Robert Downey Jr. says it himself: “I’m just not the hero type, clearly.”

Actually, he says it as billionaire arms dealer Tony Stark, the alter ego of the title character in the new comic-to-screen blockbuster “Iron Man.” But the fact that Downey Jr. doesn’t fit the Hollywood archetype of a superhero is one of many reasons why “Iron Man” is easily one of the best comic book movies of the decade.

Downey Jr. brings his usual crackling electricity and humor to the role of Stark and gets the film off the ground from the opening frames.

You see, Stark is not going through any Peter Parker growing pains or holding himself to Man of Steel morals. Stark is a gadget guru and head honcho at the weapons manufacturing company Stark Industries, but he’s also a greedy, booze-guzzling skirt chaser with a perfectly manicured goatee and designer threads that accentuate his large ego.

On a weapons demonstration trip to Kundar Province, Afghanistan, Stark is captured when his Army escort is ambushed. Only after his near-death experience and seeing his weapons end up in the wrong hands does Stark see the error of his ways. With a magnet strapped to his chest to prevent shrapnel from going into his heart, he is forced to assemble a missile by his terrorist captors but instead builds a weapon-loaded suit of armor to bust out and escape back to U.S. soil.

Stark comes back a new man, wanting to shut down weapons production, further pimp out his iron suit and right a few wrongs back in the Middle East.

Ahh yes, the suit. It’s a special-effects marvel, and the trial-and-error period (where Stark frequently back-talks his own robot helpers) along with the flying sequences are both hilarious and thrilling to watch. But Stark makes an enemy out of his long-time partner Obadiah Stane (played with equal parts “dude” and devil by Jeff Bridges), who has no plans of losing stock points to Stark’s newfound idealism.

Downey Jr. and Bridges are not the only interesting casting decisions that pay off. Oscar-winner Gwyneth Paltrow brings out a long-dormant smart and sexy side as Stark’s assistant, Pepper Potts, and “Hustle and Flow” star Terrence Howard does a great job playing the straight-laced Army man Jim Rhodes, constantly covering up for Stark as he delves into heroism.

“Iron Man” has enough action and personality to be the film to beat this summer, and the cast, director, writers and special effects come together like a well-oiled machine.