Iron Man had gadgets in the MCU, but Tony Stark’s first phone is still special

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has come a long way since the debut of the original “Iron Man” film in 2008. It featured Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) as he overcomes insurmountable odds to become the heroic Iron Man, ending with an improvised line that changed the trajectory of the MCU. However, while Tony Stark is known for his engineering genius and high-tech gadgets, his first cell phone is hilarious by modern standards.

In “Iron Man,” Tony uses an LG VX9400, a rotating screen phone released in 2007. It’s worth noting that LG has been a sponsor of at least two of the “Iron Man” films. Although it seems ridiculous by modern standards, the phone was quite advanced for its time. The VX9400 was created for use with V Cast, which was essentially an early video and game streaming subscription service for Verizon users. This means it was designed for watching TV, provided you can watch shows on a 2.2-inch screen with a 240 x 320 pixel display.

Devices like the LG VX9400 looked technologically impressive, but they weren’t easy on the eyes. It’s no surprise that these phones didn’t stay in style for long, especially as the iPhone and its competitors became more popular. Still, there’s something to be said for that brief era when phones were getting smarter, but manufacturers were still creative when it came to phone design. After more than a decade of nearly identical smartphones, consumers are just starting to see variation with top foldable phones like the iPhone Duo.

Coincidentally, “Iron Man” finished filming in June 2007, the same month Apple launched the original iPhone. Not surprisingly, Tony Stark upgraded his phone by the time audiences saw him again in “Iron Man 2,” where he uses a transparent phone that even now looks futuristic. While the LG VX9400 may have been advanced for its time, the new device is definitely more in line with the cutting-edge technological genius that fans know from its many appearances in the MCU. After all, this is a man who developed smart home technology and his own AI voice assistant in the late 2000s.

Of course, current technology is catching up with Stark Industries. Things that were once limited to a fictional billionaire who built the hardware and software themselves are now affordable and easy to set up, including smart lights, voice-controlled hubs, and other devices you can use to automate just about everything in your home. AI chatbots and voice assistants in particular make “Avengers: Age of Ultron” more relevant than it was in 2015.

While Iron Man is not expected to appear in the highly anticipated “Avengers: Doomsday,” Robert Downey Jr. is taking on a new role as the villainous Doctor Doom. The Latvian ruler and longtime foe of the Fantastic Four in the comics has some interesting technology of his own, although he combines it with magical abilities that rival those of Doctor Strange. Before then, be sure to catch up on “Avengers Endgame: Encore,” which features a new ending and post-credits scenes.