Iron Man Is Joining The National Film Registry

The Library of Congress has unveiled its list of 25 films that have been chosen to be preserved in the National Film Registry this year. Among them are Disney's The Little Mermaid, John Waters' Hairspray, When Harry Met Sally, Brian De Palma's adaptation of Carrie, Cyrano de Bergerac (1950), SuperFly, House Party, and Marvel's Iron Man.

Iron Man will finally join other comic book blockbusters The Dark Knight and Superman, as some of the most important movies ever made. In order to qualify, films must be at least 10 years old and be "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant, and "must be preserved for future generations." Seeing how Iron Man launched an entire universe and generate billions upon billions of box office numbers, and changed the way people make movie franchises, it's well-earned.

"Iron Man was the very first film Marvel Studios independently produced. It was the first film that we had all of the creative control and oversight on and it was really make or break for the studio," Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said in an interview (via The Wrap). "All of our favorite movies are the ones that we watch over and over again and that we grow up with. The notion that here we are, almost 15 years after the release of Iron Man, and to have it join the Film Registry tells us it has stood the test of time and that it is still meaningful to audiences around the world."

The organization made the selections after consulting with the members of the National Film Preservation Board and a small group of Library specialists. Additionally, more than 6,800 titles nominated by the public were considered before the finalists were named.