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When the producers of Iron Man pitched Robert Downey Jr. in the lead role, there was a minefield of questions from execs about his past addictions, and it was seen as a risky piece of casting. Yet it is the casting of Downey that takes the film to a whole other level. Director John Favreau says he was drawn to the story because the main character was not a teenager with teen angst but an adult who had to change what he had become.

Messianic symbolism abounds in the film, including a shoutout to Jesus’ “I Am” declartion. But Tony Stark (Downey) actually begins the movie not so much as a savior, but as someone with a savior complex. He is hailed for his genius in war technology and is the industry’s greatest prophet. When confronted by a reporter about the violence he has helped bring into the world, Stark seduces her—the ultimate metaphor for spin control and political hypnosis.

While on a promotional tour in Afghanistan, Stark’s outfit falls under terrorist attack. He regains consciousness to discover a magnetic plate has been implanted in his chest by a fellow captor and surgeon in order to prevent shrapnel from penetrating his heart and killing him. Stark learns he is the lone survivor of the American group and is being held captive in order to build a missile system for the terrorists. Instead, he builds an iron suit outfitted with weapons in order to make a dramatic escape. But when he returns home, he discovers he must continue to wear his “new heart,” otherwise he will die.

“I’ll give you a new heart; put a new spirit in you. I’ll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that’s GOD willed, not self willed.” —Ezekiel 36: 26 (The Message)

The heart motif is central to the story of Iron Man and provides a tangible symbol to the transformation of Tony Stark. Two cruciform poses serve as bookends to the story to mark the contrast: the first taken by the war profiteer and the other as his alter ego. Another Ezekiel parallel is Stark’s motivation for becoming Iron Man when he returns to the United States. His experience as a captive gave him a first-hand account of the chaos he was (literally) introducing into the world. Iron Man’s agenda is more about restoring Stark’s own name than it is peace and justice.

“I’m not doing this for you Israel. I’m doing it for me, to save my character, my holy name …” —Ezekiel 36: 22 (The Message)

Stark’s new direction for Stark Industries is met with disbelief, similar to an episode in the Gospel of Mark when Jesus’ own family tries to subdue him for fear he is not thinking clearly. Stark’s public conversion from a war messiah to a messiah of peace prompts his partner Obadiah (Jeff Bridges) to remark, “You’re a humanitarian now?!” The one who says “I have more to offer this world than making things that blow up” has his sanity questioned on a regular basis. Stark is subsequently exiled from public life and Obadiah reminds him that “We manage the chaos.” Of course, in Hebrew thinking, it is God that manages the chaos. So it is no surprise that Obadiah becomes the Judas figure in the story. His hope in a savior of violence ultimately requires him to put on his own exoskeleton, which is a mere residue of the Iron Man armor. Reportedly, Bridges read the biblical book of Obadiah and incorporated the theme of retribution into his character.

Iron Man begins with the premise that a sexually promiscuous defense contractor is hailed as the ideal American. The builder of bombs is treated like a sports hero. And his great awakening is not only a matter of realizing the world is more complex than he envisioned, but he must come to terms with how he has contributed to its degradation. Transformation involves both a new heart and a new spirit. So the message of Iron Man is this: “Make atonement for the chaos you’ve introduced into this world.”