While in Afghanistan to give a demonstration, he is captured by anti-American guerillas who force him to build them a super weapon from a cache of captured munitions.
He sees American soldiers killed by the weapons he designed to defend them, weapons that have left him with a heart full of shrapnel. Tony escapes and returns to the United States a changed man – he will use his latest stroke of genius - a robotic suit - that enables him to elude captors and reinvent himself as a person concerned about the consequences of his weapons. In the process, he decides to stop being frivolous and to make his life about something, so he streamlines and improves his armor technology until he becomes the high-flying Iron Man.

Aside from Downey, the film boasts Jeff Bridges as Tony's right-hand man, Obadiah Stane; Gwyneth Paltrow as Tony's smoothly sarcastic assistant, Pepper; and Shaun Toub as Yinsen, an Afghan doctor whose surgical skills and gallows humor save Tony's life.

But, this is Downey Jr.'s show to the core. he delivers a fantastic performance, nailing the boozing, wise-cracking playboy side of his character, which is refreshing in this era of superheroic angst. It's that subtext, alongside Downey Jr. who brings so much creative juice to the role, that sticks in your mind. This is also the biggest movie of director Jon Favreau's career.