Ladies' day as Iron Man flies back into battle

The rehabilitation and on-screen resurrection of Robert Downey Jr continues apace in Iron Man 2 which, as the title gleefully gives away, is a sequel in the same vein to its predecessor that, in turn, helped re-launch Downey as a bankable and, some might say, highly watchable star.

The second film in the franchise throws up a star-studded ensemble cast of awesome proportions. Mickey Rourke, Sam Rockwell and Scarlett Johansson sign up as the villains. Don Cheadle takes over from Terrence Howard as a military man. And Samuel L Jackson picks up where he left off as Nick Fury, glimpsed briefly in the first film in a post-credits "stinger" scene, hinting at more fun to come.

Of course, comic book junkies lapped it up. No surprise, then, that Iron Man 2 is as big, noisy and violent as the film that spawned it.

At the table sit Downey, Rourke, Johansson, Cheadle, Gwyneth Paltrow, producer Kevin Feige and director (and sometime actor) Jon Favreau. They're having fun. Downey isn't taking the proceedings remotely seriously and Favreau is struggling to give sincere answers to even the most rudimentary questions.

One thing's clear: they all had a lot of laughs making this estimated $200m monster. But more than that, at least some of the cast (and Favreau) are anxious to dispel any suggestion that this is just another mindless sequel.

In fact, there is more to consider. Iron Man's finale hinted at more movies to come from the Marvel canon. The introduction of Nick Fury, offering Downey's Tony Stark – billionaire playboy genius and former weapons manufacturer, aka superhero alter ego Iron Man – the opportunity to be part of a brave band of heroes, was, many felt, the best moment in a thrill-a-minute picture.

Iron Man 2 has a similar conclusion. What's more, Favreau rashly gave the game away on Twitter. Kevin Feige pointedly mentions it, and Favreau starts to squirm.

"I think Jon has already revealed on his Twitter that Iron Man 2 takes place after, or slightly concurrently with, The Incredible Hulk."

Favreau cuts in. "No, it's definitely before. If you pay attention towards the end of the film you'll see a little clue that tells you that it's happening before The Incredible Hulk."

Letting the cat out of the bag is an occupational hazard. For fans desperate to predict the future of the Iron Man, Nick Fury, Hulk, Avengers or Thor franchises – all of them created through Marvel's comic heritage – the internet has become a forum for boys-who-should-know-better to debate endlessly how the Iron Man films will be a springboard to an entirely new array of movies.

So how will these overgrown teens react to Paltrow and Johansson's shared opinion that Iron Man 2 is actually quietly feminine in tone and content?

Johansson morphs from quiet secretary Natalie Rushman into Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow, a nubile, flame-haired villainess in a catsuit. She has her own thoughts on the content of the film.

"When you have a sexy girl swinging around by her ankles in a cat suit, that's innately sexy," says the 25-year-old New Yorker, describing herself.

"But the fact is that these characters are intelligent, ambitious, motivated and calculated to some degree. I think this because Gwyneth and I are able to be the brains behind the operation in some aspects.

"There's a happy medium there that adds to the charm (and] charisma of the finished product.

"It's awfully old-fashioned, in the best sense of the word. These characters are like those fabulous femme fatales of the golden age of Hollywood – Bette Davis more than the Jayne Mansfield, you know – which is so much more dynamic to watch."

Paltrow chips in. Playing Stark's loyal PA, Pepper Potts, she fights the fight for the potential female audience – not something comic book movies are known for.

"It's a very smart decision to have women who are capable and intelligent because it appeals to women. It's not only a film for 15-year-old boys. It can relate to a lot of people on a lot of levels. A lot of my girlfriends like it because of the romance. Scarlett is in the trailer and so it's appealing. It doesn't look gratuitous.

"There are interesting women in the movie. You know from the first one that my character is quick and articulate. When you take your kid – if you're a mom – it's really fun for you to watch as well. So it's nice to see women who are aspirational and smart and sexy all at the same time."

Iron Man 2 – chick flick? Surely not! What about all the bangs and explosions, scenes of middle-aged men engaging in superannuated fisticuffs whilst wearing space-age body armour? What about the comic book action? Cue Robert Downey Jr...

"We laboured really hard to (address] audience members who made the first Iron Man successful and (who] were smart," says Downey, entering thespian mode.

"We kept putting ourselves in audience seats. For me, the mental and emotional aspects and development of Tony were a lot more personal. It's not necessarily relating to my life. Saying you're something and being that thing are entirely different."

But what of romance? Iron Man 2 presents a scene in which Tony and Pepper finally kiss. Downey smiles. Paltrow laughs: "It was great because both my husband and his wife were right there."

Adds Downey: "She said to me that I didn't know what I was doing; it didn't feel good." He turns to Paltrow. "First of all we're all friends, so what would be creepy would be if I was coming on all sexy to you. By the way, I've done that in movies and it creeps them out. So when am I going to creep you out? Despite what she said, she still thinks about it..."

Iron Man 2 (12A) is on release nationwide.