Iron Man 3 is a 2013 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Iron Man, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the sequel to 2008’s Iron Man and 2010’s Iron Man 2, and the seventh film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

The film was directed by Shane Black from a screenplay he co-wrote with Drew Pearce, and stars Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man, alongside Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stéphanie Szostak, James Badge Dale, Jon Favreau, and Ben Kingsley. In Iron Man 3, Tony Stark wrestles with the ramifications of the events of The Avengers, during a national terrorism campaign on the United States led by the mysterious Mandarin.

After the release of Iron Man 2 in May 2010, Favreau, who served as director, decided not to return and in February 2011, Black was hired to write and direct the film. Black and Pearce opted to make the script more character-centric and focused on thriller elements, which also uses concepts from the “Extremis” story arc by Warren Ellis.

Throughout April and May 2012, the film’s supporting cast was filled out, with Kingsley, Pearce, and Hall brought in to portray key roles. Filming began on May 23, and lasted through December 17, 2012, primarily at EUE/Screen Gems Studios in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Additional shooting took place at various locations around North Carolina, as well as Florida, China, and Los Angeles. The visual effects were handled by 17 companies, including Scanline VFX, Digital Domain, and Weta Digital. The film was converted to 3D in post-production.

Iron Man 3 premiered at the Grand Rex in Paris on April 14, 2013, and released in the United States on May 3, 2013. The film received praise from critics for its performances, visual effects, action sequences, humor and Brian Tyler‘s musical score, while reception to its plot twist was mixed. It was a huge box office success, grossing over $1.2 billion worldwide, making it the second highest-grossing film of 2013 and the sixteenth film to gross over $1 billion, as well as the fifth highest-grossing film of all time, with its opening weekend ranking as the sixth-highest of all-time. The film received Best Visual Effects nominations at the Academy Awards and the BAFTA Awards.