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Episode #11 - Masquerade Original Airdate - July 31st, 2009 Iron Man goes to investigate when Obadiah Stane starts waging war, only to find that Stane isn’t Stane. It’s the identity-stealing Madame Masque, and she doesn’t want anyone getting in the way of her vendetta. When Iron man gets hunted by the police for crimes committed by masque, he has to clear his name by exposing Masque, but her connection to Stane will shock even Iron Man. Story Editor Christopher Yost Written By Brandon Auman Directed By Stephane Juffe and Phillipe Guyenne Review by Arsenal Review: The spoilers are on. If you haven’t watched Masquerade and don’t want a surprise spoiled, go no further. I mean it. This is your last warning. Fine, but don’t blame me. Tony Stark is Iron Man. Whitney Stane is Madam Masque. Madam Masque hates Iron Man. Whitney Stane likes Tony Stark. Tony and Whitney share several scenes together. They should crackle with subtext and layers of knowing. And, honestly, they don’t. The characters have little chemistry. Blame the writers, voice actors or animators if you like. The reason is not obvious to me. I can’t tell you why these scenes feel flaccid. I only know they do. And that’s too bad because “Masquerade” depends primarily upon their chemistry. That’s not to say there is nothing good about the episode. The animators, who I’ve picked on a couple of times, concoct a pair of nice action sequences. The pay off for the long-promised roller-skate armor is delicious. The presence of Whitney also brings the best out of Pepper. I loved her berating Tony because he was pulling punches against a woman. “If you don’t beat her up, I’ll come down there and do it,” Pepper warns. “Then, I’ll beat you up.”
Unfortunately, these flourishes don’t change the fact that this episode is built on an unsteady cornerstone.
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