Tony Stark looked at a cave, a box of scraps, and the worst week of his life, and decided the answer was a flying metal suit. It’s the most confident home improvement project in history. He also holds the record for shortest-lived secret identity in comics, which is impressive for a guy who wears a glowing circle on his chest.
This week we’re covering Iron Man, the video game based on the 2008 movie, which was based on a comic book from the 1960s. That’s three layers of adaptation, like a nesting doll built by a defense contractor. Somewhere in there is a billionaire with a snarky voice in the ceiling, an assistant who deserves hazard pay, and the weight of an entire cinematic universe resting on the very first domino. No pressure.
To help me work out whether this one is a gold-titanium triumph or a very expensive pile of scrap, I called in Perry Constantine of Superhero Cinephiles and Japan on Film. His two shows read like a very specific weekend itinerary: capes on one end, Japanese cinema on the other. That makes him the perfect person to ask what happens when you compare one armored man to everything Japan has ever stomped a city with. Perry took it all in stride, even when I made him say “I am Iron Man” out loud on the record.
So press play, ignore any calls from Tony’s insurance company, and let’s find out whether this one earns a spot in the Hall of Armor or ends up at a yard sale in a cave.
Learn such things as:
- Is Chris allowed to say he’d only give part of the game to people to experience Iron Man?
- Is Iron Man really allowed to run around with such a blatant security risk strapped to his body?
- Is Sega to blame for this game falling apart after the first few levels?
- And so much more!
You can find Perry on Bluesky @percivalconstantine.com, Threads @perconstantine, catch some of his writing on Sub Stack or Patreon, or his own podcasts Superhero Cinephiles and Japan on Film.
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You can find Play Comics @playcomics.bsky.social on Bluesky, @playcomicspodcast on Threads, @playcomics on YouTube, or the Play Comics website.
If you want to hear about the lessons we learned from children’s media and how crazy it is that we’re supposed to just forget about that now that we’re adults, then Sugar, Spite, and Everything is Fine is probably something you should check out.
A big thanks to the Superman Super Show and Brynn Reno and the Fire Within for the promos today.
Intro/Outro Music by Backing Track, who is way over there and definitely doesn’t have anything to do with the drones coming towards you right now.
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