Iron Man 2 is a 2010 American
superhero film based on the
Marvel Comics character
Iron Man, produced by
Marvel Studios and distributed by
Paramount Pictures. It is the sequel to 2008's
Iron Man, and is
the third film in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe. Directed by
Jon Favreau and written by
Justin Theroux, the film stars
Robert Downey Jr.,
Gwyneth Paltrow,
Don Cheadle,
Scarlett Johansson,
Sam Rockwell,
Mickey Rourke, and
Samuel L. Jackson. Six months after the events of
Iron Man, Tony Stark is resisting calls by the United States government to hand over the Iron Man technology while also combating his declining health from the arc reactor in his chest. Meanwhile, rogue Russian scientist
Ivan Vanko has developed the same technology and built weapons of his own in order to pursue a vendetta against the Stark family, in the process joining forces with Stark's business rival,
Justin Hammer.