Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty ImagesHere's a big shocker: The footage of Iron Man 3 shown at Comic-Con today was high-flyin' and hilarious.
We knew it would be, even with the trilogy now in the hands of Shane Black instead of Jon Favreau (who's in the film and gamely appeared at the panel today!) and visions of The Avengers still dancing in our heads.
In addition to proving that Robert Downey Jr. hasn't lost a step—in fact, he's gained a few, as evidenced by the cocky dance sequence in which Tony Stark tries out some new armor—the footage also answered a few questions.
First off, Ben Kingsley is indeed playing the supervillainous, robe-rocking Mandarin and Stephanie Szostak (Paul Rudd's girlfriend in Dinner for Schmucks) has joined the cast as a character TBA.
Also in the footage, Stark's seaside mansion is thoroughly demolished by an airborne firing squad and every bit of armor in his workroom is blown to bits. Meaning, our hero must start from scratch (though billionaire superhero's scratch is different from regular people's scratch), somewhat reminding us of the predicament a forlorn Bruce Wayne is facing at the beginning of The Dark Knight Rises.
We have a feeling that Iron Man—with a little help from his friends—will rise again, too. (Whether or not the same guy is wearing the suit is up to Downey, who said he's come to the end of his contract, which attached him to the two Iron Man sequels and The Avengers. Think he'll want a raise?)
Black told us that the film was about half shot and, if they "don't f--k up the rest, it's going to be great."
Iron Man 3 hits theaters May 3, 2013.