In the minds of some, Jon Favreau's "Iron Man" is the greatest superhero movie ever made. It might be surprising to learn, then, that the director considers this week's "Iron Man 2" to be the better film.

"I do prefer this one," he revealed when we interviewed him recently. With a smile, he admitted, "But I think it's because I just worked on this one.

"That's the nature of being a filmmaker," he explained. "They're each your baby. I'm the worst [to answer questions like this].

"Ask somebody if they have a smart kid," he said, comparing the experience. " 'You have a nice kid, a cute kid, but is he smart?' Well, I'm not really objective, but I have to say yes. So it's that type of thing."

The sequel amps up the story line by focusing on Tony Stark's life after he has revealed himself to be Iron Man, and beefs up the cast substantially with newly added franchise stars Mickey Rourke, Don Cheadle and Scarlett Johansson. "I really feel like with this one, I'm really proud of what we have been able to do," Favreau reasoned. "I like the challenge of how we addressed having a successful first film. The way we added new characters and new castmembers. I like the way that even though we have a lot of characters, the story lines slowly weave into each other so by the end of the film, you have two story lines and then you have one big story line and it all ends that way."

Favreau also admitted that he's particularly proud of how he was able to juggle all that while simultaneously honoring Marvel's unprecedented request of the filmmaker to help set up several other films that will be made by other directors and writers. "I like the way it sets up what can happen later with 'Avengers' and 'Thor' and all that stuff," he added. "I think it balanced out all that needed to happen, and there's a sense of fun. It's fun and exciting."

As for the effects and action in "Iron Man 2," Favreau said it also tops the original. "The film is much more ambitious in the form of sound and visual effects," he explained. "I have to say I'm very happy now that everything's done. I want to leave it alone. I think it's the best version of the film we could have had."

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