Never in my life did I think I would see people on Twitter discussing the Iron Giant's lore and his subsequent validity in the upcoming Smashlike fighter MultiVersus. Yet here we are.
It's been a hot sec since I watched The Iron Giant, but from what I remember the movie is largely about a giant alien robot who fights against the very violence he was created to enact, a gun who proudly proclaims "I am not a gun." That does make it a little surprising, then, that Warner Brothers has seen the loveable hunk of tin and said "yeah why not, shove him in a platform fighter."
It's sparked a bit of a debate over whether someone whose entire shtick is hating violence has any place in a game where Super Saiyan Shaggy can beat the crap out of Bugs Bunny. I know. There's a healthy mix of humorous takes on his seemingly uncharacteristic inclusion, while others seem genuinely incensed about Warner Brothers disregarding any canon.
Iron Giant: I am NOT a gun…Warner Bros: would be cooler if you were thoughMay 16, 2022
happy that multiversus is going to include my favorite quote from the iron giant (1999) pic.twitter.com/rlc5SlgBPqMay 16, 2022
I am begging people to stop putting Iron Giant in combat situationsMay 16, 2022
pic.twitter.com/rv98Al1h0hMay 17, 2022
You've also got people pointing out that yes, this is a videogame, one that is clearly not accounting for anyone's lore. I'm pretty sure when Arya Stark was done with the Game of Thrones her next step didn't include beefing with Batman. As IntroSpecktive also pointed out, "Isabelle is murdering people in Smash, yet wouldn't harm a fly in Animal Crossing, but no one cared about her fighting in Smash lol."
Despite the Iron Giant lore discourse, there is one thing everyone can agree on: his moment with Superman in the trailer was rad as hell. The most iconic moment in the entire movie is the Iron Giant muttering the superhero's name as he sacrifices himself to save the world. It's my most vivid memory of the entire plot, one that really tugs at the heartstrings.
The MultiVersus trailer pairs the two together, with the Iron Giant sporting his Superman emblem. Seeing him finally standing side-by-side with his hero has fans freaking out in the best possible way. I'm not crying, you are.
IRON GIANT MEETING HIS HERO! pic.twitter.com/pExzhc7xENMay 16, 2022
Yeah Shaggy going Super Saiyan and PUNCHING BUGS BUNNY is absolutely bonkers.But seeing Superman and The Iron Giant teaming up just absolutely BROKE me. 🥲 pic.twitter.com/RJPY23GDtpMay 16, 2022
#MultiVersus Always happy to see the Iron Giant get some action in movies or video games. pic.twitter.com/IwVX61EXpjMay 16, 2022
Canon is nice and I love the Iron Giant.But this trailer with cartoon violence had Superman looking at the mess, going "I got to stop all this fighting", saying his traditional line, Iron Giant completed, Supes goes "alright, you're with me". I CRIED tears of joy at that moment. https://t.co/9GRVVm3t56May 18, 2022
My biggest takeaway from this is that yes, discourse can start over anything. But also, I'm weirdly hyped for MultiVersus. In so many ways it's absolutely ridiculous, but I get the impression that a decent level of dedication and love is going into this whacky melting pot. I'm not quite as excited as Tyler Colp was to see Bugs Bunny get absolutely bodied, but I wouldn't mind giving everyone a good old slap as Jake the Dog sometime soon.
You can sign up now for the MultiVersus closed alpha which is set to start on May 19, with an open beta planned for July 2022.
