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 original "Iron Man" film debuted in 2008. It introduced Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) as he overcame insurmountable odds to become the heroic Iron Man, ending in an ad-libbed 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 hilariously dated by modern standards.

In "Iron Man," Tony uses an LG VX9400, a phone with a rotatable screen that was released in 2007. It's worth noting that LG was a sponsor for at least two of the "Iron Man" films. While it looks silly by modern standards, the phone was fairly advanced for its time. The VX9400 was created to use with V Cast, which was essentially an early video and game streaming subscription service for Verizon users. That means it was designed with TV viewing in mind, so long as you were okay watching shows on a 2.2-inch screen with a 240x320px display.

Devices like the LG VX9400 seemed impressive tech-wise, but they weren't easy on the eyes. It's unsurprising that these phones didn't stay in fashion long, especially as the iPhone and its competitors became more popular. Still, there's something to be said about this brief era when phones were getting smarter but manufacturers were still creative with phone designs. After over a decade of near-identical smartphones, consumers are just starting to see some variation with the best foldable phones like the iPhone Duo.

Coincidentally, "Iron Man" wrapped filming in June 2007, the same month that Apple launched the original iPhone. Unsurprisingly, 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 the time, the new device is definitely more in line with the ahead-of-the-curve tech genius fans know from his many MCU appearances. After all, this is a man who had developed smart home tech and his own AI voice assistant by the late 2000s.

Of course, actual technology is catching up with Stark Industries. Things that were once limited to a fictional billionaire who built the hardware and software himself are now affordable and easy to set up, including smart lights, voice-activated hubs, and other devices you can use to automate pretty much anything in your home. AI chatbots and voice assistants in particular make "Avengers: Age of Ultron" feel more relevant than it was in 2015.

While Iron Man isn't slated to appear in the highly-anticipated "Avengers: Doomsday," Robert Downey Jr. is taking on a new role as the villainous Doctor Doom. The Latverian ruler and longtime nemesis of the Fantastic Four in the comics has some cool tech of his own, though he combines it with magical abilities that rival those of Doctor Strange. Before that, be sure to catch up on "Avengers Endgame: Encore," which has a new ending and post-credits scenes.