Iron Man premiered and the whole world lost its damn mind, in the best way possible.
This little movie that's about to rewrite film history was already glowing like a repulsor blast. Walk past any theater or scroll through any forum and it was impossible to miss: Iron Man was on fire.
"Didn't expect it to be better than half the other superhero flicks out there. Two-plus hours flew by—tight, fun, left me wanting more…"
"Half-man, half-machine heroes aren't new, but damn, that suit is slicker and shinier than anything. Loved the shady arms-deal opener—peak American blockbuster vibes."
"Lately I'm all about action, sci-fi, comedy, animation… and this checked every box."
The critics at Variety gave Tom's Tony Stark a solid "not perfect, but shines in spots" review, which is basically glowing praise in critic-speak.
"We've entered the era of heroes with personality. Marvel gets it—nobody wants another bland Boy Scout anymore. Enter Iron Man."
"A hero who cracks jokes, runs his mouth, and still saves the day? That 'I am Iron Man' line at the end? Chills."
"Textbook popcorn perfection—heart, friendship, and a cocky, stupid-hot billionaire in a metal suit."
But for all the love Tom was getting, the real nail-biter was how fans would react to Joey's Asian Pepper Potts.
Turns out? Pretty damn well.
Pauline Kael, the legendary feminist critic who'd already gone to bat for Joey during the Twilight era, dropped a full column titled:
"On Race, Superheroes, Marvel's Political Awakening, and Everything Iron Man Gets Right"
"Everyone's shocked about an Asian Pepper Potts. But should we really be this shocked?"
"Marvel just pulled off another milestone for representation. Next up—Black Captain America?"
"They clearly see which way the cultural wind is blowing and dropped the obsession with skin color."
"They hedged their bets by casting America's sweetheart miracle girl, Joey Grant."
"And from the early box-office explosion? They chose right."
"This Pepper drips exotic charm, feminine warmth, and sharp independence—miles beyond the obedient arm-candy from the comics."
"She's pulling in minority audiences in droves while proving Marvel's big enough for everyone."
"This movie is going to keep printing money, because Marvel finally grew a spine."
Meanwhile, every forum was flooded. You couldn't swing a repulsor glove without hitting an Iron Man thread. And the hottest sub-topic (besides the suit itself) was "the Pepper nobody saw coming but now kinda loves."
"Forget skin color—Joey's vibe is perfect. Smart, independent, total boss energy with a side of sass."
"She gave Pepper a whole new flavor and I'm here for it—fresh but still true to the spirit."
"She turned the secretary into a straight-up power player."
"First time seeing Joey act—instant fan."
"That kiss with Tony? Holy chemistry. Joey Grant is stunning when she lets loose."
"Something about her 'I'm too good for this but I'll allow it' energy is weirdly hot as Pepper."
"In real life she's America's sweet girl-next-door. On screen? Total smoke show."
"She's so sweet."
"Especially when she smiles."
The black text turned into heart-eyes emojis."
Fans who swore they'd hate race-bent Pepper were suddenly eating their words. Joey didn't have Oscar-level acting chops (everyone admitted that), but she just stood there looking effortlessly classy, warm, and quietly badass, and somehow that was enough. The audience fell in love.
Part of it was definitely her off-screen image helping: America already saw Joey Grant as the smart, kind, girl-next-door genius. When that girl shows up as Pepper, people just thought, "Yeah, of course she's perfect."
Plus the hair-and-makeup team worked miracles—she looked radiant in a glow-up that had even the snobbiest fashion folks eating crow.
Vogue's Samantha Ryan, who once dragged Joey for having "yellow undertones," publicly apologized: "I take it all back. She was born to play Pepper and brought a crisp, elite energy the redhead version never had. Sorry, Joey—can't wait to see what you do next as an Asian icon."
A few weeks after release, the box office was already insane… and Joey woke up to discover her fanbase had changed overnight.
She used to have director stans. Now? A tidal wave of straight-up thirst-followers had arrived.
"I'm Asian too and Joey is beauty, grace, and sweetness personified—please cameo in every blockbuster from now on so I can stare at you."
"Her acting is… fine, but she's so pretty she can just stand there and I'm happy."
"Sometimes the line reads are a little stiff, but girl, you are serving FACE. Keep being the hottest vase in Hollywood."
One morning Joey opened Facebook and almost dropped her phone—her comments were 90% simping for Pepper Potts. The film-buff fans were officially outnumbered by new "I'm just here for Joey's cheekbones" stans.
Then some legend started a viral thread:
"Which blockbuster should Joey quietly vase in next?"
The replies were chaos:
"007! Make her the next Bond girl!!!"
Joey snorted. Bond girls are either femme fatales or badass spies—both need actual acting. Hard pass.
"Mission: Impossible! She and Tom can just pick up where Iron Man left off!"
Hmm… later MI films do have fight-heavy female leads. Although… that French assassin in part 4 was kinda vase-y…
"You're all idiots—Terminator! Let her be Schwarzenegger's girl!"
Immediate pushback: "Hell no, I'm sick of that old man. Let him govern in peace."
Joey side-eyed that one. Also full of stunts.
"Transformers! Megan Fox literally just bent over cars—Joey can class the franchise up as a sexy scientist or something!"
Joey: "…"
"Superman—be the new Lois Lane! Same energy as Pepper."
"Boring. She should be Catwoman."
"Black Widow exists for a reason!"
The thread got wilder by the hour.
Joey just closed the tab, laughing and shaking her head. Cute, but unrealistic.
Except… a week later her phone started blowing up with actual offers.
Her agent called, half-laughing, half-panicking:
"Sweetheart, you're not gonna believe the scripts on my desk right now…"
Terminator reboot.
Batman prequel.
James Bond 24.
Transformers 3.
She stared at the ceiling and whispered to herself:
"You've gotta be kidding me."