re: How much of a joke is it that Star Wars was ever thought to be equal to Lord of the Rings?

I never considered Iron Man as dark and gritty.

Tobally, the BB is obviously literally darker.

But also there is the attempt to sorta ground BB in grittier reality. Obviously it’s still fanciful, but he’s his equipment is supposed to be functional and somewhat realistic.

Iron Man is obviously a brighter movie (outside the early gave scenes) The technology and powers are clearly less grounded in reality.

I think Iron Man is intentionally more humorous. It the blueprint for the MCU.