Awesome / The Iron Giant

Book

• The giant’s confrontation with a Space Bat Angel Dragon.

Movie

"Superman..."

• Though it's not exactly a good thing, the Giant getting royally pissed off, transforming into his Defence Mode and single-handedly annihilating the US Army with a whole assortment of alien superweapons after he thinks they've killed Hogarth is undeniably awesome The scene alone could rival if not surpass most mecha anime. The Giant is basically a sapient Gundam.
• "You can fly?! You can fly!"
  • The Giant just managing to suppress his defence mechanism when fired upon by fighter jets.
• The Iron Giant catching the fleeing Mansley in the jeep by crushing the front of it.
• "You are who you choose to be." "Suuuuuuuuuuuupermaaaaaaaan..."
  • Some critics have referred to this as the best Superman movie in history.
• The scene in Rockwell where the Giant saves a pair of boys from falling off a roof is this as well as a heartwarming moment. The Giant, on pure instinct, saves two kids he doesn't know from a great fall. Even more awesome and heartwarming, the townsfolk just stare in awe at him instead of panicking like Mansley, seeing that the Giant is friendly.
• It may seem small, but seeing Dean stand his ground to protect Hogarth from a massive, heavily-armed robot while yelling at it to "Get back!" after Hogarth almost gets vaporized most likely counts as this.
  • As well as that moment when he first sees the Giant, the first thing he does after his Oh, Crap! moment is quickly try to get Hogarth away from what he believes to be a threat.
• After Mansley orders the nuclear missile fired at the giant, General Rogard points out that they don't have enough time to get out of the blast zone. Mansley says Screw This, I'm Outta Here, but the Giant stops him, and Rogard orders his men to "make sure he stays here like a good soldier", and keep him from abandoning the town to its fate in an attempt to save himself. Rogard and his men then prepare to Face Death with Dignity. Of course the missile doesn't kill any of them, but seeing Mansley get what's coming to him is very rewarding.
  • More from General Rogard. Earlier when Hogarth and Dean devise a plan to hide the giant in plain sight, Rogard chews out Mansley big time for the false alarm, so loud that Hogarth can hear it from inside Dean's quonset hut. Doubles as Funny Moment.
  Mansley: (speechless) S-sir, I-I—
  General Rogard: (flatly cuts him off) Step outside, Mansley.
  Mansley: Yes sir. (sigh)
  (cut to the view from the window of the hut, where Rogard can be seen loudly and furiously tearing into Mansley in the front yard as Hogarth watches from it with the smuggest grin)
  General Rogard: YOU REALIZE HOW MUCH HARDWARE I BROUGHT OUT HERE?! YOU JUST BLEW MILLIONS OF UNCLE SAM'S DOLLARS OUTTA YOUR BUTT!
  (cut to a bonding moment between Annie and Dean, although Rogard's screaming can still be heard in the background.)
  Rogard, faintly: ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?
  (Back outside:)
  General Rogard: You'll be Chief Inspector of Subway Toilets by the time I'm finished with you! Now pack up. I'll expect you back in Washington to clear out your office.
  Mansley: (sounding defeated) Yes, sir.
  (As Mansley and the army drive off, Hogarth waves goodbye and says to himself while smiling smugly)
  Hogarth: 'Bye Kent... and all that implies.
• When the Giant goes berserk and chases Rogard and Mansley's jeep back into town, the general unloads his sidearm at it, three times. It takes balls to return fire at a monster that just tore apart a group of tanks.
  • He's not just returning fire blindly either; his shots can be seen glancing off one of the tentacle-mounted lasers. Rogard deliberately aimed for, and hit, what looked like a target his gun might actually work on. He was also doing this while Mansley is having a breakdown yelling in his ear and the driver of the jeep (who is also being manhandled by Mansley) clearly just barely holding it together.
  • When he arrives in town, Rogard immediately grabs the radio out of a frozen and jaw-dropped soldier's hand and orders the battleships to "open fire at the robot NOW! NOW damn it, NOW!".
• The speech Dean gives about the Iron Giant (the "work of art") to the military may be a cover, of course, but dang if it's not convincing and in-character. Listening to it, one would never suspect why he's acting so chill about showing the Giant.
  • And for added awesome, Dean attempts to haggle the general into out-bidding his imaginary buyer just to sell the illusion.
• Hogarth Hughes runs right to the Giant, who is on an Unstoppable Rage. Guns all around his body and he points his main arm cannon at Hogarth. Hogarth is terrified at this moment, but he doesn't run, even as he flinchingly prepares himself to be blasted. He stands his ground and talks to the Giant:
  Hogarth: It's bad to kill. Guns kill. And you don't have to be a gun. You are what you choose to be. You choose. Choose.
  Giant: Hogarth.
  (The Giant shuts down his battle mode and returns to normal.)