If you’re not familiar with the Iron Man movies, this ad might seem really bizarre. Of course, if you are familiar with the Iron Man movies, this ad will seem even stranger.
Commissioned by a Chinese drug manufacturer to advertise its Norfloxacin capsules, the spot is fifteen seconds of cheese that basically turns Iron Man into a Ultraman-esque shill. Seriously, look at those “germs” threatening a family and tell us you didn’t instantly get a wave of Power Rangers nostalgia.
https://player.youku.com/player.php/sid/XNTA4OTY5NjY0/v.swf
And, what, precisely, is not-Iron Man fighting with his not-repulsor rays, here?
The Norfloxacin capsule [being advertised] are to be used for ailments related to urinary tract infections, gonorrhea, prostatitis, intestinal infections and typhoid fever to name a few.
Oh, great, China. We invent a snarky, smart-assed hero, hire Robert Downey Jr. to play him, and you immediately co-opt him to make what amounts to one of those terrible “public health” comics from the ’70s about how you should sneeze into your elbow. We guess that’s better than what the Japanese did to Spider-Man, but still, China, just… don’t talk to us for a while. We need to think.