor, to create a missile for them in exchange for their freedom. Understanding that the Afghans do not intend to release them, Tony makes a special suit of armour from steel plates instead of a missile, which he plans to use for his own escape and the escape of his fellow captive. However, during the escape, his cellmate sacrifices his own life to save Stark’s. Now free, Stark reviews his business and stops manufacturing weapons, focusing all of his efforts on improving steel armour. The steel suit makes Stark the defender of the city against any and all external threats. His views are not shared, however, by his father's old friend and partner, Obadiah Stane, who desires to profit from selling thermonuclear weapons that use cold fusion improved by Stark during his development of the electromagnet. Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow), Tony's assistant and muse, helps him fight against Obadiah, and together they are able to kill Stane with an intense electromagnetic pulse. The next morning, the newspapers called Tony Stark ‘Iron Man’, whose super-strong steel armour allows him to stay invincible and defeat his enemies.
The movie was so well received by the public that a sequel was quite predictable. Iron Man 2 was released in 2010, and Iron Man 3 – in 2013. The movie became part of the series of crossover films about the Avengers and the Hulk from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. An interesting fact is related to the designer who invented Iron Man’s costume.
At the end of May 2020, there was a historic event of global scale – the successful launch of the Crew Dragon spaceship, which was designed by Elon Musk's SpaceX. The spacecraft took astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken to the International Space Station. Almost the entire world was watching the launch, and the astronauts’ spacesuits attracted public attention. The new SpaceX spacesuits do not just look like the costumes of Hollywood movie heroes. Jose Fernandez, the designer, who previously created Iron Man’s costume, had made them for the space project! In addition, for the first time, the exterior design, which was made to resonate with the design of the Dragon capsule itself, was developed first, and then the engineers worked on the internal workings of the suits. So, superhero Iron Man, dressed in steel armour, inspired Fernandez to create of the suits for modern astronauts.
The Terminator
James Cameron’s first Terminator film, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, was released in 1984 and boggled the minds of science fiction fans. The film portrays the fight of the Terminator, a cyborg sent back in time, and a soldier, Kyle Reese. These two represent opposing sides of a future war, where robots, and the artificial intelligence controlling the robots, seek to destroy humankind.
The Terminator is sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor and stop her from giving birth to her son, John, who will be able to defeat the robots in the future. Metal and software, which the Terminator is made out of, make him really super powerful and invincible to bullets. This movie has an interesting background story. James Cameron said he dreamed up the plot at night when he was sick with a fever in 1981 after filming Piranha II. While still delirious, he saw a man in his dream with a red eye tracking down a lady. A year later, the Terminator script was ready. Arnold Schwarzenegger's line, "I'll be back," spoken at the end of the film became a catchphrase, and the movie was followed by a sequel. In 1991, Terminator 2: Judgment Day was released. In 2003, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines was directed by Jonathan Mostow, while the fourth, Terminator Salvation, was directed by McG. In 2015, the fifth, Terminator Genisys, directed by Alan Taylor, was released. It is only recently, in 2019, when the fans of the Terminator franchise were able to enjoy the continuation of the story – Terminator: Dark Fate. Directed by Tim Miller, it was filmed from a script co-written by David Goyer, Justin Rhodes and Billy Ray. With each new sequel, we see the evolution of both the Terminators and the metals, from which they are made. This steel has super properties and is able to change its shape to resemble human appearance while still being invincible to bullets and shells, making the battles against the robots even more intense and dangerous for the original Terminator, still played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. He became the defender of good long ago, in order to protect the future of humankind.
The films continue to delight his fans with new episodes, and Arnold Schwarzenegger has long been nicknamed "Iron Arnie" thanks to his role as a robot from the future made of an unusually strong alloy.
Real Steel
Real Steel, a sci-fi thriller starring Hugh Jackman, was directed by Shawn Levy. The movie is based on a story called Steel by Richard Matheson.
The film story is set in the future, where robots have taken over from humans in the boxing ring. Robot fights are more ferocious, and, therefore, more spectacular. The plot portrays the relations between Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman), a former boxer, and his son, Max Kenton (Dakota Goyo). Together, the father and the son take part in robot boxing and challenge the undefeated steel giant Zeus. Despite the multiple smashing punches landed by Atom (Kenton's robot) on Zeus, the latter is able to get up and win by points. However, Atom is hailed as the people's champion, whom the public adores. Such a long path to glory brings the father and the son closer to one another, and teaches patience and love. The steel robot, meanwhile, reminds the viewers that even in the fiercest fight, there is no place for giving up.
Popular movies with steel playing one of the lead roles, in fact, are plentiful and most of them are science fiction thrillers, where metal is so important that it is able to change the course of history. This is yet more proof that without iron and steel, humankind would still be living in the Stone Age, not having experienced the industrial revolution and all the benefits to which we have become so used.