By Ron Magid, Special to the Times
He may appear to be made of metal, but there's actually less substance to
Iron Man than meets the eye. The iconic comic creation of the Vietnam era, as portrayed by actor
Robert Downey Jr., technically follows in the petrified footsteps of the original "Jurassic Park," which seamlessly blended live action and digital elements of the same characters to create a powerful celluloid reality that kept audiences guessing.
Stan Winston Studio built several Iron Man suits for Downey and his stunt doubles to wear: the clunky, brutal, scrapped-together Mark One that Tony Stark builds to escape his captors; the unpainted, burnished metal Mark Two; and the red and gold Mark Three loaded with weapons and gadgets. They were then integrated with ILM's digital superhero.
