New Hero Cameo? Villain Reveal? Which Iron Man 3 Secrets Will Be Revealed at Comic-Con?!

Marvel announces that the anticipated 2013 blockbuster will take center stage in San Diego, fans start speculating

By Natalie Finn Jun 28, 2012 9:09 PMTags
Robert Downey Jr., Iron Man 2Moviestore/Shutterstock

Robert Downey Jr.'s in Iron Man 3. So is Gwyneth Paltrow. Scarlett Johansson is out, but Guy Pearce, Ben Kingsley and Rebecca Hall have been added to the mix.

And that's close to all that's anyone knows for sure about the latest addition to the billion-dollar franchise—which is why Marvel Studios' announcement yesterday that Iron Man 3 is coming to Comic-Con in a few weeks was such exciting news!

What will producer Kevin Feige and his fellow "special guests" reveal?!

First up, there's been speculation that Kingsley—whose accent was just made for nemesis duty—would play Marvel universe supervillain Mandarin, a master of science and combat who really hates all of the Avengers but just may loathe Iron Man the most.

We're thinking we'll know for sure when Iron Man 3 takes over famed Hall H at the San Diego Convention Center on July 14. But, in a Playlist podcast thoroughly dissected by Screenrant, Playlist writer Gabe Toro said that Kingsley will at least play a version of the big, bad Mandarin.

And, Toro said, Mandarin will be associated with an initially pleasant-tempered scientist, based on the more nefarious comics version of Chen Lu—aka Radioactive Man. (Andy Lau was set to play, but is no longer attached).

Feige and director Shane Black have described the film as a stand-alone installment that won't necessarily provide a convenient launching pad for the already-in-the-works Avengers sequel, despite the addition of Cobie Smulders' Maria Hill (Nick Fury's right-hand gal at S.H.I.E.L.D.) to the Iron Man 3 lineup. Nor is it suspected that the inevitable cliff-hanger will throw a bone in Thor 2 or Captain America 2's direction.

But the Marvel universe extends far and wide and Iron Man 3 is going to have to segue into something—and Screenrant is postulating that frequent Radioactive Man nemesis Ant-Man could be in the batter's box.

Witty Brit Edgar Wright (who was at Comic-Con last year as producer of Attack the Block) has been attached to write and direct an Ant-Man film—and he's rumored to be shooting a snippet that will serve as Iron Man 3's post-credit-roll tease.

Yeah, we're getting superpsyched for Comic-Con, too.