With a big-screen debut like this, “Iron Man” won’t have to take a back seat to his fellow Marvel superheroes anymore.

Thanks to outstanding special effects and fine performances from Robert Downey Jr. and Jeff Bridges, “Iron Man” is the best superhero comic movie since “Batman Begins.”

Downey slips easily into the role of billionaire playboy/industrial genius Tony Stark. As we open, Tony is in Afghanistan, showing off the latest military weapon from Stark Industries, the Jericho missile. As he is driving through the country, his envoy is attacked by a terrorist group known as the Ten Rings.

Tony is badly injured in the attack, but is saved thanks to the help of a captured scientist named Yinsen (Shaun Toub) who places a strange-looking device in Tony’s chest designed to keep shrapnel out of his heart.

The leader of the Ten Rings, Raza (Faran Tahir) orders Tony to build him a Jericho missile. Much to Tony’s surprise, the group has been using Stark Industries’ weapons to wreak havoc on the nearby villages.

Tony and Yinsen get to work on the project, but they actually build a crude metal suit with several weapons attached to it. Tony uses the device in his chest to help power it and is able to make his escape.

The experience clearly changes Tony as upon returning to California, he announces he is shutting down the entire weapons division of Stark Industries.

This is a major shock to his best friend and Pentagon liaison Jim Rhodes (Terrance Howard) and longtime personal assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow, who gives a fine performance despite being saddled with the silliest name in recent movie history). It’s especially surprising to Tony’s business partner Obadiah Stane (Bridges) who quickly moves to freeze Tony out of the business end of the company citing post-traumatic stress. Obadiah has also secretly been responsible for giving the weapons to the other side.

But Tony, undeterred, secretly brings in the equipment needed to build a better, sleeker version of the metal suit. This produces several funny moments as Tony endures quite a beating while modifying the suit’s flying ability.

Once the suit is completed, Tony flies back to Afghanistan and wages war against the Ten Rings and destroying the weapons that he helped create.

Again, Downey is a perfect choice for Tony Stark. He has all the charm and charisma needed for the role without overdoing it and becoming a caricature. Tony is different in that he’s not a teenager learning to deal with his new powers. He’s a middle-aged man who’s lived a mostly carefree lifestyle and comes to terms with the damage he has caused and his new determination to right his wrongs.

Jeff Bridges is a great villain as Obadiah Stane. With his bald head and thick beard, you know he has to be evil. He gets a few angry ranting moments and hides behind a phony smile whenever he deals with Tony.

Director Jon Favreau does a marvelous job with the special effects. The “Iron Man” suit looks great and the battle scenes are all exciting and realistic. For a comic, there is little about the movie that feels cartoonish.

Marvel has already announced an “Iron Man” sequel and there’s nothing wrong with that. Move over, Spider-Man and Hulk; you’ve got company that's turning iron into box-office gold.