TRAILER: Here’s Your First Look at ‘Iron Man 3’!

Okay, so here’s the way it is: just about everyone loved Iron Man and Marvel’s The Avengers. Iron Man 2? Not so much. That was not a good film. It just wasn’t.

So exit director Jon Favreau and enter writer/direct Shane Black, he of the most excellent film Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. (Also starring Robert Downey Jr.) The result? Have a taste below:

 

The tone looks completely and utterly different from what we’ve seen so far. In fact, I don’t believe that there is one patented Robert Downy Jr. quip in that entire thing! We also get our first glimpse of the villain, The Mandarin, as played by Ben Kingsley… and I spy an Iron Patriot!

So, what do you think? If you want, you can see it in full HD glory over at the Apple Trailers site for Iron Man 3

And here’s the first official poster for the film:

Iron Man 3 hits screens on May 3, 2013 and I can’t wait!

Comments

  1. I like it. I enjoy Ben Kingsley’s voice choice for the Mandarin, I’ll always have a soft sport of villains that go a bit theatrical from Kahn to Bane this last year. And even though this is just a teaser, it’s nice to see that the character arc isn’t going to be “Tony Stark is an arrogant yet lovable ass that has to learn to trust and respect others.” for the fourth time.

  2. I think this looks great! Hopefully a new director will refresh the iron Mans (Iron Men?)

    Also nice to see they are directly addressing how Stark is post Avengers – I feel like that is what the general public are going to ask questions about going in.

    Of the announced Marvel films, this was lower on my radar than most of the others, but I’m pumped now.

  3. first of… I wasn’t so let down by Iron Man 2 as everyone else… the first was better, but well, the second was okay as well.. this trailer looks “okay”… I mean, the first 2 movuies make me watch number 3 … but it’s true, it looks more violent

    • i agree i like iron man 2 more than one

    • Yeah I don’t think it’s fair to say no one liked Iron Man 2, it has generally possitive reviews by critics and fans on just about every major movie site….it just wasn’t as well liked (or as good in my opinion) as the first one.

    • I have a hatred of the second film. In fact, the pacing of the middle of the film is so bad I can’t understand how anyone could enjoy it as anything more than an extended teaser for The Avengers. From a storytelling perspective it’s just bad.
      But you’re entitled to your opinion. I’m super-stoked for this one though.
      I think the darker tone is exactly what these films needed and I love that they’re focusing on how Tony deals with the events in New York at the end of The Avengers, it looks very post-9/11 which is just how I was hoped they’d portray it.
      Slightly worried about Ben Kingsley’s performance (and wig) to be honest but that’s made up for by Shane Black directing (Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang is one of the most overlooked films of the last decade).

    • I loved the second movie, but understand people thinking it was too light-hearted… well here’s part 3 going darker than ever. I’m probably going to love this one too.

    • @kzap: Hatred? Really? You have a hatred for the second film? Isn’t that a bit strong? This is what happens when we cheapen language with the constant use of hyperbole. If hatred is what you feel towards a mediocre movie what does that leave for your feelings on say oppression? War? Terrorism? Starvation? I mean come on, let’s try to keep things a little more in perspective and describe them with appropriate words.

    • @USPUNX: Calm down, please.

    • @connor: Okay, after some deep breathing my calm has been restored. I was just trying to make the point that its difficult to have a discussion among such extreme hyperbole. And what I said about it cheapening language stands.

    • @USPUNX: No extreme hyperbole here. You’re the one who raised the temperature.

    • @conor: Hmm, I guess we’ll have to disagree here. I find using the word ‘hatred’ to describe a film to be pretty extreme. Unless the film in someway offends you beliefs I’m not sure how that word could be appropriate.

    • I thought like most the second didn’t live up to the 1st but a second viewing on bluray then watching all the special features had me appreciating it on many levels. It obviously played more off his self destructiveness like a character study like his alcohol abuse and loathing from the comix and gave War Machine a reasonable entrance to be whilst shedding light on Stark needing to be checked. It had its moments and with the surround sound cranked up on bluray, it was better the 2nd time around with no expectations, just taking it in for what it was.

    • What makes you think you’re so right Connor? Its just your opinion that Iron Man 2 was bad. Its not a fact. You guys have all been jaded by doing this for so long that you’ve lost sight of what it even means to be a fanboy anymore. You guys are so uppity about so many things that its ridiculous. You guys always hate on every crossover and event despite not reading them. I recently rewatched Iron Man 1 & 2 and found that the first one is pretty boring in comparison. Does that make me just another midwest moron? Well probably by your standards. Sure there was more character depth in Iron Man and the ending of 2 was pretty weak but that doesn’t make it a factually bad movie. They were both good but in different ways. I don’t understand why you’re such a hater of Iron Man 2.

    • It was a terrible movie because it was badly written, badly edited, had terrible pacing and reeked of corporate intervention. so much so that Favreau refuses to work with them.

    • Maybe hatred is a strong word, but it’s not so much mediocre as much as I have an actively bad time watching the film.
      I didn’t just not enjoy it, everything that’s wrong with it compiled to the point it really annoyed me and I hated the experience. So I think ‘hatred’ was an adapt word.
      I’ll admit I have high standards for films, apart from The Avengers most of the Disney/Marvel films ranged from mediocre to just good for me. The only thing they have going for them is their accuracy to the source material (which I don’t think is necessary) other than that they’re bland and really safely made.
      Personally I usually won’t hate a film if it tries something different and fails but all the pre-Avengers films played it so safe and didn’t try anything.
      I understand why, they were setting up a house of cards, they couldn’t afford to let one fall so did everything in there power to take as few artists risks as possible.
      I also felt all the films were very small scale and didn’t really work as self contained products (which every film should, even if it’s part of a series), part of this was down to the budget and I think part of it was down to not wanting to out-do The Avengers before they got there.
      I think Thor was the worst offender of this one, sure we’re told his actions saved Asgard and Earth, etc. But what we SEE feels very much like the pilot of a TV show, lot’s off set-up followed by the villain of the week being dispatched at the end.
      I’m not trying to be a ‘hater’ here but I am being honest about what I don’t like.
      Overall Iron Man 2 isn’t even a film to me it’s a product, made to fit a purpose “begin plotline X, introduce character Y, start toyline Z, tease The Avengers as much as possible” and I just found the whole experience cynical and devoid of any human touch.
      Just to put things in perspective, for me the best to worst the Disney/Marvvel films go: The Avengers, Captain America Iron Man, Thor, Iron Man 2.
      I haven’t seen The Incredible Hulk yet and I don’t think I’ll spend any time seeking it out but my brother has the DVD so I may much it next time I’m home.
      Looking forward to this though.
      As a TV Production student this is the world I want to go into, I watch a lot of films and have a very high standard, but that doesn’t mean superhero films can’t meet them.

    • I really don’t mean this as an offense but you sound like a TV Production student. You remind me of the way I used to talk about film and television when I was in film school. If a film doesn’t do something truly different or innovative then its shit. I used to think the exact same way.

      As I got older and saw more and more film and worked on them myself, I realized this isn’t always true. Film is an accumulation of built upon techniques and standards that evolves as the medium evolves. Occasionally there is a film that causes these techniques to leap forward, recent examples include Pulp Fiction for story structure or Matrix for visual effects, but typically it is a gradual build.

      Iron Man 2 was not a great film, no question in my mind about that. However I enjoyed watching it. It was clearly not the best of the new Marvel films but also not terrible. The pacing wasn’t great, there were too many characters, but from a technical stand point the film was sound. The visual effects were fantastic, to acting was top notch, and the action sequences were well choreographed. I don’t look at film from a take it or leave it approach. I try to take a more holistic approach to judging a film. Most films succeed on some levels and fail on others, very few are truly great in every way. I try to evaluate the individual parts of a film as a lover of the medium and someone who has chosen it as a profession, but more than that I judge a film as a whole. As a whole Iron Man 2 was not a great film, but it was entertaining and technically well made. Therefore I would say it is good but not great. Certainly not worthy of hatred.

      I’ve learned that some films you take for what they. This isn’t a lowering of standards, not at all, simply a realistic level of expectation that not every film, just like not every work in ANY artistic genre, can be a new approach to filmmaking. If a film is competently made then it can be enjoyed on its own merits without judging it against the entirety of cinema. A good recent example of this is Beasts of the Southern Wild. A wonderful film, probably the best I’ve seen this year, yet it didn’t bring anything “new” to the art of filmmaking. It was a superbly made film with an interesting story and beautiful visual style. That said, the technical and structural aspects were nothing new or innovative, they were just done supremely well. The end result is a wonderful film that has stuck with me for several months after having seen it. Not everything has to be innovative, it just has to be good. If you evaluate every film you view as needing to add something new or different to the art of filmmaking in order to have value, then you’ll be over looking an awful lot of really well made films.

    • @pabl007gunner: Connor didn’t express his opinion of Iron Man 2 one way or another. He was simply asking for the rhetoric to be toned down. Same thing I was asking for. He was asking me just as I was asking @kzap. Perhaps you should ask him for his opinion of the film before condemning him for his opinion of the film.

    • @muddi900: If by “refuses to work with them” you mean served as Executive Producer of Avengers, Iron Man 3 and Magic Kingdom, as well as voice acting in John Carter; all of which are Disney films and two of which were Marvel films, then yeah, he totally refused to work with them.

    • @USPUNX
      I agree a film doesn’t have to be completely revolutionary to be good.
      The Avengers wasn’t and I loved that.
      Hell none of my favorate five films of the year so far were revolutionary (Looper, Moonrise Kingdom, Perks of being a Wallflower, The Cabin in the Woods) but I do except a certain level of artistry.
      I would argue enjoying a film just because it’s “technically good” IS a lowering of standards, there are SO MANY great films out there from all around the world, some of them might not be perfect from a technical standpoint but I think you’re doing the medium a disservice if your quota for enjoying something is “is it competently made?” EVERY film made for over 30 million dollars should be technically great, it’s not fair to use that to judge it.
      It’s funny you say you used to be like me because I used to be like you (and my dad still is) capable of being able to enjoy almost anything on it’s own merits.
      As I got older my taste got more distinguished and I realized there are so many great films being released every year (many not from Hollywood) I don’t have to waste my time on the competently made but bland ones.
      I call them “ham sandwich” films, there’s nothing technically wrong with them but why bother when there are thousands of films you haven’t seen which are far more exciting (like steak, roast dinner or curry).
      Iron Man 2 isn’t a “ham sandwich” film, it’s not competently made but bland (that would be Thor) it’s bad, starting with the script, it’s hard to save a bad script and nothing does, the actors try but there’s only so much they can do.

    • @USPUNX
      “The visual effects were fantastic, to acting was top notch, and the action sequences were well choreographed”
      I guess I just completely disagree with you on this too, considering the budget, the visual effects were exactly what I expected. I thought “yes, these are the standard effects you get with this type of film”. They didn’t blow me away but they weren’t surprisingly bad either.
      Again, the acting was fine, you could tell they were trying to do the best they could with what they were given but it was nothing special, certainly not “top notch”, of course it’s hard to be top notch without a good script. They didn’t seem like drama students, if that’s what you mean, they seemed like professionals but they are professionals so it’s hard to them credit for that.
      And I didn’t think any of the actions sequences were great. In fact I was bored through most of them, again that’s down to the script, if it doesn’t make you care about the character or the stakes the action has no punch. But even taken on there own they were pretty bland and by the numbers.
      You’re entitled to your opinion, I’m not doubting you liked those parts of the film and I’m glad you enjoyed it but for me that’s not the case.
      Like I said, I’m looking forward to this next one and that’s not because I expect it to revolutionize the genre, I just want it to be a good super hero film, which the second wasn’t in my mind.

    • @kzap: I’ve come to the conclusion that people like whatever they want and there is nothing wrong with that. Judging someone on what they like is just wrong. You can call it “ham sandwich” or any other derogatory term you think of to cloak your elitism, but in reality that’s all it is.

      There are plenty of great non-Hollywood films out there, new and old, foreign and domestic. In fact I would some of the best films in the world the past few years are indie films that have been bought out of American and Canadian film festivals. Pretty much all the films I saw and loved at Sundance and TIFF last year were bought by major film companies and given a proper release. It was really refreshing to see. American indie films are having a rebirth akin to Miramax in the early 90’s.

      It’s sad how many film students think a broadening of appreciation of the art of filmmaking is lowering standards while the narrowing of appreciation, or distinguishing, whatever word you want to use, is the raising of standards. It’s just not true, simply being different is not being great. It’s amazing how many foreign films that people in this country think are innovate and great just because they look different are considered mediocre in their home countries. The reverse is true as well. Many Americans blockbusters we consider to be only so-so in this country are greeted with high praise and much larger box offices in foreign markets simply because they look so different from the domestic cinema. Different really is just different, its the heart and soul of a film that make it great.

    • @kzap: Look, let’s get past Iron Man 2. Its was an okay film. I didn’t love it, I didn’t overly dislike it. My only point there was using the “hatred” toward a film like that is completely ridiculous. If you “hate” Iron Man 2 how do you feel about a truly terrible film like Prometheus or Sucker Punch?

    • @kzap: Upon reading your comments again I think we will just have to agree to disagree here. We both feel differently, and strongly, about this topic and it has created some healthy debate but it seems we will never come to a consensus. And that’s a good thing!

      That said it seems you do know a good bit about film and I would be interested in exchanging favorite films lists with you, both overall and from this year.

      Anyway, always fun to talk to another film lover/professional!

    • @USPUNX
      “I’ve come to the conclusion that people like whatever they want and there is nothing wrong with that. Judging someone on what they like is just wrong.”
      I agree. The term “ham sandwich” wasn’t meant to be derogatory, there’s nothing wrong with people who like eating ham in bread, I personally just find it a little bland.
      I don’t think having hatred towards a film is ridicules, I remember hating the experience of watching it, so I would say I hated the film or “feel hatred towards it”.
      I’ve never seen Sucker Punch, although I might hate that for a different reason, mainly it’s representation of gender. That would inspire more than hatred towards the actual film but may even cause me to the disgusted with it, I can’t say for sure, I’ve not seen it, I know I feel that way about The Transformers films.
      As for Prometheus, I quite liked it actually, for the opposite reason I didn’t like Iron Man 2, it tried something different, in some ways it failed, they certainly bit off more than they could chew but at least it was ambitious. It also had a great atmosphere and a particularly stand out scene, not to mention gorgeous cinematography, not just competent but darkly beautiful in places.
      It certainly was an overstuffed film, both in it’s ideas and it’s monsters but I’d rather re-watch that than Iron Man 2 but I’m in no rush too.
      I agree, I think at this point we’ll have to just agree to disagree.
      As for my favorate films list.
      Top 5 films of the year so far:
      1. Looper 2. Moonrise Kingdom 3. Perks of being a Wallflower 4. The Cabin in the Woods 5. The Avengers
      Top 5 super hero films:
      1. The Dark Knight 2. The Avenger 3. Kick Ass 4. X-Men First Class 5. Spider-Man 2
      Honorable mention: X-Men 2 (or X-2 or X-Men United, I’ve seen the film and I’m still unsure which title they decided on) The Amazing Spider-Man (not the best Spider-Man film but my favorate Peter Parker film). Also it was only upon re-watching The Avengers for a third time on bluray that I flipped the first two, I love Joss Whedon but as a stand alone piece of cinema I think The Dark Knight is just slightly better.

    • Oh and if you haven’t, do yourself a favor and check out Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang the trailer doesn’t do the film any favors (in fact I’d recommend you don’t watch it) but it’s a great crazy, noir, action, dark comedy.
      In fact I think Ed Brubaker thanked Shane Black for making it in the back of one of the issues of Criminal.

    • Nice lists, I agree with many of those.
      In no particular order on either list:
      This year so far:
      1) Beasts of the Southern Wild 2) Cabin in the Woods 3) The Avengers 4) The Dark Knight Rises 5) Take Shelter (not sure if that last one was technically 2011 or 2012)

      Super hero:
      1) The Dark Knight 2) Avengers 3) X-Men: First Class 4) Iron-Man 5) Chronicle

    • Oops, I have to adjust that. Drop Take Shelter and add 7 Psychopaths.

    • Oh, I’m excited for Seven Psychopaths, I LOVED In In Bruges. I’ve yet to see Chronicle (it’s on my Lovefilm rental list) but suspect it could sneak into my top 5 super hero films.
      I also want to check out Beasts of the Southern Wild and Take Shelter but being in the UK any only living near a multiplex most of the year it’s hard to see non-Hollywood blockbusters.
      Ifanboy needs a forum with a film thread or something, I’d love to discuses this stuff more without going off topic.
      I always feel bad when I hijack the comments thread with my conversation with one other person.

    • Yeah I know what you mean, an off topic thread would be cool.

      Do whatever you have to to see Beasts of the Southern Wild. It’s a truly brilliant and inspiring film. Easily my favorite of the year so far.

      7 Psychopaths was great. I just saw it a couple days ago and right now I’d give the edge to In Bruges but I could see that changing after repeat viewings.

      Take Shelter is REALLY unsettling and a great film too. I’ve read some great things about Jeff Nichols new film Mud too.

      Been meaning to check out Kiss Kiss Bang Bang but the trailer was so bad when I saw it years ago I lost all intrest. Good to hear its not representative of the film itself, I’ll bump it up on my list!

  4. Zero…Zero….zero interest – Pre Trailer.
    Now. Excitement lifted, and interest piqued – I am there.

    Is that Guy Pearce’s voice on the second half of the narration?

  5. Woweewoo!

  6. Beast!

  7. Keen-eyed internet types have already noticed the split second flash of Cap’s shield tattooed on the back of Mandarin’s neck.

    http://s17.postimage.org/s2fwahvtb/Screen_Shot_2012_10_23_at_11_53_12.png

  8. I too had low interest before the trailer, but now? Hell yes!

  9. Extremis? I could swear I saw a piece of the armor fly to his arm.

  10. I am still not 100% sold on Ben Kingsley as the Mandarin. Feels a little….uncomfortable.

    That being said, that was a great teaser and I am pumped for this movie.

    • The guy played Gandhi, and to quote his Wikipedia page…

      “Kingsley’s father, born in Kenya, is of Gujarati Indian descent…”

      So if that’s what you’re uncomfortable about, it’s all good, it’s not a typical white washing of a character. Otherwise, I think Kingsley is a pretty interesting choice. He’s obviously a hell of an actor, and can certainly pull of being intimidating and scary (Sexy Beast), so I’m all for seeing what he can do with the role.

      If anything I always held out hope they’d get Faran Tahir, the main terrorist from the first movie, to become the Mandarin. I think that would have been a neat character progression, but I can understand why they’d want to put a big name actor in the role.

    • That’s a great point and was something that I should have considered myself.

    • @jonsamuelson: Agreed. I always felt the terrorist leader in the first film was a wink and a nod to the Mandarin. It would have been cool to see him evolve into this character.

  11. Wow! Nice shift!

  12. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    The franchise needed new energy and direction, and this looks like just the ticket. I’m sure there will be plenty of comedic elements given all the people involved. This teaser is introducing the emotional and physical conflicts. Saving the laughs for later on.

    Sign me up!

  13. My favorite actor, playing my favorite super hero, in a movie directed by the man who made my favorite movie. I wish I could go ack in time and tell my I’ve year old self this was happening.

    • Kiss Kiss Bang Bang!

      (it’s in my top 5 of don’t-make-me-choose-which-is-my-favorite-of-these-movies-movie)

    • “You know what you’ll find next to the word ‘idiot’ in the dictionary?”

      “My Picture.”

      “No, the definition of the word idot, which you fucking are!””

    • Got to join in with the love of this film. It’s a modern classic and such a shame it was so overlooked at the time, even now I don’t know anywhere near as many people who’ve seen it as I should, and I’m surrounded by film buffs and media-y people.
      Love it, love it, love it. Shane Black was the only reason I was planning to see this on the big screen and the trailer hasn’t done anything to change that.

  14. I think this movie might make me cry…
    Everyone knows it’s the final Iron Man film, right?

  15. I didn’t realize the interest for this was so low before the trailer. I am a fan of Shane Black and was so exicited when I heard he was going to write and direct. I do wish they kept the old DP Matthew Libatique but the trailer looks great so I’m not too worried about the look anymore.

  16. On one side, this looks amazing…. on the other side, I’m already dreading taking my 6yr old, “who’s in Iron Man?” “why is Captain america Iron man?” etc..

  17. love it

  18. While there’s definitely a tonal shift it doesn’t look out of place after Avengers. I’m pretty excited for this.

    Maybe we’ll end up with Rescue in this one?

    • I was wondering that too, totally thought they teased her as potentially putting a suit on.

      Also, do you think the suit that wakes them up in bed and has the missile pack on its back is War Machine? I felt some of the opening Downey Jr. narration could have been a sly lead into a Demon in the Bottle type storyline.

  19. what an A-Hole, that house was amazing. Trailer looks great btw. =)

  20. I Tony Stark Sayin now?? Cause that I think he was wearing looks like a scouter from DBZ.

  21. I love pretty much everything Shane Black has ever leant his name to (I mean, he was Tarantino-esque before Tarantino) and that trailer just sealed the deal for me. The only thing is I think Rhodey Rhodes is going to bite it.

  22. I’m excited!

    The shift in tone is kind of startling. I like the idea that Tony’s a changed man after Avengers, and I agree the franchise needed a shot in the arm, but the tone of the trailer is a little heavier than I like my RDJ Iron Man. As long as we get plenty of quips and asskicking in the actual film (and I’m sure we will), I’ll be satisfied.

    The tattoo on Mandarin’s neck has me wondering. I’m also curious about the identity of Iron Patriot. Is it Mandarin? Rhodes? Cap? I love first trailers!

  23. WOW!!! Looks Amazing. Only thing that sucks. Is having to wait till April.

  24. Count me among the uncertain.

    Not because of the talent involved. In fact, it’s Ben Ben Kingsley that fascinates me most in this clip. But seeing the Iron Patriot armor in the mix…that makes me nervous.

    Because that’s one of the things that I disliked about Iron Man 2… and most sequels, for that matter. There seems to be this notion that you need more villains to make it better than the first. Or perhaps, it’s more accurate to say more characters. Iron Man 2 had Whiplash, Black Widow, War Machine AND Justin Hammer.

    And the result is more often than not (IMO) that the story overall suffers because it becomes about trying to cram in these additional characters.

    Joss Whedon – awesome as he is – did have the advantage of going in with the origins pretty much explained. Yet he still has to find that delicate balance in giving everyone their share of the spotlight without it feeling forced.

    That and, honestly, I’m tired of the “dark” Marvel Universe. That’s another thing I loved about Avengers; they got the tone of the books I grew up with yet made it modern.

    But it’s only the first trailer. I’ve been proven wrong before. Too often!

    • Yeah I was wondering if that really is the Iron Patriot or just a new War Machine suit. Some of the opening narration about Tony having nightmares and not being able to sleep made me wonder if they were going to introduce some elements of Demon in a Bottle into this film.

  25. I think this looks great. It almost has the tone and feel of a traditional sequel of a trilogy, doesn’t it? Usually, it’s the second movie that has a darker feel and tone as the character is put through their paces. Definitely excited about this one now.

  26. not bad.

  27. Kingsley’s accent reminds me a little of Agent Smith. Goodbye Mr. Stark…

  28. Ok, I haven’t seen IRON MAN 2, the trailer didn’t peek my interest and my friends all said it sucked. This trailer on the other hand, looks good to the point of having me change my mind about watching 2 and then seeing part 3.

    • I didn’t mind Iron Man 2. The only thing I didn’t like was how often they were taking their helmets off. It’s only 2 hours of your life – the world won’t end if you don’t like the movie.

    • Personally I wouldn’t bother with part two, I highly doubt anything in that is going the required knowledge going into the third installment. And I agree with your freeings. I would just skip it and go straight from 1 to 3. I assume you’ve seen The Avengers, it looks like this will follow on from that more than anything else.

    • You know what – since there’s so much turbulence around the topic – I’ll go ahead and recommend you do watch Iron Man 2 if only for the stellar performances of Sam Rockwell and Mickey Rourke. They were both great.

    • I forgot Sam Rockwell was in it. I really do love him as an actor and deserves every role he gets, shame he wasn’t in better Marvel film.
      At the end of the day it’s your choice if you watch it, I’m just saying if you’re hyped for this one, don’t feel it’s required viewing. If you rent it then, like Grandturk said, you’ve only lost 2 hours if you don’t like it. While I didn’t enjoy it I understand other opinions are available and you might.

    • And while your at it – watch Moon. Sam Rockwell mania! Fantastic movie.

    • Moon is great! Highly recommend it.
      I want to check out Choke, just because it’s the culmination of so many awesome people, based on a book by the author of Fight Club, directed by Agent Coulson (also known as Clark Gregg), stars Sam Rockwell and has an appearance from Gillian Jacobs (Britta from Community) but I’ve heard mixed things about it.

  29. I hear you, though its really not about the time spent, but rather my dread at the unique pain in my heart when a comic book movie goes horribly wrong.

  30. The trailer reminds me an awful lot of the Dark Knight Rises.

  31. Lookin’ good. On one hand, taking it to a very serious place with villains exploding everything and less humor is kind of a trend. But it does work. Great cast.

  32. You’d think, reading comments in other places like Youtube, that Christopher Nolan single-handedly invented the hero’s journey as well as “dark” subject matter for the superhero genre.

    Us comic fans of course know Frank Miller’s Daredevil and Batman runs, Alan Moore’s Miracleman and Watchmen, and a host of other works introduced the world to a darker breed of superheroes a quarter of a century before Nolan made his Batman movies.

    • It’s true, every “dark” superhere film is compared to Nolan’s Batman now; Man of Steel, Amazing Spider-Man, and now Iron Man 3.

    • It’s interesting, because in my opinion the first Iron Man film was just as important as Dark Knight. Both showed that you could make serious, adult superhero movies and have them be successful in very different ways. Dark Knight offered heavy themes and psychological thrills, and Iron Man offered swashbuckling heroics and a bitchin’ good time.

      I think it’s kinda funny that this trailer is being compared to the DK Trilogy in some ways, since I’ve always thought of them as equally enjoyable. If anything about this very brief first look gives me pause, it’s that I don’t WANT this trilogy to turn into that one. I’m rather indifferent towards the second Iron Man, but I hope Black is able to maintain the fun that Favreau brought to the first film, while keeping the stakes nice and high.

  33. I think this looks great, honestly. I’m not really sure I understand the gripes about the “darker tone”, as though it’s somehow not “Marvel…”

    When I think about some of the classic Marvel covers, what immediately springs to mind is “Demon in a Bottle” or “Spider-man No More!” or “Kraven’s Last Hunt.”

    I think you need a little darkness to really test the mettle of a hero. So, we’ll see if it balances out here…

    • Or to test his METAL, perhaps?

      I loathe myself.

    • I don’t object to a little darkness per se. But it seems like studios have latched on to this idea that super heroes movies need to be dark to be good. Avengers proves that theory wrong.

      On a related note: I re-watched the original Superman movie the other day and was amazed at how well it held up – bright red underpants and all. It had darkness and light, humour and heart. It can be done, for sure. And maybe Iron Man 3 will do that.

      Having said that, the Man of Steel trailer still has me psyched for the movie. Muted colours aside, it still had that sense of hope and wonder I want from a Superman movie. I am really looking forward to seeing more footage soon!

    • Don’t get me wrong — I definitely agree that “dark” or “grim and gritty” as a production edict is misplaced. I just don’t think that Marvel’s history is full of light stories. I think some of the most classic Marvel stories (I left out, “This Man, This Monster” last time), have darkness built into them.

      And I don’t think we can judge from this trailer whether this will be oppressively dark, or just dark enough to make the heroic struggle shine brighter, ya know?

    • Agree! But if I didn’t jump to conclusions, I wouldn’t get any exercise at all!

  34. I like the idea that the events of Marvel’s The Avengers were actually life changing to Tony Stark. I mean, the city of New York was almost lost save for the heroics of a few people. Tony threw a nuclear bomb at a race of aliens! I’ll buy that he has a little PTSD, if that’s the route this film is going.

    I’m in.

    • Same here, flying out into space through a portal in order to kill an alien race you didn’t even know existed yesterday and then almost dying as a result has got to weigh heavy on you. Hell I need to pull over for a few minutes if I almost get hit by a car, I can’t imagine what barely surviving an alien invasion must be like.
      This is something we don’t get to see in comics these days, at least from our mainstays. For the Avengers in the 616 and Ultimate universes alien invasions are old hat but for the movie counterparts this whole ‘saving the world’ thing is new and exciting and dangerous. I’m psyched for this aspect of the flick.

    • I also think exposure to Cube-Powered Nuc on the other side of the portal will be the explanation for “Extremis” powers, and his nightmares. Which is fine with me.

      The trailer didn’t bode well for Miss Potts though…which (if she dies) is a shame because her role in IM 1 and 2 are the reason I have any interest in either the character or the actress…she was fantastic.

  35. For you Quicktime haters…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EjG-1U3wqA

    Add my name to the list: Wasn’t really interested pre-trailer, now can’t wait!

  36. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang was a cool movie and chemistry between actors and directors goes along way even though Downey has been known to take over on set with the Iron Man movies as he is probably the most experienced guy involved. The Mandarin, Guy Pearce (hope his role leads to a marvel character/villain), fresh direction with a new director, trailer looks sweet!!!

  37. Looks very good. But why does the Mandarin sound like Morpheus?
    Also, does Cap’s shield tattoo mean there is a connection between Mandarin and the Red Skull? We don’t know where Skull ended up at the end of CA. I apologize if that has already been thrown out there.

  38. This looks bad ass! I think this will be much better than IM2, which I found to be pretty “meh.” I have many questions that others have also asked. Oh, and if you go to http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/marvel/ironman3/gallery/ there are some great stills, including one of the “Iron Patriot” looking armor (I’m guessing it’s Jim Rhodes).