The arc reactor has triggered an arms race and is poisoning Tony Stark. Filled with self-doubt and alcohol, Stark must rise above his inner demons to contain the arms race, to overcome his enemies, and to find a cure.

Vanko is a determined but minor villain who never rises to Stark's level. Hammer, though naive, is more ruthless in his thirst for power. I imagine him in a future story as enabler for villains. And Pepper mostly stands by her man instead of the angry on-again-off-again relationship. Iron Man 2 introduces Black Widow and War Machine, and sets the stage for the Avengers movie.

After Tony Stark revealed his superhero identity to the world he became part of a larger universe.
While the Stark Expo is on its way a mysterious terrorist emerges to destroy Starks legacy. Meanwhile the military is chasing a certain Dr. Bruce Banner who seems to be in possession of TOP secret military intelligence.

But all this seems like childsplay compared to what is happening in New Mexico: Astronomer Jane Foster is about to find out that the norse myths about gods of thunder and lies might not be the stuff of children's books.