Summary

• The Iron Claw leaves out details like fake Von Erich brothers and omitted family for narrative focus.
• Director Sean Durkin emphasizes emotional truth over factual accuracy in the Von Erich family story.
• The film portrays strained relationships and tragic events within the wrestling dynasty, highlighting personal struggles.

Warning! This article contains spoilers for The Iron Claw and contains descriptions of violence and suicide. The Iron Claw is based on the true story of the iconic wrestling family, who famously suffered great loss, and, unfortunately, many of the hidden details that the film omits only add to the tragedy. Throughout the film, what is expressed more than anything is the bond between the brothers and how much they love each other. Director and writer Sean Durkin has expressed that while the film is concerned with the emotional truth of the Von Erichs' story, the movie is still dramatized and shouldn't be considered fact.

Starring Zac Efron as Kevin Von Erich, the last surviving son of the family, the film revolves around the period from the early 1980s to the late 1990s, when the family was at the height of their fame. Mostly told through the perspective of Kevin, the story focuses on the intense pressure each brother faced to excel in professional wrestling, and how far their father, Fritz (Holt McCallany) pushed them. A former wrestler himself, he demanded excellence from his sons and was portrayed as a single-minded man in the film.

11 The Fake Von Erich Brothers

The Family Recruited Other Wrestlers To Their Clan

One of the best elements of the movie is the wrestling sequences in The Iron Claw in which the Von Erich brothers are in the ring together. While this does result in some harrowing moments in the film, there is also a lot of fun seeing the dynamic and chemistry these brothers share, making it a true spectacle to see them fighting side by side. However, the movie omits one of the strangest things about the Von Erichs' wrestling family.

While several of the brothers did indeed wrestle and help build a dynasty within the sport, not all of the Von Erichs presented in the wrestling world were real Von Erichs. The family developed a gimmick where they would add new fighters to the "family" with them given fake Von Erich names despite the fact that they were mostly complete strangers (via Vulture). It is not hard to see why these aspects were not included as it distracts from the family bond at the center of the story.

10 Chris Von Erich Is Left Out

The Youngest Von Erich Brother Is Not Included In The Film

The real Kevin Von Erich responded well to The Iron Claw leaving out one of his brothers, but his omission is still a loss for the film. Though his absence is noticeable once it's revealed, if the film is watched by someone who didn't know of his existence, it doesn't change much about the central elements of the film. Chris was the youngest brother and also died by suicide, a ing that was felt just as acutely as every other in the family.

However, narratively, the repetition of continuous self-harm might have become egregious in the eyes of the audience, even if the events were real. As the film only had a short time to capture the nuance of the family's experience, there were several cuts made for timing, and Chris became one of them. However, his essence is still imbued within the film in the characters of his brothers.

9 Kerry Was Married For Years With Two Daughters

His Marriage Is Glossed Over, And His Children Aren't Mentioned

Kerry's (Jeremy Allen White) wife, Catherine Murray, and his two daughters, Hollie and Lacey, never make an appearance in The Iron Claw, and their existence has little impact on the way that Kerry's part of the story is told. He and his wife were married for ten years before divorcing not long before his suicide in 1993. His daughter Lacey went on to become a professional wrestler herself for a short time, so it's clear that her father's career had an impact on her.

Given how important family was to all the Von Erichs, it would have made sense to see these relationships

Given how important family was to all the Von Erichs, it would have made sense to see these relationships, as well as how Kevin and Pam might have stepped up to help care for the girls. However, making Kerry alone in the film did create increased stakes and dramatic tension, as well as making his death feel all the more inevitable. Seeing his family might have given further insight into his character and motivations, but ultimately didn't shift the narrative too greatly.

8 Kerry's Motorcycle Crash Happened Two Years After His Victory

The Film Places The Event On The Night Of His Heavyweight Championship Win

For the plotting and dramatic payoff, it makes complete sense that Kerry would get into his motorcycle accident and lose his foot at the same time as he won the World Heavyweight Championship. It's one of the small climaxes of the film and is representative of how even the highest highs that the brothers reached were always tainted by loss.

However, in real life, he lost his foot two years later, in 1986. Regardless, this injury had the same effect on his psyche and was an event that contributed to his eventual death. However, it is also key to exploring the destructive behavior Kerry had in him which also led to his death. After achieving something he always wanted, he still feels an emptiness. His motorcycle ride at night isn't about simple thrill-seeking, but rather the idea that he might crash.

7 Fritz's Wrestling Persona Was A Nazi

Which Lead To Theories About The Origin Of The Family Curse

Fritz is not portrayed in the most flattering light throughout the film, but the origins of his Von Erich moniker, and his persona during his professional days are left in the dark due to their offensive truths. His true surname is Adkisson, as with the rest of the family, but he took on the Von Erich name to play into the "Nazi heel" character he performed in the ring. It's this Nazi character that is alleged to have led to the Von Erich family curse, not just the death of his first son, Jack Jr.

While Fritz eventually became a "baby face" or hero persona in the ring, including his original persona would have been a jarring way to introduce the character. In reality, there were no known connections between the family and the Nazis, nor did Fritz engage in any White Supremacist activity outside the ring that was known about. However, showing the patriarch playing a Nazi would likely have driven the audience to make assumptions about the whole family.

6 Fritz And Doris Ended Their Marriage Much Earlier

They Remain Together Until The Very End Of The Film

In the final moments of the film, it seems that Doris (Marua Tierney) has finally had enough of Fritz's treatment of her and her children, and is going to get out of the marriage. This was a big moment, as thus far, she had stood by him through his worst moments, and the death of many of their children. However, their real marriage reached a breaking point much earlier in reality. It's Kerry's death that triggers their separation in the film, but he was actually still alive when they went their separate ways.

Though their marriage's dissolution is a significant moment for the film's conclusion, it could have been interesting to see the truth of how their relationship unraveled. It's true that the brothers' most significant relationships were with each other, and that Doris was not innocent in the environment that contributed to their struggles, but her character is not a major player in the narrative. Having a deeper insight into her relationship with Fritz might have a better place in a different movie, but what happened to Fritz and Doris after The Iron Claw is left out.

5 Kevin And Pam Had Daughters Before Their Sons Were Born

Instead, The Film Has The Sons Born First For Thematic Reasons

Kevin never had sisters, so the bond between his two sons as brothers was always going to be a more impactful relationship for him

The emotional resonance of the final scene of the film comes from Kevin's sons playing together as he and his brothers once did, and telling him that they will be his brothers now. It's a devastating moment, but one that could never have happened as it did in the film because he and his wife, Pam (Lily James), had two daughters before their sons were born. Kevin never had sisters, so the bond between his two sons as brothers was always going to be a more impactful relationship for him, and made more sense for the story of the film.

Another big part of Kevin's journey is seeing his struggles with raising his kids with the fear they will succumb to the supposed family curse. Had it been daughters that he had in the movie, the fear of them going down the same path as his brothers might not have felt so acute.

4 Kerry's Death Happened Differently In Real-Life

Legal Troubles May Have Factored Into Kerry's Death

Kerry's death in The Iron Claw is the final one in the movie and an emotional turning point. It is a heartbreaking scene as Kerry is home at the family ranch when he calls Kevin and talks about his dark feelings. When Kevin goes to the ranch to check on him, he arrives just as Kerry kills himself sitting outside the ranch. While it is an impactful moment, it happened differently in the true story.

Kerry was reported to have told his father he loved him before walking out into a wooded area where he shot himself (via Vulture) and Kevin was not the one who found him. The movie also leaves out the fact that Kerry killed himself on the day he was to be indicted on drug charges. However, elements of Kerry's death were linked to the death of Chris, who is not included in the movie. Chris did kill himself at the family ranch and did speak to Kevin before his death with his brother trying to help him.

3 David Had A Daughter Who Died Five Years Before He Did

He Was Married With A Child Long Before He Went To Japan

In addition to Chris and Kerry's family, other Von Erich family The Iron Claw leaves out include David's (Harris Dickinson) deceased daughter and ex-wife. David's unexpected death when he went on tour to Japan was a hard blow for the family and set them down the path of Shakespearean tragedy in the film, but long before that, David had suffered a loss of his own, his infant daughter Natosha. Losing a child is never a trauma that anyone should go through, and including it might have worsened an already devastating narrative.

There is a sense in the movie that David's death kicks off the tragedy of the family and begins to reinforce the troubled nature of the Von Erichs. David's future is filled with potential and likely success, so his death is a devastating blow. However, having him already suffering such a loss before his death would have changed that dynamic. However, it is a truth that would have also strengthened the way Kevin fears for his own children.

2 Kevin Did Not Blame His Father For The Deaths Of His Brothers

Kevin Has Spoken Out On How His Father Is Portrayed

A big part of the film is about Frtiz Von Erich's intense and controlling nature in raising his sons. He can be demanding and push them extremely hard, while also doing things like being blunt about which of his sons he favors. When Kevin warns Fritz that he is worried Kerry might hurt himself, Fritz brushes it off. This culminates in Kerry killing himself and Kevin angrily blaming Fritz for the death of all of his brothers.

The emotional and intense scene is a turning point for Kevin in the story, but the real Kevin feels much differently about his father. Not only has he spoken out against the way Fritz is depicted in the movie, but he has also made it clear that he sees other factors having been the contributors to the deaths of his brothers and Kevin doesn't blame his father:

"Drugs did it. That, and the fact that Kerry lost his foot and wouldn't be able to come back. Mike, with that fever, he was not coming back. It was a hopeless feeling inside to let everyone down and you just feel like dirt. All my brothers were super loyal, and that's what it was, the shame and guilt for failing. It was not my dad."