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Movie · Superhero, Action · 2008 · PG-13

Iron Man: parents' guide

13+our pick

Best for ages 13 and up. Rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and brief suggestive content.

A sharp, funny superhero origin story that works best for young teens, about a selfish weapons maker who is taken hostage and builds an armored suit to escape. Expect lots of explosive combat, terrorists holding villagers and children at gunpoint, and Tony being tortured and later having the device that keeps him alive pulled from his chest. Early on he is a heavy-drinking womanizer, and one brief scene implies a one-night stand with a reporter, who wakes under a sheet with only her bare back showing. Language is mild, with no s-words or f-words. The implied hookup, torture and drinking are why we suggest 13.

What's in it

Violence

Moderate

Frequent armored battles with missiles, gunfire and flamethrowers kill many unnamed fighters. Tony is held underwater during an interrogation, a captive is threatened with a hot coal, a man is killed by his own ricocheting bullet, and people are burned. Little blood.

Language

Mild

No s-words or f-words. Scattered damn, hell and bitch (including son of a bitch), one each of prick and BS, and God's name used as an exclamation at least six times, plus Jesus' once.

Sex and nudity

Moderate

Tony and a reporter kiss and roll around in bed; next morning she wakes alone face down under a sheet, bare back showing, implying sex. Flight attendants dance suggestively on his jet, which has a stripper pole, and there's lots of flirting and innuendo.

Drinking, drugs and smoking

Moderate

Tony drinks heavily in the first half, from whiskey to martinis, and jokes that it would be irresponsible not to drink; his friend Rhodey ends up tipsy. Characters smoke cigarettes and a cigar, and Tony gambles at a craps table.

Scary or intense scenes

Moderate

Captivity scenes are tense, with a bag over Tony's head, villagers and kids held at gunpoint, and a man nearly executed in front of his family. A villain paralyzes Tony and rips out the device keeping him alive, a scary moment for younger kids.

Worth talking about

Tony changes course after seeing weapons his company built used against innocent people. How responsible are people for what others do with the things they make or sell?

Where to stream →

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Checked October 13th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, Plugged In, childrenandmedia.org.au, movieguide.org. The age is our judgment, not an official rating, and every family draws its lines differently: read the notes, not just the number. Spotted something we missed? Tell us. How we rate.