Guy Pearce Addresses Whether Iron Man 3 Is A Christmas Movie For First Time Since MCU Film's Release 11 Years Ago

Guy Pearce, who portrayed arch-villain Aldrich Killian in Iron Man 3, has finally addressed whether his MCU debut was as part of a Christmas movie 11 years later. Iron Man 3 is Iron Man’s third and final movie, depicting Tony Stark dealing with the aftermath of his pivotal role in the Battle of New York during The Avengers. Despite being released in the not-so-festive month of April, it largely takes place around Christmas, leading to a pertinent question: is Iron Man 3 a Christmas movie?

Guy Pearce seems to think so, saying as much in an interview with Screen Rant‘s Liam Crowley to discuss his newest movie, The Brutalist, alongside his co-stars. When the question of whether Iron Man 3 is a Christmas movie was raised, Peace laughed and agreed emphatically, stating “absolutely,” before his co-star Felicity Jones suggested that any movie starring Guy Pearce is a Christmas movie. Pearce references L.A. Confidential as another example, though the actor has also starred as Ebeneezer Scrooge in a TV adaptation of A Christmas Carol in 2019. The full discussion is as follows:

Liam Crowley:
Guy, it’s Christmas season. My favorite Christmas movie of all time is Iron Man 3. Would you agree that Iron Man 3 is a Christmas movie?

Guy Pearce:
(laughs) Yeah, I could see that. Absolutely.

Felicity Jones:
Any movie with Guy in it is a Christmas movie.

Guy Pearce:
Yeah, L.A. Confidential is also set around Christmas.

Iron Man 3 Has Plenty Of Christmas Movie Hallmarks

Guy Pearce likely says he can see Iron Man 3 as a Christmas movie as most of the most important scenes featuring Aldrich Killian take place specifically around the festive season. His pivotal encounter with Tony Stark, for instance, was at a 1999 New Year’s Eve party, where Stark’s flippant dismissal morphs into feelings of resentment and a turn towards villainy. The movie’s climactic final battle, meanwhile, in which Iron Man deploys his House Party Protocol, takes place around Christmas Day. Plenty of Christmas decorations also litter the scenery throughout the movie.

Iron Man’s 10 Most Rewatchable MCU Scenes

Tony Stark has had a long and complex journey in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with incredible insight to be pulled from many rewatchable scenes.

Iron Man 3‘s status as a Christmas movie is often mentioned in the same breath as Die Hard, an action movie that also takes place around Christmas but only loosely centers around themes of Christmas. Still, there is also a case to be made for the notion that Iron Man 3 embodies the spirit of Christmas, as the movie culminates in Stark relinquishing his material possessions (his suits of armor) to prioritize his nearest and dearest (Pepper Potts). That is, of course, before he reverses this decision in the next movie he stars in.

All Evidence In Iron Man 3 Has Me Convinced

Based on the movie embodying the spirit of Christmas and the fact that so many consider Die Hard to be a Christmas movie (myself included), I’m inclined to agree with Guy Pearce. Tony Stark spends much of his time in Iron Man 3 attempting to be generous – especially in the case of Harley Keener – and enough Christmas imagery permeates the scenery to have me convinced. It’s also a very small club for MCU productions, comprising The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special and Hawkeye, so I think there’s plenty of room for Iron Man 3 to join.