Iron Man 3 Pepper Potts as Rescue

[cherokeesam]

Okay, redirect: maybe it's Maya Hansen in the armor in the LEGO set.
We know she's in the helicopter assault scene, yet she's noticeably absent from the LEGO set.

Maybe *she* dons the armor and tries to rescue Tony (or appears to try), only to get dragged down to her (apparent) death. I say "apparent," because if that's the play, I am almost positive that other scenes show her later in the movie. Meaning the "death" would be staged, for Tony's benefit.

 

[Chris B]

Looking at the Superbowl trailer, Stark appears to be wearing the same outfit that he is seen in during the mansion attack. So I'm leaning towards Pepper not being the one wearing the suit who gets dragged to the bottom of the ocean.

 

[ThePhantasm]

Okay, redirect: maybe it's Maya Hansen in the armor in the LEGO set.
We know she's in the helicopter assault scene, yet she's noticeably absent from the LEGO set.

Its possible, but I am 90% sure it is Pepper, mainly because the Lego figure appears to have orange eyebrows.

 

[DaddlerTheDalek]

Its possible, but I am 90% sure it is Pepper, mainly because the Lego figure appears to have orange eyebrows.

Yes. And it would be Cool to see her own little Superhero Origin Story.

 

[Xeno]

Looking at the Superbowl trailer, Stark appears to be wearing the same outfit that he is seen in during the mansion attack. So I'm leaning towards Pepper not being the one wearing the suit who gets dragged to the bottom of the ocean.

Yes. And wasn't Tony dragging that very same armor through the snow? He was also wearing a battered version of it in the Air Force One rescue scene. That weighs against the idea that Pepper was the one who sunk in it, or was killed in it, for that matter.

 

[Hawkingbird]

I dunno I doubt she dies. Evidence seems to indicate she's alive throughout the movie. I think if anyone dies it will be Happy.

Yes, I have a very bad feeling this will happen.

 

[cherokeesam]

Looking at the Superbowl trailer, Stark appears to be wearing the same outfit that he is seen in during the mansion attack. So I'm leaning towards Pepper not being the one wearing the suit who gets dragged to the bottom of the ocean.

The LEGO set says otherwise. Tony is shown in his T-shirt; Pepper is shown in the armor. LEGO are fed plot points by the studios; they don't just make up scenes on their own. Plus, the trailer scene makes sense if someone *other* than Tony is in the armor --- Tony would've been resourceful enough to keep from getting dragged down to the bottom of the sea by his own mansion. The person in the armor seems very unsure of themselves and unfamiliar with the armor. Pepper.

 

[Guerrilla]

Im having trouble piecing together the scenes in sequence that we've been shown so far. Pretty sure that the mansion attack/bottom of the ocean scene and tony dragging the armor through the snow cannot be close to each other in the movie. Unless it started snowing in Malibu. Which I don't think is likely.

 

[Chris B]

The LEGO set says otherwise. Tony is shown in his T-shirt; Pepper is shown in the armor. LEGO are fed plot points by the studios; they don't just make up scenes on their own. Plus, the trailer scene makes sense if someone *other* than Tony is in the armor --- Tony would've been resourceful enough to keep from getting dragged down to the bottom of the sea by his own mansion. The person in the armor seems very unsure of themselves and unfamiliar with the armor. Pepper.

I didn't really get that impression myself. The fact that Stark is wearing the same clothes from the mansion attack when he collapses in the forrest, with the suit looking heavily damaged, makes me think he is the one who gets dragged down. Considering the circumstances, I don't see any reason why even someone like him couldn't find himself in that situation.

With the talk of there being more than 40 armors in this one, maybe Tony gives Pepper a spare suit during the attack, explaining the Lego set.

 

[Gold Samurai]

I'm wondering where this scene takes place then.

It's Christmas but the mansion is destroyed

It was sunny in the mansion attack scene from the trailer.

 

[The Infernal]

You clearly can't take Tony anywhere.

 

[Guerrilla]

I didn't really get that impression myself. The fact that Stark is wearing the same clothes from the mansion attack when he collapses in the forrest, with the suit looking heavily damaged, makes me think he is the one who gets dragged down. Considering the circumstances, I don't see any reason why even someone like him couldn't find himself in that situation.

With the talk of there being more than 40 armors in this one, maybe Tony gives Pepper a spare suit during the attack, explaining the Lego set.

Again, it is highly improbable to be snowing anywhere near Malibu. Totally different locations, imo.
*after reading about weather history in SoCal. I retract my previous statement. I was wrong.

 

[cherokeesam]

The snow scene takes place around Chattanooga, TN. We saw that during filming in Wilmington.

The shot of Pepper above is probably part of the Grauman Chinese Theater attack. I'd say that happens early in the movie, and the Malibu mansion assault happens later, probably around midpoint. Tony probably then embarks on a solo journey cross-country, with nowhere left to go, nobody left from his support network (yes, I'm betting 1000 Internet Bucks that both Happy *and* Pepper are dead by this point), he's wrongly accused of crimes he did not commit and has become an outlaw, and the only way he can clear his name is to find out who's destroyed his world.

That plot would be very, very, very Shane Black.

 

[The Infernal]

I can buy Happy biting it, but I just can't wrap my head around Pepper. I don't see it happening.

 

[cherokeesam]

I can buy Happy biting it, but I just can't wrap my head around Pepper. I don't see it happening.

Maybe, maybe not.

But there is the fact that Gwyn has publicly voiced a desire to move on from the Iron Man franchise in interviews; and there's not really that many trailer scenes and screenshots we've seen that feature her. We know she's living in the Malibu mansion; we know she's in the hospital in China where Tony apparently gets Extremis-ized by Dr. Wu; we know she's in some kind of dinner date-y scene with Killian (that may or may not be a flashback); we know that she's looking at the cracked faceplate in the ruins of either the Malibu attack or the Chinese Theater attack; and she appears in some kind of death-trap-looking chair *somewhere* or other. That's it. And if my outline above is right, then she's only in the first half, or even first *third*, of the movie.

 

[Xeno]

This still is clearly from after the mansion attack since Pepper is wearing the same outfit she was in during the attack and is doing her "Alas, poor Yorrick!" impression with that damaged helmet. What this means as far as a female being in armor during the attack isn't clear, but Pepper apparently wasn't dragged into the ocean and drowned.

I'm wondering where this scene takes place then.

It's Christmas but the mansion is destroyed

It was sunny in the mansion attack scene from the trailer.

 

[cherokeesam]

This still is clearly from after the mansion attack since Pepper is wearing the same outfit she was in during the attack and is doing her "Alas, poor Yorrick!" impression with that damaged helmet. What this means as far as a female being in armor during the attack isn't clear, but Pepper apparently wasn't dragged into the ocean and drowned.

Then explain why Pepper is shown in the armor in the LEGO set.



Here's another possibility: *nobody* is in the armor that goes to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

Most of us here are pretty sure that the trailers show that at least one of Tony's armors gets a mind of its own --- either Sentient Armor, or a suit remotely controlled by Mandarin and/or his minions. That would explain why the LEGO set layout has five different figures --- Tony, Pepper, Mandarin, Extremis Soldier, and Iron Man Mk 7: maybe Mk 7 is sentient/controlled.

It would also explain Pepper's "Alas poor Yorick" look. If the faceplate was supposed to be off of a suit Tony was in --- or that she was just in, for that matter --- would she be looking at it all "hmm....this means something"? No, she'd be bawling her eyes out because she'd think Tony was dead.

*Edit: also, the Mk 7 suit is shown looming over a scared Tony lying on his back in the damaged living room of his mansion --- most likely during the helicopter assault. So Tony is *clearly* not in the armor at the time of the attack. Someone else is....or NO ONE else is.

 

[Xeno]

Then explain why Pepper is shown in the armor in the LEGO set.



Here's another possibility: *nobody* is in the armor that goes to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

Most of us here are pretty sure that the trailers show that at least one of Tony's armors gets a mind of its own --- either Sentient Armor, or a suit remotely controlled by Mandarin and/or his minions. That would explain why the LEGO set layout has five different figures --- Tony, Pepper, Mandarin, Extremis Soldier, and Iron Man Mk 7: maybe Mk 7 is sentient/controlled.

It would also explain Pepper's "Alas poor Yorick" look. If the faceplate was supposed to be off of a suit Tony was in --- or that she was just in, for that matter --- would she be looking at it all "hmm....this means something"? No, she'd be bawling her eyes out because she'd think Tony was dead.

*Edit: also, the Mk 7 suit is shown looming over a scared Tony lying on his back in the damaged living room of his mansion --- most likely during the helicopter assault. So Tony is *clearly* not in the armor at the time of the attack. Someone else is....or NO ONE else is.

We have no idea how that scene at the mansion will play out now, so we can spin any number of scenarios for it. Perhaps Pepper was in the armor briefly, just long enough to get her out of danger, then it was redirected back to Tony. That would explain how Pepper ends up in the ruins of the mansion by herself while Tony is seen dragging the same Mark XLII armor, heavily damaged, through the snow. Or it could have been Maya Hansen in the armor since there is also a Pepper Potts figure in the set wearing normal clothing.

Another thing that sticks out about that spoilery Lego set is that Mandarin is included and is shown aiming a Lego weapon at the mansion. As far as I know no one has commented on that yet. From the trailer, it doesn't seem that Mandarin was in any of the helicopters during the attack. For people arguing that the Lego sets accurately reflect the action in the film, that is at least one example where it's not true.

ETA: The bit where the Mark XLII was looming over Tony could well be a nightmare of his after the attack. The same could be true of the clip with the armor grabbing Pepper's arm while she and Tony are in bed. There is no way to know for sure until we see it.

 

[cherokeesam]

Mandarin could very well be in one of the news choppers. None of the pilots are shown, so afawk, LEGO might be right on the money about that. We can be about 99% certain that Mandy *sent* the choppers for sure; don't see why it would be a big deal if he happened to be tagging along to make sure the job is done right.

As for the sentient/drone armor --- there's plenty of scenes in the trailer that would indicate that at least one of the armors is remotely controlled. A likely scenario is that the Extremis armor comes with a nasty little implant that allows Mandarin/Killian to take control of it whenever they want. It would explain why Tony seems to be relieved to get out of the suit in the snow in the Super Bowl commercial, and why he'd choose to drag it across the snow and freeze his ass off instead of hop in and fly away. It would explain why Pepper's expression when she looks at the broken faceplate in the ruins is one of puzzlement instead of horror and anguish. It would explain why Iron Man attacks Air Force One and punches a hole through the fuselage. It would explain the scenes of the suit confronting Tony and Pepper in his own house a lot better than any tired old cliche "it was just a nightmare." And it would mean that neither Tony nor Pepper get killed in the drowning scene; just an empty husk that was probably trying to help kill the two during the mansion attack.

 

[Hawkingbird]

I got the impression he ran down to his armor room during the mansion attack and changed.

 

[Xeno]

Mandarin could very well be in one of the news choppers. None of the pilots are shown, so afawk, LEGO might be right on the money about that. We can be about 99% certain that Mandy *sent* the choppers for sure; don't see why it would be a big deal if he happened to be tagging along to make sure the job is done right.

As for the sentient/drone armor --- there's plenty of scenes in the trailer that would indicate that at least one of the armors is remotely controlled. A likely scenario is that the Extremis armor comes with a nasty little implant that allows Mandarin/Killian to take control of it whenever they want. It would explain why Tony seems to be relieved to get out of the suit in the snow in the Super Bowl commercial, and why he'd choose to drag it across the snow and freeze his ass off instead of hop in and fly away. It would explain why Pepper's expression when she looks at the broken faceplate in the ruins is one of puzzlement instead of horror and anguish. It would explain why Iron Man attacks Air Force One and punches a hole through the fuselage. It would explain the scenes of the suit confronting Tony and Pepper in his own house a lot better than any tired old cliche "it was just a nightmare." And it would mean that neither Tony nor Pepper get killed in the drowning scene; just an empty husk that was probably trying to help kill the two during the mansion attack.

For some reason I don't see the Mandarin as the kind of foe who would get his hands dirty unless and until he felt it absolutely necessary. He's not like Vanko, who got down and dirty immediately. Mandarin would be likelier to wait until all else failed before coming after Tony himself. That's why I doubt that the Lego set is accurate. The toy manufacturer's goal is to make the main villain part of the action for sell the set, which could entail embellishing on the action in the film. I could be wrong, though. We'll see.

There are other explanations for Tony being relieved to get out of the armor, if that is indeed how he felt. The armor was obviously battered and possibly malfunctioning in that scene. He would be relieved that it had enough power left to release him because otherwise he would have been trapped in a malfunctioning suit of armor in the middle of a freezing cold night like a modern-day Tin Woodsman. The prospect of that happening must be a nightmare scenario for anyone who wears the Iron Man armor.

It's also possible that after having been battered and beaten in that suit of armor, Tony was more than ready to get out of it. It was in obvious need of repairs and he was obviously injured to some extent, so his wanting out of it makes sense.

 

[cherokeesam]

I got the impression he ran down to his armor room during the mansion attack and changed.

With Extremis armor, Tony doesn't have to change into the suit anymore; it just "materializes" around his body.

For some reason I don't see the Mandarin as the kind of foe who would get his hands dirty unless and until he felt it absolutely necessary. He's not like Vanko, who got down and dirty immediately. Mandarin would be likelier to wait until all else failed before coming after Tony himself. That's why I doubt that the Lego set is accurate. The toy manufacturer's goal is to make the main villain part of the action for sell the set, which could entail embellishing on the action in the film. I could be wrong, though. We'll see.

RDJ and Kingsley are known to have had at least one or two face-to-face meetings on set, so Mandarin might not be a behind-the-scenes kind of guy anymore. But yeah, we'll just have to find out.

There are other explanations for Tony being relieved to get out of the armor, if that is indeed how he felt. The armor was obviously battered and possibly malfunctioning in that scene. He would be relieved that it had enough power left to release him because otherwise he would have been trapped in a malfunctioning suit of armor in the middle of a freezing cold night like a modern-day Tin Woodsman. The prospect of that happening must be a nightmare scenario for anyone who wears the Iron Man armor.

It's also possible that after having been battered and beaten in that suit of armor, Tony was more than ready to get out of it. It was in obvious need of repairs and he was obviously injured to some extent, so his wanting out of it makes sense.

Malfunctioning or no, I think he'd want to stay in the suit in a strange place in snowy weather just for basic protection and warmth, if nothing else. It's a pretty desparate move to ditch the armor and drag it behind you, and to prefer freezing to death over getting back into that suit.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

If it is malfunctioning there is always the chance it stops working. Could Tony walk in a suit that isn't operational?

 

[cherokeesam]

If it is malfunctioning there is always the chance it stops working. Could Tony walk in a suit that isn't operational?

It worked well enough in the Super Bowl ad to detach itself from his body.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

It worked well enough in the Super Bowl ad to detach itself from his body.

What happens if it stops working while he is wearing it is the question here. I am still not sure how his suits power supply works these days. Apparently his new chest piece is close to everlasting, and yet he was in danger of running out of power in The Avengers.