How Iron Man Spoiled Its Biggest Twist Right From The Start

The beginning of the first movie of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is still considered to be one of the best intros in the franchise. AC/DC’s Back In Black, charismatic Robert Downey Jr. and a key action-packed scene — we have it all within the first five minutes of the movie.

However, you may be surprised by the fact that these first five minutes of the movie include a major spoiler for the movie’s biggest twist, but it is a spoiler only for certain people. How is that possible?

When Tony Stark's convoy gets ambushed and he's taken hostage, there's a scene where the terrorists chat around him. That is exactly where the sneaky spoiler is hiding.

Unless you're fluent in Urdu, this scene just seems like regular bad-guy banter. But for those in the know, it's a massive spoiler.

Urdu is a language with deep historical roots. It's the official national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. Originating in the Delhi region of India, it evolved over centuries, blending elements from various languages like Arabic, Persian, and Sanskrit.

A Reddit user Wam1q, who's a native Urdu speaker, shared the dialogue, which roughly translates to:

"He gives us the job, and you think we are looters? We, the group of ten rebels, are against you. This region is filled with the remains of those who doubted us. The West will always dominate, but we, who you see as savages, are gathering in desolate places for a reason."

This dialogue hints that they're not just random terrorists; they're working for someone else from the West.

It is later revealed in the movie that the terrorists who kidnapped Stark were working for Obadiah Stane, portrayed by Jeff Bridges. While it is getting obvious that this guy is a shady person with some cunning plans, Urdu speakers can guess it right in the beginning of the movie.

That's called a Bilingual Bonus. It's usually an inside joke for those who understand the language. The message can be a crucial plot point, some extra dialogue to show off the creators' language skills, or just a random gag.

It's a clever way to sneak things past the audience, especially given that subtitles aren't always used in such cases.

Source: Reddit