Iron Man 3 director and co-writer Shane Black, who often incorporates Christmas themes into his filmography, explained why the Marvel Studios threequel is set during the holiday season.

In an excerpt from The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Black spoke about using Christmas as backdrop in several of his films -- including Iron Man 3. "It creates its own little encapsulated event in time," he said. "In the same way you go see one of these disaster films, you set up all these people together in this town where the 'volcano' is about to explode. Christmas bands together and cements a story. You feel like there’s a common unity among all the people in it. It’s just something [audiences] constantly notice in the background. It represents a flavor, and there is a sense that 'We are all in it together.'"

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Black’s screenplay for Lethal Weapon and his directorial debut, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, also take place during the holidays. His scripts for The Last Boy Scout and The Long Kiss Goodnight use Christmas as a narrative device as well. With Iron Man 3, Black brought Christmas to the MCU.

In addition to being set during Christmas, Iron Man 3 evokes the spirit of the season in several ways. One scene sees Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) testing out his armor as "Jingle Bell Rock" plays in the background. A Christmas tree is also prominently displayed in his house. Although some have argued that Iron Man 3 is primarily a superhero movie, the Disney+ streaming service officially labeled Iron Man 3 as a Christmas movie.

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Filmmaker Kevin Smith -- who’s notably a huge fan of the MCU -- recently said that Iron Man 3 is one of Marvel’s first true auteur films, crediting Black with changing the studio’s storytelling blueprint. "They’ve got a story, a never-ending story that they want to tell, and I want them to tell that, but it is breathtaking when you see somebody come in and do something different with the movie," said Smith. "He doesn’t get enough credit, man, but Shane Black’s Iron Man 3 is, I think, one of the first auteur Marvel movies. That movie felt like Shane Black. It felt like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. It even felt like the Lethal Weapon movies, even though he didn’t direct those."

Iron Man 3 was generally well-received by critics and audiences, especially when compared to Iron Man 2, which got lukewarm reviews and changed the way Marvel approaches making sequels.

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Source: The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe