Goodbye Iron Man

I'm not the biggest fan of Iron Man. Never was. I found him to be too cocky, too arrogant and too flawed. Instead of keeping his identity a secret, he flaunted it to the world with his signature "I am Iron Man" statement, unlike Bruce Wayne or Clark Kent. It's easy to become Iron Man considering your inventor and businessman father left you a legacy, that was raking in plenty of moolah. There was no superhero trait in him. Zilch. Nada. 

But then, as the franchise grew bigger, Tony Stark slowly and steadily began to grow up. Even a non-Iron Man fan like myself, began to respect him. His wicked sense of humour, confidence and witty comebacks have always been a treat to watch. And the final nail in the coffin which brought goosebumps to the mind and body, was his famous "You can take away my house, all my tricks and toys. One thing you can't take away.. I am Iron Man", dialogue which finally got him into the superhero hall of fame. You knew, he was here to stay, no matter what. He was tough and he wouldn't back down. 

He is the funniest Marvel superhero till date. No one can replace him in the humour department. By killing him, Marvel has created a huge void in the hearts of fans worldwide. The physical and emotional pain that one goes through, while watching him die in Endgame is unbearable.

I waited with bated breath, during the end-credits for him to make a dramatic comeback. I hoped against hope, that this was some cruel joke Marvel was playing on us. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. I realized he wasn't kidding when he said, "Everyone wants a happy ending right? But it doesn't always roll that way" 

I will keep his legacy alive, by ensuring that the next generation (starting with my son), know all about him. I'll make sure he watches the franchise in chronological order and I hope to have detailed discussions with him on Iron Man some day. 

He is a flawed role model to look upto, but that is the point, no one is perfect. Our imperfections are what makes us special, which is exactly what Iron-Man taught us. "Sometimes you gotta run before you can walk" and"If we can't accept limitations, then we're no better than the bad guys" 

I can never look at cheese burgers and shawarma rolls again, without shedding a few dozen tears. Come back Iron Man. We miss you. So much.

(Image Source : https://nerdist.com/article/watch-iron-man-armor-up-like-sailor-moon/)