Power suits: ILM fits Robert Downey Jr. with a full-metal digital costume for Iron Man; the orphanage and the embassy also contribute CG effects.(VFX*Rending)(Industrial Light & Magic )

When it comes to dressing for success, weapons manufacturer and sometimes arms dealer Tony Stark hits the mark, as any fan of Marvel Comics' Iron Man knows and others will learn as the latest superhero blasts into theaters. Directed by Jon Favreau, the Paramount Pictures action/adventure film Iron Man stars Robert Downey Jr. as Stark/ Iron Man, Gwyneth Paltrow as his secretary Virginia "Pepper" Potts, and Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stone, otherwise known as Iron Monger, the enemy.

Iron Man is a rarity in the superhero world. He isn't an alien, and he doesn't have magical superpowers. Stark, the man behind the metal mask, is a regular person, albeit a filthy-rich ...