Are we to assume that Pepper is now basically invulnerable and the fix was to make her non-splodey ?

Maybe it was left unspecified so they can do what they want in the future? I agree it was kind of glossed over.

I will NEVER stop laughing about the tag. EVER.

I knew you'd love it.

Not that kind of doctor!

Basically, the WHOLE Tony-as-narrator frame is him, telling his story to his SCIENCE BRO!!!

I will never EVER stop laughing. That alone was worth the price of admission.

I have other thoughts, really, but I'm still stuck on the tag.

I, too, have many thoughts.

I think I need to see it again, A) because of that thing and B)To see if my sense of thematics holds up.

I have this whole theory where it has a WIDE streak of Batman Begins in it:

(1) The whole fake-out with the named villain not being the actual villain (which I'm somewhat disappointed with).

(2) Not a whole lot of Tony actually in the Iron Man suit. Which was largely the point.

Also, Harley FOREVER. (Which has nothing to do with Batman Begins.)

I have this whole theory where it has a WIDE streak of Batman Begins in it:

I was actually going with The Dark Knight Rises myself. Although good comparison with regards to your first point.

I kind of love that Marvel basically trolled the entire fandom and found a way to use the classic racist villain (and cast a white guy as a Chinese character). I had my doubts early on given the way Ben Kingsley was speaking seemed so artificial, so I figured at the very least that the Mandarin was not actually supposed to be Chinese at all, and he was putting on a performance. I didn't see the full switcheroo coming, though.

Yes.

Although, on your second point, I feel like we didn't quite get the cathartic moment that that plotline needed.

I went with Joe & Aims & Em, and I couldn't help thinking how awesome it would have been if that had been a little girl, instead. Especially as the movie only barely passed the Bechdel.