The Invincible Iron Man

The Invincible Iron Man is an animated adventure that explores the hero's origins. Tony Stark, a billionaire inventor, has spent years funding an excavation to restore an ancient Chinese city once ruled by the Mandarin, a legendary emperor remembered as China's most brutal leader. The dig awakens elemental warriors loyal to the Mandarin, and when Tony's friend James Rhodes is captured, Tony travels to China to find him. An ambush leaves him gravely wounded, and he must turn to his own technological ingenuity, building a powerful armored suit to fight back as Iron Man.

The film is directed by Frank Paur, Jay Oliva and Patrick Archibald. For Oliva it is the second of thirteen films as director, following Doctor Strange, and for Archibald it comes after that same film. Greg Johnson wrote the screenplay, and Paur also produced. Marc Worden voices Tony Stark, with Gwendoline Yeo as Li Mei, John McCook as Howard Stark, Fred Tatasciore as the Mandarin, Elisa Gabrielli as Pepper Potts and Rodney Saulsberry as Rhodey. The 83-minute film was released in January 2007.

Audience reactions are mixed rather than enthusiastic, with an IMDb rating of 5.8 from roughly 7,900 votes and a TMDB rating of 6.1 from 274 votes. Both scores point to a modest reception for this early animated take on the character, made before his live-action breakthrough.