With Iron Man 3 coming to theaters this May, the topic of film trilogies is on the minds of all Iron Man fans. The third films in Hollywood trilogies are amongst the movies that bring the most anxiety for the typical moviegoer. When dealing with a third film there is always the need to up the ante and possibly conclude the series (until the reboot of course). In order to up the ante Hollywood seems to have adopted the method do the same thing over and over again. With the release of the Iron Man 3 trailer, it has become clear that we will see Tony Stark face some familiar third-film redundancy that we’ve seen in past trilogies. These being…

1. The Hero Will Risk Losing His Loved Ones:
Right from the start the trailer establishes Tony Stark’s fear of losing his girlfriend Pepper Potts, hinting that their relationship will be tested in this film. This makes sound sense; the first film is the origin, the second follows its course, and third is where the characters have to deal with their hemorrhaging emotions.

2. That Loss Will Be Brought On By Revenge/Corruption:
Tony Stark said it himself in the trailer: “No politics here, just good old-fashioned revenge.” His heroic traits have already been established and he has mastered the power he commands…now something must shake his overconfidence. This is why Peter Parker needed the black suit in the last Spider Man and why Bruce Wayne needed to face defeat at the hand of Bane in The Dark Knight Rises.

3. The Hero Will Hit A Humbling Low Point:
It is more than clear in the trailer that Tony’s house, his fortress, is going to be utterly destroyed. The following shot is that of a battered and broken Iron Man lying tattered on the ground. In the third film of a series a major loss such as this is necessary. If the main character has been acting like an egotistical tyrant, for most of the film, a huge heartbreaking event is needed to snap them back to reality.

While fans hold high hopes for   , it is almost certain that these third film tropes will occur. Will this make Iron Man 3 a bad movie? Not necessarily. But it does mean we won’t see Iron Man break from the typical third film cues.