I’ve gotten pretty far behind on my Marvel Movie Marathon, but this weekend has been a quiet one for Jess and I, so we’ve started to get back on track with our re-watch.
The next movie on the agenda is Iron Man 2, so after getting myself re-acquainted, I’m back with some movie locations for you to add to your film set bucket list.
Iron Man 2 brings back Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Pots, and introduces us to the new look Rhodey – Don Cheadle. We also get our first glimpse of Black Widow played by Scarlet Johansson.
Like the first Iron Man movie, its sequel is mainly filmed in California – apart from a couple of scene’s shot in Monaco. If you’re planning a trip to either place and want to re-live some Iron Man 2 magic, make sure to check out the locations below.
EVERY FILMING LOCATIONS IN IRON MAN 2
New York State Pavilion, Flushing
Stark Expo
The first location we come across in Iron Man 2 is both set and filmed at the New York State Pavilion in Flushing, Queens – you can clearly make out the Tent of Tomorrow which is an elliptical stadium made up of 16 concrete pillars. If you look close enough, you can also see the UFO shaped Observation Towers that you’ll probably recognise from Men in Black.
Ramon C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts, Los Angeles
Stark Expo
Apart from the initial shots, most of the Expo scenes were actually filmed on a backlot with the State Pavillion edited in with CGI. We do however see the Ramon C. Cortines School of Visual and Permoring Arts when Stark leaves the Expo with Happy – this is also where we see a cameo of Kate Mara who is waiting for Stark by his car.
Pasadena Masonic Temple, California
United States Senate, Washington DC
The United States Senate where Tony Stark attends a hearing in front of Senator Stern to determine whether his suit could be used as a weapon, was filmed within the Grand Hall of the Pasadena Masonic Temple. This is also where we’re introduced to Stark’s nemesis, Justin Hammer, who is played by Sam Rockwell.
Point Dume, Malibu
Tony Stark’s Mansion
Like the first Iron Man movie, Stark’s Malibu mansion is CGI’d onto a cliff at the Point Dume Bluff in California. The building was superimposed onto the rock face after all filming had taken place, while the interiors were shot in the studio.
Monte Carlo, Monaco
Monaco
The shots of Monaco, where Stark enters the Grand Prix as a driver, were filmed in the real Monte Carlo. Production were allowed a small amount of time to film wide shots of the Grand Prix track, however the scene where Ivan Vanko uses his electric whip to slice sections off of Stark’s car was filmed in a studio. Monaco’s Hotel de Paris also makes a brief appearance in the movie.
Lincoln Heights Jail, Los Angeles
Monaco Prison
Vanko is taken to a prison in Monaco for trying to kill Tony Stark, before being broken out by Justin Hammer. The Prison scene’s were filmed at Lincoln Heights, a former Los Angeles jail that closed in 1965, before being turned into the home of the Bilingual Foundation of Arts.
Space X, Hawthorne
Hammer Industries, Queens
Hammer’s Advanced Weapons Systems Facility in Queens, New York, where Justin Hammer introduces Vanko to the armoured suits he’s been developing, is the Space X building in Los Angeles – owned by Tesla’s Elon Musk. Musk actually makes a Cameo in Monaco.
Edwards Air Force Base, California
Edwards Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force base made it’s first on-screen appearance in Iron Man as Tony Stark’s personal airfield. In Iron Man 2 it portrays itself. You see it after Rhodes and Stark battle it out in his mansion – Rhodes takes the Iron Man suit and delivers it to his superiors at the Air Base.
Randy’s Donuts, Inglewood
Randy’s Donuts
The shop where Fury finds Stark munching on pastries in the middle of a giant sized donut is actually called Randy’s Donuts – though don’t expect to be able to head inside like Fury and Stark, as Randy’s is a take away only joint. The interiors were filmed elsewhere..
Yum Yum Donuts, Inglewood
Randy’s Donuts
Yum Yum Donuts, found just up the road from Randy’s, at 5836 W Manchester Avenue in Los Angeles, was used for the interior shots of the donut shop. This is when Fury talks to Stark about his father while Black Widow secures the area.
Pacific Coast Highway, Los Angeles
Malibu Highway
Tony Stark heads to Stark Industries via a strawberry seller on the highway to talk to Pepper Potts. The road he drives down is the Pacific Coast Highway, another filming location used in the first Iron Man movie.
LA Live, California
Hammer Expo
Hammer shows off the new drones he created for the US Air force to the crowd at Hammer Expo, which was filmed at the LA Live complex in Los Angeles. The Expo itself was shot inside the Microsoft Theatre, while the scene’s showing crowds of people running from the drones were shot just outside.
Huntington Library Botanical Gardens, San Marino
Japanese Garden
After Rhodes finally manages to take control of his suit, he joins Iron Man in his battle against the drones at a Japanese Garden, which is an exact replica of the Huntington Library Botanical Gardens. A laser based measuring technology called LIDAR was used to map the real garden, which was then recreated and destroyed for the scene.
Have you ever been to any of these locations before? Did you know that Iron Man 2 was filmed there? What did you think of the movie? Let me know below
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GEEKY TOURIST 
Thanks for the great movie location info. Just wanted to suggest one change. I think the interior shots of Iron Man in “Randy’s Donuts” is the other Yum Yum donuts located at 8139 W Manchester Ave, Playa Del Rey, CA 90293.
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