Introduction Conventionally, a film bears a central message in its plot. Despite being medium of entertainment, embedded deep within a film’s plot is often a central idea or theme that the writer and the producer seek to convey. In this respect, moviemakers strive to depict virtually all aspects of life. In the year 2013, Hollywood produced a superhero film by the name Iron Man 3 . This essay seeks to examine this film with a focus on the analysis of violence as a central theme within the movie. A synopsis of Iron Man 3 The movie Iron Man 3 is a creation of Shane Black who doubles as a writer and director. It features Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark as the main actor around whom all the action revolves. The film commences in the wake of the events of The Avengers in which Tony participated to save the New York City from the attack of aliens (the Loki). Riddled with severe insomnia and posttraumatic stress, Tony spends his time building iron man suits ( Iron Man 3 ). This new lifestyle begins to weigh him down, but before long, a dangerous terrorist, only identified as the Mandarin, wreaks havoc. The Mandarin strips Tony off everything; it kills his bodyguard, destroys his home, car, and kills his girlfriend (Pepper Potts). Consequently, Tony is left with only a badly damaged iron man suit with which to face the vicious enemy ( Iron Man 3 ). With the help of Col. James Rhodes and Harley, a young boy, Tony solves the puzzle of the Mandarin just before he actualizes his worst threat. Analysis of Iron Man 3 The movie exudes violence right from the very beginning to its conclusion. The scenes are designed to embody a nature of violence that is often associated with terrorism in real life. The film commences in the wake of an alien invasion of the New York City. It takes the intervention Tony and his compatriots (The Avengers) to save the city. The idea of alien invasion already creates an image of violence even before the movie starts. The harrowing experiences that Tony goes through due to his New York experience are not gentle by any standard. They are violent experiences that render him sleepless. Clearly, the beginning of the movie sets the stage for the violent action witnessed all the way to the end of the movie. Violence in Iron Man 3 is perpetrated by everyone ranging from women, children, and men including Tony himself in the process of trying to rid the world of the villains. Pepper, Tony’s girlfriend, is shown violently killing a villain after which she exclaims, “that was really violent” ( Iron Man 3 ). In fact, the writer of the movie seems to be fully aware of the violence that is embedded in the movie, and thus by incorporating such a line, he appears to be drawing the audience’s attention to the violent nature of the movie. Pitching Harley, a ten-year-old boy, as one of the main accomplices of Tony in the final conquest, is a clear indicator that violence as depicted in the movie is not limited to gender or age. He participates in the violent termination of the villains until they are ultimately defeated. The portrayal of a young boy participating in violent acts as shown in this movie may elicit criticism from a large fraction of soci