Iron Man Armored Adventures Review
Nicktoons and Teletoon Present Young Spin on Tony Stark
Apr 30, 2009
Wolverine and the X-Men has been so successful for Marvel Animation, they're ready to serve up another with Iron Man Armored Adventures. And like so many of Marvel Animations's recent incarnations (Wolverine and the X-Men and Spectacular Spider-Man), the show has a different take on the popular superhero. Marvel isn't exactly out to appease to the already existing fanbase, and they make this readily apparent with the new series. Iron Man Armored Adventures tries to ensnare new fans to the franchise, and they obviously want a younger demographic.
Brief Synopsis of the Armored Adventures
Tony Stark is a brilliant teenager under the tutelage of his billionaire father and CEO of Stark International, Howard Stark. Young Stark is a brilliant inventor, even more brilliant than his father. He has just finished his red and gold armor creation when his father summons him for a trip to China to see how his latest invention is helping archaeologists uncover Terra Cotta Soldiers. While in mid-flight, Obadiah Stane contacts the elder Stark to plead with him once more to convert Tony's latest inventions into military weapons. As soon as Howard says no, a bomb detonates in the plane.
After his father's death, Tony has been stripped from Stark International, Stane is the new CEO (he even has Howard's Chinese ring), and Tony is living with his best friend Jim "Rhodey" Rhodes and going to his school. It's not long before Tony dons his armor and starts stalking Stark International to investigate what happened with his father and what's happening with his father's company.
As a result, Tony has become swept up in becoming a super hero, and his first archenemy is not Stane, but the Mandarin, a descendent of Ghengis Khan bent on collecting all of the ancient Chinese rings for their mystical and even technological powers.
Iron Man Analysis
Marvel obviously wanted to make the animated series a little more kid friendly by reconstructing Tony Stark as a teenager instead of a middle-aged alcoholic. This aspect will definitely help bring in the younger demographic and recruit new fans, but it also risks disappointing long time fans.
It's doubtful that Marvel is trying to cater to these fans, because they may be certain that these fans will still watch the show or that the fans will still read the comics. However, no matter how disappointed the diehard fans may be, if they give the show a real chance, they won't be disappointed for long. The same heart of Tony Stark still exists, no pun intended. He's still an inventing genius with a laid back wit and a hankering to help people, no matter how much that causes problems for his best friend.
Final Word
Iron Man's cel-shaded, three-dimensional animation may not be that aesthetically pleasing, especially in the special effects department, but the stark wit in unexpected places and the intense action provides more than enough entertainment.
Iron Man Armored Adventures airs on Teletoon every Friday at 6:30 EST and on the Nicktoons Network at 7:00 EST.
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