The summer season of cinematic entertainment began on Friday May 3 when Iron Man 3 debuted in theaters. It surpassed Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, taking second place only to its fellow Marvel movie, The Avengers, marking it as number two in box office record breaking history. The third addition to the saga grossed over 185 million dollars in North America while reaching over 700 million dollars in sales worldwide. Paving the way for the next installment of The Avengers, Iron Man 3 gave us action brilliance.

Tony Stark played by Robert Downey Jr. is back, ladies and gentlemen. While as charismatic as ever, the witty genius appears damaged from his excursions with the Avengers last year. He goes days without sleeping and becomes susceptible to panic attacks. With all of the adventures that come with being Iron Man, what Tony really seems to need is a shrink.

As new enemies, The Mandarin played by Ben Kingsley, and a technological rival, Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), emerge from the shadows, Tony pushes his internal battles aside to fight the terrorists with vengeance. The fast paced action thriller has extravagant explosions and fights in juxtaposition to a calm and sweet friendship between Stark and a lonely boy played by Ty Simpkins from Tennessee.

Director Shane Black pulls the rug out from under your feet, with twists and turns around every corner, leaving dropped jaws in unbelievable shock. Pepper Pots played Gwyneth Paltrow, is Stark’s soul mate while Colonel James Rhodes played by Don Cheadle  succeeds as a loyal sidekick.

Thor: The Dark World premieres November 4, 2013 while Captain America: The Winter Soldier is set to launch worldwide next April. In the spring of 2015, the Marvel team will present the second chapter of The Avengers with the all star cast of Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo and Samuel L. Jackson.