There are massive spoilers about Iron Man 3 in here. DO NOT read until you’ve seen the movie.

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I saw Iron Man 3 a couple of weeks ago at a press screening at the Disney Studios lot, and it was one of the most engaged audiences I’ve ever been a part of. If you’ve never been to a movie screening full of members of the press, quite often it can be a rather deadpan crowd. Full of critics observing and critiquing a movie as it unfolds before them or just jaded film enthusiasts that think art is dead and the Hollywood blockbuster will forever rule in its stead, much to their disdain. But at Iron Man 3, everyone was utterly entranced by the layers of humor, emotion, and plot twists. It was a great experience, and one usually reserved for midnight showings or convention screenings.And then the movie started to open publicly across the world and I was totally shocked by some of the reaction from the hardcore comic book crowd. Granted, we’re a fickle lot that are very hard to please, but I was sure that Iron Man 3 would be a revelation that third movies could be just as good – and in my opinion far superior – to their predecessors. And while I’ve seen much positivity sharing the enthusiasm myself and my colleagues had after the screening we attended, I also found an overwhelming amount vitriol and ire regarding the movie’s focus on humor and, more so, the twist on the Mandarin character.For my part, Iron Man 3 is the perfect successor to The Avengers, and currently ranks as my second favorite Marvel flick, just behind Captain America: The First Avenger (which I’m aware is another unpopular opinion amongst many fans). But it tackles all of the important thematic elements pertaining to Tony Stark; namely, as Cap asks him in The Avengers, what happens when you take away that suit of armor? Iron Man 3 answers that question with authority and shows that it’s the man that makes the Iron Man.Additionally, the movie deftly handles the aftermath of the attack on New York City and Tony’s would-be suicide play into deep space. It explores the effect that has on his body, his relationship with Pepper Potts, his work, and his sanity. Meanwhile, co-writer/director Shane Black tackles all of this heavy material with a sense of humor and irreverence that is unmatched in any other superhero movie to date. Not to mention the action; oh, sweet lord, the action. How The Avengers 2 is expected to top Iron Man 3, I’ll never know (until May 2015, anyway).All of that said, I do have some plot issues with the movie, but as a viewer, I find plot (or lack thereof) irrelevant if the character work is strong, and Iron Man 3’s character development for Tony, Pepper, Rhodey, Mandarin, and even Happy is off the charts.This is where I part ways with many comic book fans, it seems. I understand the concern when long-standing comic book tradition is changed for the movie. But in the case of Iron Man 3, those changes are made to better the movie as a whole, not simply “to be different.” To be honest, the theatricality of the Mandarin within Iron Man 3 was over the top and hard to swallow. Those terror videos? Ridiculous and silly. But after the big reveal, it all made sense. It wasn’t a tragic lack of cohesive tone, it was a theater actor performing in a film produced by an out-of-his-mind scientist, who knows nothing about filmmaking.The reveal actually redeemed my least favorite parts of the movie up to that point, because it justified the absurdity of those moments within the logic of the movie universe instead of trying to remain consistent with the traditional portrayal of the character. That portrayal, by the way, being the perpetuation of a stereotype that has no place in modern society. The self-referential humor of the movie is definitively Shane Black, which is another reason I enjoy the movie so much. It still works within the established cinematic Marvel Universe, but has Black’s creative stamp all over it.I’m hoping that the shock and awe of the movie’s big twist will subside at a certain point and the fans that are put off by it will come to see why it benefits the movie and the character as a whole, and come to appreciate it in the long term. This reaction once again begs the question of, “Are we too attached?” that seems to crop up any time something like this occurs. It doesn’t fundamentally change anything about Tony Stark – who the movie is about, you’ll recall – and so why should it matter?The whole point of this movie is to showcase the inherent heroism of Tony. Consider replacing post-Avengers Stark of this film with Iron Man 1-era Stark. None of the choices he makes here would stand. His self-sacrifice in The Avengers destroyed any last bit of selfishness he had inside, instead giving him a new near-fatal flaw: he can’t stop the self-sacrifice. He’s almost got a deathwish in Iron Man 3, and Black takes him on a journey of how to strike a balance between being a hero and being a person.If nothing else, Iron Man 3 proves more than any other Marvel movie before that this universe can be littered with fun and explosions, but can also act as an introspective and heavy exploration of the characters that make it tick.With explosions.What do you think of Iron Man 3’s big twist and where it left the character moving into The Avengers 2?

Joey is a Senior Editor at IGN and a comic book creator. Follow Joey on Twitter @JoeyEsposito , or find him on IGN at Joey-IGN . He's going to watch the hell out of Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang tonight.