Rewatching Iron Man - A Return to the Beginning

*(Image taken from Wikipedia)

Back in 2008, the beginning of it all came in the form as Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, aka Iron Man. Now, back then, going to the movie theater was more on luxury side of things, and my family was originally very anti-TV, so I didn't see it at the movie theater on release day, but sometime after. And I remember playing by the sofa as my parents put on Iron Man, being told to cover my eyes during that mini bed scene (it took my years to stop covering eyes during this intense kissing), amazed at Tony Stark's escape, and surprised that this seemingly nice old man was a bad guy. My brother, a few years old at the time we first watched this movie (we're about 7 years apart), would grow up on Iron Man.
My mom was and is a fan of Robert Downey Jr., my dad and uncle being big fans of action movies. While over protective in general, including movie exposure, my dad wanted to see Iron Man, so I'd have to suck it up. And I'm very anti-violence, and was extremely so as a kid, blood, shootings, and death terrifying me to the point of nightmares. But not Iron Man. It intrigued me, and while my focus wavered during extended discussions, enjoyed it all. So of course it became typical of my family to watch it together.
Flash forwards to today. First off, I'm in college, so away from home, in an environment where yeah, Marvel is awesome, but not to the point where a girl can where a Spider-Man t-shirt and not be snickered at. In my parent's divorce, my dad's conservative opinions went into ultra mode, Marvel inappropriate for his son and youngest daughter, my sister with whom I have a ten-year age difference. (This newfound hatred of Marvel began around Civil War, but I'll talk about that more then.) Going to see Marvel movies has become almost like a tradition for the rest of us, and I was and still am Team Iron Man. So I was happy to rewatch such a film.
And then I cried.
It was around when Tony Stark's red and gold suit has been built and he goes to set right the wrongs his weapons have caused, saving villagers, then having to reveal his identity to Rhodes over the phone - I won't go too in detail because if you're an MCU fan or have simply watched this film at random, my guess is you know what I'm talking about. And I didn't know why I started to cry like that. I got over it, watched the rest of the movie, filled witch excitement over over scenes I'd seen so many times before. The ending came, Tony Stark revealing himself as the Iron Man, and as the credits started rolling, I started crying again. So much has changed from the Iron Man came out, and know the climax, the big event is rolling in, weeks away. Part of me was nostalgic. And the other was thinking about the possibility of no more Iron Man, which I guess may seem stupid, but Iron Man is a character I've grown up on. The idea of going to MCU movies, of Spider-Man: Far From Home being the start of a Stark-less MCU felt, and still feels huge. Now, while I'm not 100% certain he'll be killed off, I think that, if he continues to live, he may not be as dominant as now.
A movie that came out about 11 years ago has had such a huge impact. And despite having seen this movie so often, it still has an impact on me, still moves me. The special facts haven't fallen behind yet (because I'm sure years later the movie landscape will have changed even more), the acting is great, and the story is great both alone and in the greater MCU. It is a must see, whether an MCU fan, a superhero film movies fan, a Robert Downey Jr. fan, or just a movie fan. It was the start, and an amazing start to an amazing franchise, definitely one of the top films I've ever watched.