MCU Director Crowns RDJ's Best Marvel Christmas Movie — Then Says It Aged Terribly

Iron Man 3 has lived rent-free in a very specific debate for years: is it a Christmas movie or just an action movie that happens to be set in December? Director Shane Black just revisited that question, and his answer is... complicated.

Shane Black explains the Christmas of it all

Talking to Empire, Black leaned into the idea that the holiday backdrop lets him go darker than usual and still land the movie with a softer touch. He even points to Happy Hogan waking up as a full-on holiday beat.

There's a Christmas miracle when Jon Favreau's character comes out of a coma. There's something about it, where you can get dark and dark and dark, as harsh as you want, and then summon up a little Christmas, and it gives you that pleasant out that you're looking for.

Worth noting: Black has a history of setting stories at Christmas, but he says he didn't initially want to do that here. According to him, co-writer Drew Pearce pushed hard to make Iron Man 3 a Christmas movie. Black didn't want the holiday angle to feel like a gimmick, and once people started clocking the pattern in his work, the fun of it started to drain away. So why do it?

I didn't want Christmas to feel like a gimmick, or something that was predictable, or ostentatious on my part. It started out as fun, and as soon as people noticed it, it stopped being fun. But I acquiesced largely because of the Christmas Carol aspect of it.

That Dickens-y framing is basically Tony Stark hitting bottom, confronting the messes of his past, and coming out the other side a little more human. The movie sprinkles holiday vibes throughout, culminating in a finale where the exploding Iron Man suits pop like firecrackers. And the ending? Black calls it a Christmas coda, with Tony giving Pepper a gift and sending one to the kid who helped him, Harley Keener.

The coda is basically him at Christmas, giving a gift to his fiancee, and giving a gift to a little kid who helped him. There's something about it, where you can get dark and dark and dark, as harsh as you want, and then summon up a little Christmas, and it gives you that pleasant out that you're looking for.

Quick refresher: Iron Man 3 at a glance

• Director: Shane Black
• Writers: Shane Black, Drew Pearce
• Runtime: 130 minutes
• Main cast: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle
• Main villain: Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), backed by Extremis soldiers
• Key supporting: Harley Keener (Ty Simpkins), Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau)

So... is Iron Man 3 actually a Christmas movie?

Here's where I land: it feels like an action movie set at Christmas, not a capital-C Christmas movie. The holiday aesthetic is definitely there, and Black makes a case for the theme tying into Tony's arc. But plot-wise, it's a lot of moving parts and corporate sabotage and Extremis meltdowns. Festive? Sure. Fueled by the spirit of the season? Only in moments.

Marvel already did a full-on Christmas movie, though

If you want something from the MCU that is unapologetically a Christmas story, James Gunn delivered it in 2022 with The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. It's a one-off TV special with the core Guardians that is goofy on purpose and totally drenched in holiday cheer. The hook is simple and very on brand: Peter Quill is still gutted over losing Gamora, so the team decides to cheer him up by gifting him his childhood hero, Kevin Bacon. Yes, they literally kidnap Kevin Bacon, who plays himself, and yes, it's as silly and charming as it sounds. That one doesn't just take place at Christmas; it plays like an actual Christmas movie.

Both Iron Man 3 and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special are streaming on Disney+ in the U.S.

Where do you land on the Iron Man 3 holiday debate? Drop your take below.