Captain Marvel is officially one of the most financially successful superhero films of all time. It has recently out-grossed every Batman film. However, it has received a mixed response from audiences, with some loving it and others hating it. It's quite strange, too, since, in many respects, Carol Danver's journey in her film runs parallel to Tony Stark's in his.

In fact, Captain Marvel and the Iron Man trilogy have a lot in common in regards to their basic plot structure and style -- in particular, the first Iron Man. It may seem like a radical statement to make. After all, on the surface, they're very different. Sure, both are superhero films, but one's a space adventure while the other is a techno-thriller. One is dry without a lot of humor, while the other features Robert Downey Jr. cracking jokes the whole way through. Right?

The Plots on Paper

Iron Man Captain America Shield

What are Captain Marvel and Iron Man about?

Both films focus on a person deeply involved in war. Danvers is a soldier, while Stark is a weapons manufacturer. Both people feel like they're establishing peace through their violent actions. That is, until they end up stranded behind enemy lines, where they learn that their actions have resulted in more harm than good. They have been deceived, and, in the second half of the film, both Stark and Danvers set out to make up for their actions by attempting to both liberate the people they've put in harm's way and strike down the deceptive authorities who have misled them.

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There are obviously many differences. Stark doesn't have amnesia. Danvers doesn't create a source of renewable energy in a cave with a box of scraps. But the core plot points are present. Both movies are incredibly internal stories about confronting the wrongdoing of one's past and trying to make amends.

Only thing is, Captain Marvel actually carries through with this theme into the final battle, whereas Iron Man doesn't.

Internal vs. External Story Telling

When Iron Man first came out, audiences adored it, though they criticized the third act of the film. Many felt the final fight with Jeff Bridge's Obadiah Stane felt out of place, and that the fight felt generic or bland. While it's impossible to account for why people reacted that way, it appears many audience members picked up on the fact that the film, up until that point, was an incredibly internal story.

While Stane was a fairly good villain, the film wasn't about a bad guy. It was about Tony Stark coming to terms with the consequences of his action. Every event in the story shaped Tony's worldview, forcing him to grow. What Jon Favreau managed to do was tell an internal story that was shaped by external forces, but not defined by them. By the time Stane appears, Tony's internal conflict has already reached its climax. He is Iron Man.

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On the other hand, Carol's arc has to do with her realizing her own potential, as well as coming to terms with her actions in the field of war. This is why the final fight of Captain Marvel is so cathartic. Her blasting away Yon-Rogg without taking his bait is the culmination of her arc: Learning to fully express her value and her actions on her own terms, not someone else's.

Which brings me to the particular character arcs of both Tony and Carol.

NEXT PAGE: Tony Stark and Carol Danvers Are Both Proud Characters

Pride

Iron Man Obadiah Stane

It is no understatement to say that both Tony Stark and Carol Danvers are proud characters. They are defined by their pride. However, in the case of both films, their pride is deconstructed and reconstructed by the events that occur. They are both broken when faced with the consequences of their actions, but rebuilt when they find pride in their ability to make amends for their mistakes and overcome the forces that once restrained them.

Even more interesting, in both stories, outside forces define their roles for them, which, ultimately, the characters defy. Stark is a weapons manufacturer. Just because he has a change of heart doesn't mean society will bend for him. His company's stock decreases. The board of directors lock him out. But he persists.

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Danvers is a soldier, but everyone feels they know better than her. They discriminate against her based on her gender. They gaslight her into being a perfect weapon. But, by the film's end, she realizes her own self worth and uses it to act on her own terms for her own good.

Power of Friendship

Captain Marvel

Another huge similarity is the role friendship and companionship plays in both. In both films, Stark and Danvers stand apart from everyone else. They put everyone at a distance, thanks to either Stark's cocky sarcasm or Danvers's stoic single-mindedness. But through their interpersonal relationships, Stark and Danvers begin to move away from that. They reevaluate the situation around them and realize they've been manipulated.

Danvers has a more extreme version of this in Captain Marvel. Stark didn't realize how important Pepper was to him until coming back from the desert. Carol, however, just forgot about Maria and Monica Rambeau thanks to amnesia.

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Furthermore, both have a character who appears about one-fourth of the way into the film who helps draw attention to their own internal obstacles. In Iron Man, it's Yensin. In Captain Marvel, it's Fury.

Later Iron Man Films

Whiplash in Iron Man 2

In the subsequent two Iron Man films, the same general themes are reestablished. Tony is confronted again with either the consequences of his own actions or those of others. Society attempts to define them, and Stark survives. Most notably, in Iron Man 3, that which defined Iron Man following The Avengers -- his suit and technology -- is stripped away, forcing Tony to redefine himself as a person.

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This runs parallel to Carol's journey as well. When stripped of the Kree and all their culture, Carol is forced to redefine herself. Enter the Rambeaus. In the absence of society's expectations, Carol finds new meaning in her relationship with these people from another life.

Indeed, the idea of "another life" before superheroism is crucial to both Iron Man 3 and Captain Marvel. However, it's important to note that, unlike the title of this article, this idea isn't "basically the same" in both. It's actually inverted. The past is a restraint in Iron Man 3. It comes to haunt Tony. In Captain Marvel, Carol's past sets her free of the present that haunts her.

But the Differences!

Carol Danvers and Maria Rambeau in Captain Marvel

Yes, obviously there are differences between these films. It would be absolutely ridiculous if both Captain Marvel and Iron Man had the exact same plot. And, yes, there are superficial similarities. S.H.I.E.L.D., Coulson and Nick Fury are in both. Both involve technologically advanced suits. Both feature a scene where the heroes are chased in a desert by a ship.

But that's almost secondary to the underlying structural similarities. Ultimately, one must ask this: If both films are so similar, why was Iron Man universally beloved while Captain Marvel remains controversial?