First Look: Rourke Gets Whiplash in Iron Man 2

Paramount Pictures

The Wrestler has traded in his staples for some far heavier metal.

Iron Man 2 director Jon Favreau has released the first on-set photo of Mickey Rourke clad in the gear that makes him the nefarious Whiplash, just one of the villains Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man will be battling in the upcoming sequel.

So far, we seem to be looking at half an orange prison jumpsuit, leather-and-iron arm braces and a heart-protecting electromagnet in his chest, like the one Tony Stark uses to keep the shrapnel at bay.

Rourke's less mechanical alter ego being Russian tech whiz Ivan Vanko, the tats he sports include several Russian phrases.

The eagerly awaited second chapter of the comic-book saga is due in theaters May 7, 2010.