As an avid comic book reader since the 70s, it's been fascinating to watch a former second-stringer like Tony Stark rocket his way to pop culture Iron icon status. We owe thanks to director Jon Favreau, the endlessly energetic Robert Downey Jr., and Hollywood's growing acceptance that comic books don't have to make good "comic book movies"... they can just be good movies. Unlike Stark's suit technology, the sequel to 2008's blockbuster does NOT repulse. As mentioned in my review of the first Iron Man film, the story's undeniable parallels to our shared meta-narrative (realization of our damnable state, a life sacrificed for ours, a new heart... plus "armor" to engage in redemptive mission) make for GREAT discussion, and while the second film doesn’t surpass the original, it provides another chapter that is all too familiar; after all, a changed heart doesn't mean our habitual issues have ceased completely, and Tony finds himself humbled as he grapples with the film's three major narrative elements: legacy, vengeance, and self-sufficiency. For more Film & Theology lectures and movie reviews by Pastor James Harleman, check out cinemagogue.com.