I tend to have a problem with antagonists in my stories. Often as not, the protagonist is his/her own worst enemy, which I guess expresses my belief that if you’re not getting what you want from life, odds are it’s because of you messing up, and not because some villain is cackling stage left as the latest phase of his dastardly plan clicks into place.

Only, in many mainstream films — and I’d very much like to be involved with such — there really are baddies with black hats out to get the good guy. And I need and want to be able to create such fiends for some of the projects I’ve got in mind.

All of which helps explain why I was so happy with Iron Man 2. Particularly after being disappointed by the resolution of the first Iron Man film, which was yet another variation on the theme of taking on a level boss, to use computer game terminology. There was a baddy conceptually similar to the hero, only bigger and scary, and it was all a bit trite compared to the skilfully written stuff that preceded it, brought to glorious life by Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark, the gazillionaire technocrat who wears the Iron Man armour.

This time round though, it all worked a lot better. Stark’s problems were multifaceted. Ivan Vanko, a Russian with a historic beef against him, had worked out how to copy some of Stark’s technology, and used it to intelligent effect, attacking the industrialist in the full glare of the world media at a Grand Prix event. As Vanko (another comeback kid in the form of Mickey Rourke) knew full well, the effect of the attack was to chip away at Stark’s image as the provider of a privatised world peace. A genuinely smart move, as well as a great set piece action sequence.

Stark isn’t about 1:1 conflict though, at least when he’s written intelligently. His true arena is the military-industrial complex, and his real enemy comes from within it: rival industrialist Justin Hammer. Perenially second string to the charismatic Stark, Hammer couldn’t be more of a beta male if he tried. He wants what Stark has, and is aided and abetted by the military, who are angry at Stark’s refusal to share his Iron Man technology.

That sets the tone for what’s to come, as Hammer hires Vanko to develop a new generation of armoured suits for use by the American military. Only, Vanko instead comes up with robot drones, which are under his control — and he uses them to continue his vendetta against Stark. Which is one way of getting across the nature of retribution while saying something about government contracts for good measure.

All of this falls into line with advice from screenwriting gurus to have your baddies have intelligent and evolving plans to tackle your hero. In this case, one villain is working against another while apparently being his ally. Good stuff, and cleanly executed. And there’s another layer of opposition between Stark and his right hand man Lt. Col. James Rhodes, whose loyalties are torn between his buddy and his employers. It’s dramatised perfectly when the battle armour he’s wearing is controlled by Vanko and targets Iron Man, and Rhodes gives Stark a heads up about the assault coming his way.

It all adds up to a highly enjoyable movie, with the same kind of zing that its predecessor had, and a smarter and more character-based script by Justin Theroux for good measure. How director Jon Favreau got here from his somewhat smug debut with hipster drama Swingers I couldn’t tell you — but he does a fine job, and I look forward to a third installment of the series.