Iron Man was a star, but not a superstar in Marvel Comics. He's arguably the Marvel Cinematic Universe's centerpiece in so many ways. The first Iron Man movie in 2008 touched off a groundbreaking and historic run of movies that continues even though the movie version of the character is no longer around.
His presence will be felt in the upcoming Armor Wars Disney+ series, and fans can always go back to the original film. There is plenty to get out of it still, with many Easter eggs, references, and hidden clues that fans will only notice on a re-watch.
10 Ten Rings
The Mandarin may beone of the villains who could appear in the Armor Wars series, though his influence may have diminished with the movies. The Mandarin is one of Iron Man's oldest and most complicated villains and was teased from the first Iron Man movie. He is the leader of the group Ten Rings, which was teased in the background of a scene early in the movie. Another character in the movie, Raza, was seen fiddling with a gold ring, also a symbol of The Mandarin and the group.
9 Prototype Captain America Shield
The first Iron Man movie was the foundation for everything that followed. Captain America and Thor movies were quick to follow. The MCU seeded the future by placing a prototype version of Steve Roger's iconic shield in the background of a scene between Tony and Pepper Potts in Iron Man. The shield is one of the greatest weapons in the Marvel Universe. In the MCU continuity, it was created by Tony Stark's father, Howard, for Captain America during World War II.
8 Invincible Iron Man Theme Song
The MCU's tendency to sneak in very obscure references to other Marvel lore began in earnest in Iron Man. The ringtone on Tony Stark's cell phone is the theme song from the animated series Invincible Iron Man, one of a few rotating segments from the first Marvel animated series, The Marvel Super Heroes. The series debuted in 1966, just a few short years after the Marvel Universe's birth in the comic books. The house band also plays the theme in the first movie's casino.
7 Roxxon
During the climactic battle between Iron Man and Iron Monger, one of his deadliest armored villains, a sly Marvel reference is visible in the background. One of the buildings visible during the fight is topped by the Roxxon Corp. logo. Roxxon is a major villainous corporation in the comics.
Roxxon played a role in the early MCU, showing up in other Easter eggs, but getting the most attention in the Agent Carter series on ABC. Roxxon proved to be a frequent culprit in Peggy Carter's adventures in the years after World War II.
6 Stark Takes The Reigns
The first Iron Man movie tells Tony Stark's story through news clips and magazine covers. One of them features a pretty major typo that probably isn't obvious on first viewing. Forbes magazine's mocked-up cover shows a young Tony Stark and Obadiah Stane, with the headline, Tony Stark takes reigns at 21. The issue is that it's the wrong word. The cover meant to use the noun reins, as in the reins of a horse, and not the verb reigns, which means to reign, like a king.
5 Space Invaders
Another sneak sound effect Easter egg in the film involves a beloved video game. When Iron Man's targeting system locks on to a target, the laser sound from the 80s classic video game Space Invaders plays. While not a part of classic Marvel video games, Space Invaders does have a big place in console history. Space Invaders debuted in 1978. Its simple but infectious game to defeat wave after wave of descending octopus-like aliens with a horizontally moving laser grossed billions of dollars in the early 80s.
4 Ultimate Nick Fury
Everyone was surprised by the post-credits scene of the first Iron Man movie, which introduced Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. Fury's arrival, and teaser of the Avengers Initiative, really set the MCU in motion. Many may not realize that this version of Fury was based on the Ultimate Comics character, which was based on the likeness of Samuel L. Jackson. Jackson is returning as Fury in the upcoming Secret Invasion Disney+ streaming series.
3 War Machine Blueprints
The Avengers wasn't the only major piece of the future teased as the credits rolled. The end credits sequence featured blueprints of Iron Man armor. One of them was for War Machine, the heavily armed version worn by James Rhodes in the sequel, Iron Man 2.
The movie also teased the eventual debut of War Machine in the story itself, when Rhodey paused to take a look at the prototype Iron Man armor and said, "Next time."
2 Fing Fang Foom
A very obscure Easter egg in the movie involves Marvel's biggest villains, Fin Fang Foom. About halfway through the Iron Man movie, Tony drives down a city street. A banner hangs over a building featuring the giant green Marvel monster's likeness. Fin Fang Foom is traditionally a Fantastic Four villain and could potentially be a villain they fight in their eventual MCU movie. That would make this obscure Easter egg one of the earliest and deepest seeds in the entire MCU.
1 A Christmas Story
In Iron Man 3, Tony Stark references A Christmas Story, a classic holiday movie. But in the first Iron Man movie, there's an even deeper Easter egg for the Christmas classic fans. Actor Peter Billingsley, who played Ralphie, appears as scientist William Ginter Riva at Stark Industries in the 2008 Iron Man. He is famously the 'box of scraps' guy that Obadiah Stane yells at. Riva later appears in the cast of Spider-Man: Far From Home, as a cohort of the villain Mysterio, trying to obtain Stark's glasses.