A Small Iron Man Detail In ‘Avengers 1’ Has Fans Respectfully Impressed

The re-analysis of Marvel Cinematic Universe films currently stands at scoping out minutiae even ardent fans sometimes miss. As COVID-19 quarantine continues placing these films on everyone’s “watch again” lists, viewers recall just how much detail were in these movies.

One intriguing detail mentioned recently on social media took place inside Tony Stark’s Iron Man helmet during 2012’s The Avengers. Someone noticed a digital readout in the helmet gave a reference to something occurring earlier in the film.

However, it might also mean scientific inaccuracy, something the MCU seldom trips up on. Then again, when adding in the complexity of time-travel, some might say a small scientific gaffe is hardly any big deal.

The digital details inside the Iron Man armor

More and more technological details keep being found within the MCU films, giving away things that most screenwriters would typically overlook. It just goes to show how much thought was put into each film, right on down to stuffing in scientific details casual viewers would miss.

A Reddit user recently noticed an interesting thing during The Avengers: The power capacity in Tony Stark’s armored suit. Those who watched the film probably remember when Thor throws a lightning bolt at Iron Man, ultimately overcharging the suit. As a result, the power readout shoots to 475%.

The above Reddit thread noticed the readout reflection is seen again later, except the battery power is slightly lower. Except, it appears to say 315%. What makes this puzzling is a commenter noted these numbers have no correlation with reality when it comes to charging a power source.

Said the user: “Power at 400% capacity” is 100% bullshit. It is impossible to have power at 400% capacity. That’s like saying a cup is at 400% capacity. I love this movie, but that line is stupid.”

Does science really matter in the MCU?

Thanks to more celebrity scientists (like Neil deGrasse Tyson) calling out scientific mistakes in movies, details like this are still important. For the most part, the MCU has gotten science right, despite a good majority being theoretical. Much of the technology Tony Stark worked on was based on real theoretical science, some of which is already a reality.

If the above little science gaffe is a blaring error, most people clearly would never care. Most interesting, though, is how even digital readouts in the suits of the superheroes are shown in mostly accurate ways. Even Kevin Feige would likely never imagine someone noticing the power supply readouts, and in a helmet reflection besides.

One has to wonder, however, if the overcharging of Stark’s suit caused some permanent damage. Another Reddit user noticed another interesting detail during the final battle sequence in The Avengers.

During this sequence, Stark is using a different Iron Man suit. As the user put it: “In Avengers the final battle, it is a new suit. Not the same one Thor hit with lightning supercharging it. Two different suits.”

How many details have fans missed in the MCU?

The more fans watch the MCU films through again, the more they seem to pick up little details nobody noticed originally. A lot more scientific morsels are likely hidden away in many of them, perhaps looking almost outdated now if spotted in the films from nearly a decade ago.

If the accusations of these films being pedestrian persist, at least they now prove how much creative detail went into each one. Not many franchises go to such great lengths to offer up details viewers will notice years from now with repeated viewings.

When put together, that only lines up with films like 2001: A Space Odyssey in its near OCD level penchant for complete believability.