The leading franchise in the
Disney umbrella today is not one of their in-house properties, but rather
arguably from one of their acquired subsidiaries: Marvel. The Marvel Cinematic
Universe (MCU) film series has redefined the concept of a movie franchise, and
has been delivering over a decade of epic superhero adventures since it began
in 2008. The inaugural movie had been “Iron Man” starring Robert Downey Jr.,
who reprised the role in multiple films before his character performed a heroic
sacrifice in this year’s “Avengers: Endgame.” Such has been the enduring appeal
for Tony Stark/Iron Man, especially as portrayed by Downey, that fans are
actually making memorials in his honor.
According to Comic Book Resources, an Italian sculptor has erected a monument to
remember Iron Man from Marvel, particularly the MCU movies, after the character’s
death in “Avengers: Endgame” which premiered this past April. The memorial is
an abstract humanoid statue, 13 feet high, in polished steel and brass,
depicting Tony Stark/Iron Man in his high-tech armor, performing the now-iconic
“three-point hero landing pose” (kneeling with right hand on ground) atop a wide
marble plinth.
The super-heroic monument is the
brainchild of Daniele Basso, a sculptor based in the town of Forte dei Marmi
located at Italy’s Tuscany region. Said statue is part of Basso’s art
exhibition called “Oltre Verso,” hosted at Forte dei Marmi’s Fortino Lorenese
art gallery, although the Iron Man statue is displayed outside, positioned at
the center of the Via Carducci. The monument, named “Man of Steel” (in a seemingly
mismatched reference to a different and possibly more famous superhero character
from Marvel’s rival brand DC) also has a dedication plaque on the plinth, which
dedicates the work to Iron Man on the “year of his death in the cinematic
world.”
“We celebrate Tony Stark as the
man who dedicated his life's fortune to fighting for the ideals he believed in,”
so went the dedication plaque for Daniele Basso’s Iron Man statue. “Reminding
us that we are all the protagonists of our time – That the future of humanity
depends on our decisions...that all of us must be heroes.” That is certainly
quite the praise for a fictional character, whose personality in the MCU was
rooted in that of his actor Robert Downey Jr. who played the role for Marvel
Studios across 23 films in 11 years. His last hurrah in “Avengers: Endgame”
made $2.796 billion globally, and is now available in digital HD, Blu-Ray and
4K.
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