Iron Man 3 The IRON MAN 3 News & Speculation Thread - Part 1

[BobbyCorwin88]

BINGO
***DING DING DING*** we have a winnah.

I completely forgot about the connection of Boynton. Sen. Boynton is the guy at the end of the Avengers movie in that clip you describe, the senator. And in the comics, he did EXACTLY what you just described --- Project Firepower, where he created the Firepower armor (ALSO confirmed to be in IM3) through the US armed forces to take out Iron Man who was in the middle of declaring war on all armored heroes/villains during the Armor Wars story arc.

So this is *definitely* Armor Wars and Project Firepower. And I distinctly remember someone --- maybe RDJ --- saying that the ending of Avengers would actually clue you in to what IM3 was going to be about, if you knew what to look for.

Sweet! Glad you caught that.

I think the photo where the IP armor is walking through the line of soldiers helps solidify that point a little further. Stark has made it pretty clear that he's trying to distance himself from the military, so one of his rivals has to be showing him up in front of the government.

I think it's all great, especially since the current IM run (which Mandarin is at the heart of) is basically focused on Tony trying to get the government off his butt so he can do his job. I'm really digging the effort to have this film's story resonate with many of the recent comic runs. I still think it sounds like a lot to cram into one film, but I guess they are going for something big here. I just really hope Extremis gets plenty of focus. I want to see Tony embrace it and become the Extremis powered Iron Man.

 

[Hawkingbird]

I really doubt it's Norman Osborn Iron Patriot. I even think it might be a joke like
"Do you think this would work?" making fun of Captain America, but it being a nod to the comic book readers.

 

[TheVileOne]

Of course it's not Osborn. But since Marvel has the rights to that visual imagery they are going to use it. They just can't do Osborn/Green Goblin.

 

[Avenger]

Yeah, the "CNN" caption specifically says "Sen. Boynton." And he's listed in the credits: James Eckhouse as Sen. Boynton.

Ah, thank you! I couldn't remember if they showed his name or not.

 

[Avenger]

I don't think we know who Sadler is playing yet, right?

I don't think it's been announced, no. That's why I speculated he might be playing Boynton. I think if the character shows up in IM3 and has a more prominent role, it'd make sense to recast him with a bigger/more familiar actor.

 

[BobbyCorwin88]

Of course it's not Osborn. But since Marvel has the rights to that visual imagery they are going to use it. They just can't do Osborn/Green Goblin.

You know what's funny? In Dark Avengers, Osborn almost looked identical to Tommy Lee Jones, but he's already been used in TFA and is too old.

 

[Dark Raven]

And why is Sadler not added to the cast in wikipedia? I know anyone can edit it, but wiki also prevents people from just randomly adding any cast members unless officially confirmed. Is Sadler official?

 

[Webfoot Hero]

And why is Sadler not added to the cast in wikipedia? I know anyone can edit it, but wiki also prevents people from just randomly adding any cast members unless officially confirmed. Is Sadler official?

I haven't heard if he was yet since I thought both he and Ashley Hamilton were only rumored to be negotiating contracts to appear.

 

[The Infernal]

And why is Sadler not added to the cast in wikipedia? I know anyone can edit it, but wiki also prevents people from just randomly adding any cast members unless officially confirmed. Is Sadler official?

I don't think there's been any official word on Sadler. Just rumour at this point.

 

[The Ironstar]

I know I'm late to the party, but I was kind of surprised to see so much backlash from the Iron Patriot reveal. Dark Avengers was pretty awesome.

I think because Micheal Bendis leaves a bad taste in almost everyone mouths. A lot of people are not happy w/the Dark Avengers storyline. The Iron Patriot conjures(sp?) up dislike to anything connected towards him (Micheal Bendis).

 

[Raiden]

Well, I think it is safe to assume that IP will have nothing to do with the Dark Avengers storyline, and it will be something done specifically for IM3. I'm still concerned that Shane Black and RDJ may be cramming too many into this movie, since they're the ones who are responsible for the screenplay, but I believe RDJ wants to redeem the franchise after the mediocre IM2 with an amazing follow-up, and from what I've heard Black is a terrific filmmaker who has RDJ's backing, so I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt.

 

[Dark Raven]

Well, I think it is safe to assume that IP will have nothing to do with the Dark Avengers storyline, and it will be something done specifically for IM3. I'm still concerned that Shane Black and RDJ may be cramming too many into this movie, since they're the ones who are responsible for the screenplay, but I believe RDJ wants to redeem the franchise after the mediocre IM2 with an amazing follow-up, and from what I've heard Black is a terrific filmmaker who has RDJ's backing, so I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt.

It just better not be an amazingly bad follow up.

And maybe they think they already have followed up IM2 with the Avengers which was good and starred Iron Man.

 

[Doctor Jones]

I just really hope this isn't overstuffed.

 

[OcStat]

I was surprised to see the Iron Patriot armor make an appearance in this film, that is out of left field.

I want Extremis to be the focus in this movie! Time for Tony Stark to switch it up. Where's Mallen at? None of the cast has been confirmed as that character right? I really want to see Iron Man going toe to toe with Mallen, trading blows with an unarmored foe that can crush Starks armor with his bare hands! Man that fight scene was great in the comics.

Plus Tony's armor hasn't gotten any real redesigns, I want to see Granov's MCU take on his Extremis armor.

 

[cherokeesam]

I was surprised to the Iron Patriot armor make an appearance in this film, that is out of left field.

I want Extremis to be the focus in this movie! Time for Tony Stark to switch it up. Where's Mallen at? None of the cast has been confirmed as that character right? I really want to see Iron Man going toe to toe with Mallen, trading blows with an unarmored foe that can crush Starks armor with his bare hands! Man that fight scene in the comics was great.

I'd be willing to bet that Mallen doesn't exist in this movie, or the MCU at all. He's too controversial a character, and frankly too lame a character. Instead, the "unarmored, Extremis-ized foe" Iron Man goes toe to toe with will most likely be a very famous villain from the comics, and his name will likely loosely rhyme with "Pandarin"

 

[Scarecrow_King]

I'd be willing to bet that Mallen doesn't exist in this movie, or the MCU at all. He's too controversial a character, and frankly too lame a character. Instead, the "unarmored, Extremis-ized foe" Iron Man goes toe to toe with will most likely be a very famous villain from the comics, and his name will likely loosely rhyme with "Pandarin"

I don't know why they would make Mandarin Extremis based, since he already has a solid power set in the comics. Not to mention the obvious mentions of the rings in the movies.

 

[cherokeesam]

I don't know why they would make Mandarin Extremis based, since he already has a solid power set in the comics. Not to mention the obvious mentions of the rings in the movies.

I'm not expecting THE 10 rings to show up, either. The previous IM films have made a point of showing "The Ten Rings" to be 10 henchmen in positions of power; they've been shown to wear big honkin' rings, but perfectly ordinary ones (at least so far). Doesn't necessarily mean that Mandarin doesn't have his own set that do nifty magic tricks, but I think Marvel probably didn't see any good way to make the "real" story work.

Using nanotech to give an "ordinary" Mandarin extraordinary powers might wind up being more palatable to audiences than having to sit through a blatant Abin Sur ripoff scene --- which never worked that great in the Green Lantern movie, either.

 

[GoldGoblin]

War Machine is upgraded to Iron Patriot who is a hero at first,but then becomes a villain.

 

[Whiskey Tango]

Why should it be an 'Abin Sur rip off"? Jesus, imagination much? Dude explores a hidden Kung Fu valley and discovers a dragon piloted spaceship whos science he studies for years, before ripping off the ships propulsion system and using them as weapons.

Quite different from having a lovely last date with Ryan Reynolds on the beach.

 

[cherokeesam]

War Machine is upgraded to Iron Patriot who is a hero at first,but then becomes a villain.

Except James Badge Dale is shown wearing the IP armor in those pix, not Don Cheadle....?

Why should it be an 'Abin Sur rip off"? Jesus, imagination much? Dude explores a hidden Kung Fu valley and discovers a dragon piloted spaceship whos science he studies for years, before ripping off the ships propulsion system and using them as weapons.

Quite different from having a lovely last date with Ryan Reynolds on the beach.

Yeah, okay. Dude gets a magic power ring from a crashed alien is nothing like dude gets TEN magic power rings from a crashed alien.

 

[Dark Raven]

Except James Badge Dale is shown wearing the IP armor in those pix, not Don Cheadle....?



Yeah, okay. Dude gets a magic power ring from a crashed alien is nothing like dude gets TEN magic power rings from a crashed alien.

The Mandarin can still get his rings from an alien source - eg the Asgardians. It also all depends on the way that particular plot point is executed. Otherwise people could think all superhero movies are exactly the same - hero gains superpowers accidentally and uses them to fight evil. Wouldn't they all seem like a rip off of one another? Considering it would be handled completely differently from Green Lantern, audiences might not even contemplate that those two origins are similar. And GL was negatively received anyway, whereas Iron Man is huge, so they will still think of IM as the superior franchise and won't care that this particular plot point might be almost identical.

It's the same way with many other things in life - technologies, cars, pop stars etc. B might come after A and might even be very similar to A, but B is the thing that captures audiences' imaginations and becomes the success, even though A did it first. Then people just forget about A and even later on start thinking A ripped off B.

So even if the Mandarin is exactly as his comics origin, I don't think it's going to matter and will hardly be something that causes IM3 to fail because it's similar on that point to a failed GL franchise.

 

[cherokeesam]

The Mandarin can still get his rings from an alien source - eg the Asgardians. It also all depends on the way that particular plot point is executed. Otherwise people could think all superhero movies are exactly the same - hero gains superpowers accidentally and uses them to fight evil. Wouldn't they all seem like a rip off of one another? Considering it would be handled completely differently from Green Lantern, audiences might not even contemplate that those two origins are similar. And GL was negatively received anyway, whereas Iron Man is huge, so they will still think of IM as the superior franchise and won't care that this particular plot point might be almost identical.

It's the same way with many other things in life - technologies, cars, pop stars etc. B might come after A and might even be very similar to A, but B is the thing that captures audiences' imaginations and becomes the success, even though A did it first. Then people just forget about A and even later on start thinking A ripped off B.

So even if the Mandarin is exactly as his comics origin, I don't think it's going to matter and will hardly be something that causes IM3 to fail because it's similar on that point to a failed GL franchise.

Not that many superheroes on film got their powers "accidentally," anyway. Of the Avengers, Hulk's gamma lab explosion is the *only* power that was gained accidentally (and even that might not have been as accidental as it looked).

And beyond the fact that DC fans could get to gloat and (accurately) scream "rip off" --- that's long been a point of contention in comic book circles --- there's the fact that it's an absolutely horrible and clunky origin story for Mandarin, period. Even Mandarin's writers have tried to rewrite or dance around it over the years. I doubt moviegoers would buy into it at all --- giant dragon alien crash lands, some Chinese wannabe terrorist *happens* across it, chooses to loot the craft for plunder and turns into a supervillain? They're headed for the exits already.

 

[Dark Raven]

No, but several giant Leviathans belonging to the Chitauri did crash land during the battle with the Avengers, and maybe the Mandarin could have picked up some alien technology from that during the inevitable clean up operation in NYC.

But he can get his technology from all the various Asgardian artifacts that may have been scattered on earth.

And of course, if you write it as glibbly as that, it will sound ludicrous and you would in your own mind believe audiences to be heading for the door. But any of the Marvel movies could also be described in such a way so that the concept sounds ridiculous and you'd think audiences would never buy into it.

 

[Adamantium Man]

Yeah, okay. Dude gets a magic power ring from a crashed alien is nothing like dude gets TEN magic power rings from a crashed alien.

Every hero story since Gilgamesh (who was arguably the first superhero) can be condensed to something like this:

Hero is revealed to have been born with/gains/is granted by a higher power a talent/power/set of powers/powerful artifact(s). Around the same time, he takes up/is tasked with a mission/called to be a hero and may or may not gain allies/sidekicks/familiars. He then takes on his task/fights his nemesis, growing greater in the process. He is defeated at first/suffers a setback/realizes he needs to transcend his existence/powers/limitations. After regrouping, he triumphs, but is forever changed.

It's always the same, and has been for thousands of years. It has also entertained audiences since campfire storytelling. It's all in the details.

 

[cherokeesam]

No, but several giant Leviathans belonging to the Chitauri did crash land during the battle with the Avengers, and maybe the Mandarin could have picked up some alien technology from that during the inevitable clean up operation in NYC.

But he can get his technology from all the various Asgardian artifacts that may have been scattered on earth.

And of course, if you write it as glibbly as that, it will sound ludicrous and you would in your own mind believe audiences to be heading for the door. But any of the Marvel movies could also be described in such a way so that the concept sounds ridiculous and you'd think audiences would never buy into it.

Making the Rings Chitauri or Asgardian would certainly work better than introducing a brand new alien race, the Zenn-Lavians....who sure as hell haven't been developed much even in the comic book world, let alone trying to come up with some sort of excuse and backstory for them in the MCU.

But even doing that still begs the question of whether or not audiences would be okay with the concept of a supervillain who *just happens* to get great powers from an alien who *just happens* to crash in a distant secluded valley that Mandarin *just happens* to be wandering through at the time. Again, even in the comic book universe, Mandarin's origin has been hard to swallow, and that's saying something. Practically every animated version of the character has rejected that origin completely, and modern writers tend to pretend that Mandarin just made the **** up as self-aggrandizement.

Every hero story since Gilgamesh (who was arguably the first superhero) can be condensed to something like this:

Hero is revealed to have been born with/gains/is granted by a higher power a talent/power/set of powers/powerful artifact(s). Around the same time, he takes up/is tasked with a mission/called to be a hero and may or may not gain allies/sidekicks/familiars. He then takes on his task/fights his nemesis, growing greater in the process. He is defeated at first/suffers a setback/realizes he needs to transcend his existence/powers/limitations. After regrouping, he triumphs, but is forever changed.

It's always the same, and has been for thousands of years. It has also entertained audiences since campfire storytelling. It's all in the details.

Yeah, I'm well-versed in Joseph Campbell mythology, Hero With A Thousand Faces, etc. etc. But readers/viewers/players are looking for origin stories that are plausible within the context of their story. Even with the Chitauri and Asgardians wandering around the cosmos, the concept of a big-ass dragon flying a spaceship and crashing it into Outer Mongolia gets to be a bit ridiculous for what the MCU has laid out so far.