Why Iron Man was the most pivotal movie of the last decade

Too bad most people have forgotten why

Iron Man.
(Image credit: Entertainment Pictures/Alamy Stock Photo)

In May 2008, Iron Man introduced rich jerk Tony Stark to the public — and changed the entire superhero industry in the process.

Iron Man inducted Stark as the first official member of the Avengers. The movie was a flash of brash brilliance, and one that was lauded for having crossover appeal outside the usual comic-fan audience. But the most consequential part of the film may be a seemingly minor aside uttered by Nick Fury to Stark in the post-credits scene.

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Andy Crump

Bostonian culture journalist Andy Crump covers the movies, beer, music, and being a dad for way too many outlets, perhaps even yours: Paste Magazine, The Playlist, Mic, The Week, Hop Culture, and Inverse, plus others. You can follow him on Twitter and find his collected writing at his personal blog. He is composed of roughly 65 percent craft beer.