This review contains no spoilers.

Last Summer, Marvel Studios run peaked with the incredible The Avengers, a seemingly impossible blockbuster combining five prior films into one seemless adventure, ending “Phase One” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The bet paid off with billions of dollars in box office receipts and arguably the greatest superhero film yet.  In turn, you’d expect that Iron Man 3 would be an easy victory lap - instead, they took a sharp left, and it may have resulted in one of the most unique, and overall strongest films, in the Marvel Studios lineup.

“I am Iron Man” - it’s the phrase that ended 2008’s Iron Man, and a phrase which to this point has also defined the lifestyle of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) - in this adventure, however? The story is more about Stark than his armored persona.  He’s haunted by demons this time out - not the alcoholism of the comics, but instead mental demons -  a case of anxiety and PTSD brought about by his conflicts with Gods, other heroes and aliens during the “Battle for New York” seen in The Avengers. This keeps him up at night, tinkering, creating, building, as that’s all he knows.  When we last saw Tony a year ago, he had just premiered the Mark VIII armor. He’s now at a brisk 42, creating new suits for every need, moment and interest, to protect himself, the world, and most importantly, the woman he loves, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow).  And if that weren’t enough? Demons are appearing in his physical world as well - ex-girlfriends like scientist Maya Hansen (The Town’s Rebecca Hall); leader of rival tech firm AIM, Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce); and an international terrorist with the flair for the dramatic, The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley), a villain with incredible savvy and a production team who makes his manifestos to the world look like the slickest video packages this side of Top Gear or the WWE.

Suffice to say, the man is stressed out - and appropriately, the movie then takes a focus on Tony Stark, not so much Iron Man.  This is the most we’ve seen Tony on screen without a suit yet, and appropriately, it works.  While the film’s title says Iron Man 3 (or Iron Man Three as it is written in the brilliant, jazzy credit sequence) this is the story of Stark through and through, and we get to see him tackle impossible odds.  Equal parts Batman, James Bond and MacGuyver this time around, Iron Man 3 may not be the story we were expecting, but it’s a story expertly told.

Sure, the third act is full of the amazing armor battling action we’ve come to expect from the franchise, but the way we get there has rarely been so unique. Any conceptions of a standard Iron Man film have been thrown out, and if anyone is to be thanked, it’s Shane Black.  Black, director and co-writer of the film, is best known for his scripts for 80’s action classics such as Lethal Weapon and The Last Boy Scout (plus an amazing performance in Predator), but in 2005, he directed his first film, the sadly under-seen Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, a cracking detective dark comedy which gave us the modern Robert Downey Jr.  It’s Kiss Kiss Bang Bang which the film remarkably resembles, with a slowly unfurling plot, a sardonic voiceover by RDJ and even a shared Christmas setting (add this to your list of unofficial Christmas films), and it’s this bold experimentation that makes Iron Man 3 stand out so well within the Marvel Studios filmography.  If the intent for Marvel Studios Phase 2 is to become like Marvel Comics has for publishing, taking a team of universal characters and seeing how they go under the eye of unique creative minds, Iron Man 3 is the perfect example of how brilliantly this will work, and inspires excitement for the future films coming down the pike.

The performances are universally great, with Downey firing on all cylinders in the role he’s defined. He’s matched by a very game Paltrow as Pepper Potts (who finally gets her moment in the sun) and Don Cheadle, who overcomes a mostly indifferent appearance in Iron Man 2 to become a great sidekick to Stark in this edition.  Jon Favreau is also fun as Happy Hogan, although he peaks in an early film flashback.  Guy Pearce does a fantastic job as villianous Aldrich Killian, but the true revelation is Ben Kingsley as the Mandarin.  Is he comic accurate? In no way shape or form - but what they’ve done with him here is a fantastic contrast to Tony Stark, and one of the most challenging ideas of the series - his performance is a bold risk which played out wonderfully, although you can already foresee the internet flame wars coming.  Also of note - yes, there is a post credits scene, and while it may be the least essential since Thor’s, it has one of the most enjoyable human moments yet.

It’s a strange thing to say three films into one series (and seven films into an overarching story), but Iron Man 3 may just be where Marvel Studios has hit their stride. When the theater lights dim, the movie which appears before you may not be what you were expecting, but trust in the movie - you’ll be rewarded in ways unlike any other of the films before it.  Kudos to Marvel Studios for taking the risk, and I look forward to seeing what great risks - and great films - come next.  A hell of a kick off for Summer 2013.

Iron Man 3 is in theaters today.