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The Future of Iron Man: Alcoholic Tony Stark, War Machine, and Beyond!

by Alex Billington
May 4, 2008

Now that we've all (hopefully) seen Iron Man and experienced one of the greatest Marvel movies since at least Spider-Man 2, it's time to look forward at the future of Iron Man, War Machine, and more. We already mentioned last Friday that Iron Man 2 might be in the works for a 2010 release, but that's not all. There are so many different doors that have now been opened given Jon Favreau has successfully brought Iron Man to the big screen, including other Marvel universe collaborations, but we'll get into that more below. You've been warned - there are abundant spoilers contained within, so only read onwards if you've seen Iron Man and want to discuss the potential future of the character. If you're ready, let's get down to it!

First things first, Robert Downey Jr. will definitely return as Tony Stark. His response to a reporter's question about what makes him think he could do another one: "Are you kidding me? We're just getting started here!" Before we get into specific possibilities for the future, Downey Jr. gives a great introduction (via SciFi) to naturally what the next step for Tony Stark and Iron Man would be, given that at the end of the movie he revealed to the world that he is Iron Man.

"If you ask me, the next one is about what do you do with the rest of your life now that you're completely changed? And you are in touch, and you have created this thing that has the power to take life. Essentially, you have been made into a god. A human being, metaphorically, who's been made into a god is not going to turn out so well. And their conscience is going to come to bear."

Based on recent interviews as well as specific speculations made from hints in the movie, let's look at a number of different possibilities for the future of the franchise.

Demon in a Bottle
Iron Man: Demon in a Bottle Fifteen years after the first Iron Man comic, Demon in a Bottle hit shelves. The comic book follows Tony Stark as he becomes an alcoholic, one of his greatest downfalls. Downey Jr. even mentions it as one of the possible future stories to touch upon, saying, "I think the drinking will be a way to confront his age, his doubts, to confront the fact that Pepper [Gwyneth Paltrow] maybe gets a boyfriend. Then he shows up in the Iron Man suit going, 'What's he got that I don't?'" He then mentions screenwriter Shane Black, of the Lethal Weapon series and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. "I tend to think like Shane Black in these situations. And no one thinks like Shane Black, stuff that really speaks to the truth of what happens between people."

While I love the much darker and emotional plot that could arise regarding a superhero with a drinking problem, I don't think it would ever happen, but who knows. Downey Jr. really brings up a great question - where do you go now that the entire world knows he is Iron Man? Unlike Spider-Man, or any other superhero, this is a different world - they now know who he is and it means the villains will become tougher because they'll start to find his weaknesses. In fact, it reminds me of Superman - everyone knows he is an unbeatable superhero who helps save the world, but this means villains who try to stand up against him must be fairly strong adversaries. Would Marvel ever approve a movie where one of their beloved superheroes becomes an alcoholic? I highly doubt it, but it is a very intersting prospective.

War Machine
Did everyone catch that moment in the movie where James "Rhodey" Rhodes, played by Terrence Howard, glances at the Mark II suit of armor in Tony's lab and says "next time baby"? Could there have been a bigger hint at War Machine?! Of course that scene, and the future of War Machine in general, was brought up recently with both Howard and Favreau. For those unaware, War Machine is a good guy like Iron Man. Rhodey dons the suit of armor after Stark's purported death in the comics and fights bad guys just like him. There has been talk not only about War Machine appearing in the sequels, but actually getting his own spin-off movie, just like in the comics. ComingSoon chatted with both Howard and Jon Favreau recently and got them both to talk about the possible appearance of War Machine in sequels.

Howard responds first, saying: "The question is whether we will take the time to put on the Iron Man suit first and then have to fight with Iron Man to take it off me and then ultimately build a new suit for Rhodey or whether they go right into the second one of them building the suit. I would prefer to wait for the third one. I'd prefer to let it grow a little bit and then after the third one, they could go into its own franchise of War Machine later on. I don't want to introduce War Machine too early for my own monetary benefits."

However, Jon Favreau seems to have a bit of a differing opinion - he really wants War Machine to make an earlier appearance. "I think you gotta go with War Machine, you gotta give Terrence more to do. He really had to be patient in this one, and he could have been Tony Stark, know what I mean? If we wanted to go against the grain of what was in the books. He characterizes that, and once you break him out of the role that he was relegated to in this one, I think he could go toe-to-toe with Robert, and it could be a cool buddy set-up. Then you need some big bad guys, and I think the bad guys are going to be tech-based for the most part, seeing what's worked about this film."

I don't think I'm alone when I say I think it would be amazing to see a buddy flick involving both Iron Man and War Machine getting involved in fighting against some sort of global villain. Both Downey Jr. and Howard are great enough actors that neither would dominate each other and yet each could hold their own - the perfect combination. I really hope War Machine does get into the suit much earlier than Howard wants. This is a future I'm definitely looking forward to!

Mandarin & Villains
So far there hasn't really been too much mention of prospective villains, however, keen moviegoers may have noticed Mandarin in the movie. Faran Tahir, who plays the bald Middle Eastern villain that is the leader of the Ten Rings, may infact become Mandarin in the future. The Mandarin was one of the arch-enemies of Iron Man that appeared in the comics. One part mad scienctist, one part master martial artist, he finds the Ten Rings of Power that give him the ability to conquer the world. You can read up more on his background over at ComicVine. He sounds like an excellent villain that would be great to see in a sequel - a powerful villain who now has a vendetta against Stark and could easily give him a run for his money. Thankfully his apperance isn't too far away.

Favreau was interviewed recently at SuperHeroHype where he again mentioned Mandarin as one of the villains we might end up seeing in the sequel. "We have the Ten Rings which is a tip of the hat to the Mandarin, which is the greater villain that is going to emerge; the guy who is the head of the bad guys is not somebody who is representing religious zealotry, but is instead really a warlord looking to conquer an empire." I don't know too much more about Mandarin and not much else has been said, but so far he sounds like the perfect villain to include next. Or is there someone better?

The Avengers
By now I hope all the true fans have seen the final scene at the end of the credits where Samuel Jackson as Nick Fury tells Tony Stark he's not the only superhero out there and that he wants to talk to him about the "Avengers Initiative." Every time I saw that scene with a full theater, the crowd erupted in an enormous cheer. An Avengers movie has been rumored for quite some time but now it seems like it could be a reality. Even Jon Favreau has been hinting that it might be a possibility in the future. I remember hearing him say at WonderCon that if everyone goes and sees Iron Man, not only will there be an Avengers movie, but he might get to direct it. Plus, screenwriter Zak Penn was already officially announced as the writer on the film - although even he has said that the film is so far off that what he has written isn't really concrete yet.

There is so much to the Avengers, that I'm not sure where to begin. I'm very curious to know whether people really think now is the right time to finally debut an Avengers movie? I think this will definitely become a more important question after seeing The Incredible Hulk in June, but now that it seems like a real possibility, it's becoming the talk of the town. But what really gets me is that this scene might have just been filmed for the sake of adding something fun for the fans, not for actually hinting at a future movie. Look at X-Men 3, we all know Professor Xavier is still alive at the end of that, but we're never going to see an X-Men 4 with him - it was all just a play. Could this be the same here with the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D.?

Where do you want to see Iron Man go next? Who would be the best villain to feature?

Filed under Discuss, Hype, Movie News

From around the web:

http://www.theaterhopper.com Tom Brazelton

I think it makes sense to introduce Tony's alcoholism into the second movie. He's announced to the world that he is - in fact - Iron Man and now stresses on him are at an all time high. He's having trouble being everywhere at once, responding to hotspots around the world, and turns to alcohol for comfort. Eventually Rhodey dons the armor to pick up the slack and then the two of them get together to battle evil. It's the perfect set up for the third film. Fin Fang Foom in the future?
The Delightful Deviant

time for the competition to make itself known, such as the russian version of I.M the Crimson Dynamo or even the Titanium Man. proper introduction of S.H.I.E.L.D and the back to back banter between Tony and Maria Hill. other possible villains, the Mandarin of course, Radioactive man, the Iron Maniac, a proper Dr.Doom!, the Hulk! with the Mandarin also comes Ultimo which is a giant robot for any Transformer fans. the possibilities are limitless, i'm so excited since i've pretty much hated every single Marvel movie til NOW!. love the comics, hated the movies.
Fenris

I say try and keep it within the technology relams and not go down the Mystical, alien or superpowered route.... the Iron man movie was fantastic and within the realms of technological imagination. there was no real need to suspend belief as it was an almost feasible reality. So i say go with something like A.I.M and its technological base which began in WW2 as a group of scientists searching for ultimate weaponry. A secret organisation that is always searching for a way to rule the world in a nefarious way this can lead into so many avenues of world control that fit in todays social climate. (AIM (Advanced Idea Mechanics) began as a group of scientists organised during World War II by Baron Wolfgang von Strucker to develop advanced technological weaponry for his secret subversive organization HYDRA. Now AIM is an organisation of brilliant scientists and their hirelings dedicated to the acquisition of power and the overthrow of all governments by technological means.)
Mike S

The problem with Iron Man is that he doesn't have a good variety of villians. Titanium Man, Crimson Dynamo, Dreadnaught Titans are all tech based (which we have already seen with Iron Monger) and Madam Masque would be difficult. I suppose they could introduce A.I.M. and have them be the creators of both T-Man and C-Dyn which would necessitate the creation of W-Mach. With his giant bald head, Bridges could return as Modok. Perhaps they could introduce Justin Hammer and his League of Second Rate Villians. It would be interesting to see if Marvel were willing to introduce around 50 of their throw away supervillians just so Iron Man could beat them up. Issue 126 had Iron Man piled on by The Beetle, Whiplash, Water Wizard, Porcupine, Constrictor, Blizzard, Leap Frog, The Melter, Stilletto, etc. Marvel should at least film 2 & 3 at the same time so that there is only 1 year between the release of the two.
http://www.myspace.com/kail2007 Kail

An Avengers movie would make the movie going world collectively shit themselves. I would see it.
Iron Man Fan

#2 should deal with alcohol and the Madrin #3 should focus on War Machine
Curtis

I would say for the 2nd one Tony could deal with everyone knowing he is Iron Man and it drives him to being a alcoholic i think that would be the perfect premises for the 2nd movie. The 2nd one could set up the 3rd for Terrance to become War Machine. The 3rd one could be focus more on Terrance and him becoming War Machine and Robert teaming up to battle a global villian would be a great trilogy if done right. We still need someone to make a great trilogy for superheroes hopefully Favreau can pull it off Raimi already tryed and failed though it wasn't his fault.
Jarvis

I think that everyone is forgetting that in the comics, Obadiah has a son named Ezekiel who has been described as Tony Stark's worst nightmare. I could see him coming into a movie to battle Iron Man.
Keith

I think it would be great to see the Demon in The Bottle storyline explored, but it would make for a much darker film. i dont think they would throw in too many jokes during that part of the film (not too classy, especially since Downey is a recovering addict/alcoholic), so it would be a different experience, much closer to what The Dark Kngiht is looking like than what Iron Man was. As far as War Machine goes, it would be awesome to have the third film be more of a buddy-buddy flick with Downey and Howard side-by-side, that would make for some great chemistry and uproarious moments. The idea of Faran Tahir, who plays the bald Middle Eastern villain, becoming Mandarin or any lead Villain in one of the next films is obvious and predictable, but it would still be good. Unfortunately I did not stay after the credits at the screening I went to so I cannot judge that scene, but I don't think its just a play to make fanboys happy. Because Favreau has said he wants to direct the Avengers when it is finally made leads me to believe that this is his way of getting people talking, like we are doing now, about the film and about his involvement in it. Although nothing has been signed, this is his way of making a case to the public and Marvel that he really wants to do the Avengers. I would love to see an Avengers movie, and I see no reason why he should not direct it as of yet. P.s. Actually, there could be a scene where Stark is at an AA meeting in the Mark suit. that would be hilarious
http://www.robrrt.com/ Robert

Favreau is one sly dog: 1) Casts Gweneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts 2) Casts himself as Happy Hogan 3) In the comics, Happy and Pepper become an item and eventually marry 4) In a sequel, J-Fav gets make-out scenes with Paltrow "Cut! Let's try it again, this time with more feeling. Take 44! Action!"
Sean

I think at the end of the credits of The Incredible Hulk, Samuel L. Jackson will reappear as Nick Fury and say the same stuff he did to Tony Stark.
darrin

I saw iron man yesterday and i have to say its the best marvel film i've seen since x2 but who ever said its better than transformers please take your time. the movie didnt have enough fight scenes but still was great. please incredible hulk top this film or head in the same direction as iron man.
Matt

I agree with Sean (number 11), if Nick Fury came back at the end of The Hulk, it would be an awsome way to introduce an Avenger movie. And they have made quite a few Marvel movies now, it would be pretty cool to see some recurring roles of some of the characters all together
Matt N

Did anyone else notice that when he gave away his identity that could possibly give hint to a marvel "Civil War" movie. With the stark spider man and captin america
taurinh24

i think its perfect, in the comics, iron man is created, he fights crime, gets down after his company goes to crap, goes drinking, Rhodes takes over, tony gets it together, comes back, warmachine is born, boom, perfect 3 film set up and keeps pretty true to the comics. SO, far, i am excited.
Ajax

This is a perfect outline for a movie franchise here. We could have Mandarin uncover some secret, magic thing which makes him all powerful. Tony becomes an alcoholic, Rhodes comes in a fills the slack. Then when Mandarin is about to take over the world, Tony goes sober, teams up with Rhodes and saves the world. I am so stoked for Avengers. There is NO WAY it can be faked at the end. Favreau knows that if he faked it, no fanboy would ever see any of his films again. Hopefully, Hulk will bring some more promissing news. Oh, and #8, no. Don't do that.
TCox

First off...what a great flick! By far this was one of the most entertaining comic book movies (not just Marvel) I've seen in a very long time. Downey Jr. was wonderful as Stark. It was really great to see how well the character was handled, and how they stayed pretty true to the essence of Iron Man. There were many hints at what a sequel could bring, but I think the big thing to focus on now is The Incredible Hulk. I read somewhere (my this site) where there is supposed to be a cameo by Tony Stark in the Hulk movie where Gen. Ross comes to him for help with a "big problem". I would assume he's referring to the Hulk. If Sam Jackson's Nick Fury also makes an appearance then the ground work has been laid for a great Avengers movie. Before Iron Man 2 hits, I want to see what other characters from the Avengers world make it to the big screen. Captain America? Thor? Ant-Man? Wasp? Or could we see Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Vision, and Quicksilver? They could even follow the New Avengers storyline and include Spider-Man and Wolverine who have already proven to be box office draws. Much like Bryan Singer did with the X-Men, the director could pull from various incarnations of The Avengers to make a great flick. Back to Iron Man: I would definitely love to see Stark's issues with drinking played out on screen, and have War Machine pick up the slack. I want a trilogy, but I don't want to wait for 3 Iron Man movies before an Avengers movie.
avoidz

"Demon in a Bottle" would be the worst possibility for subsequent Iron Man movies. That said, if they do, I want them to use that comic book cover above for the movie poster
Stephen

Raza was not the leader of the Ten Rings technically, he was running things there for Mandarin IMO, he even had one of Mandarin's rings (which they made a big deal of in the novelization.) I think they will go the route of Mandarin being a business man.
jason_md2020

Before anyone jumps the gun with the Avengers, we need phenominal Thor & Captain America films. As for sequels, it wouldn't be true to the Tony Stark character if they didn't tackle the alcoholism. And the Mandarin is a shoe in with the "Ten Rings" hint. Only problem is: why would Raza, a middle-easterner, rename himself after a Chinese dialect?
Brad

I've got to ask, am I the only one who didn't enjoy Samuel at the end? The man is everywhere these days but he doesn't have one single memorable role in any of his 'modern' flicks. The idea of an Avengers movie sounds like trash to me too, I can't imagine how you can make an impressive superhero flick with an assortment of differing hero's who each belong only in their "own" world. As for Iron Man sequels, I say bring it on. Just don't have him somehow build an entire suit of armour under the watchful eye of terrorists again.
Eric

Before they get to make an actual movie for the avengers, I personally would rather see cameos of other superheros in a superhero movie, to actually build the "universe" that Nick Fury mentioned. As much as we all know that all of marvel happens in the same universe, until that one moment there hasn't been any sort of connection in between the movies apart from Stan Lee showing up. So they started it off perfectly with Iron Man with the mention of S.H.I.E.L.D. with the apperance of Nick. Now they need to continue with that idea in the Hulk, and whatever other Marvel movie comes out, do that for a couple of sequels, Establish these connections between, Iron Man and Spiderman and the Fantastic Four and the Hulk and Thor etc. then make an avengers movie, and hell who know what after, they could split back off and then do some of the more all encompassing marvel stories like the Skrull invasion and the civil war and shit... take something that is cool, like superhero movies and turn it into something fucking badass
Chris

Before I say anything else, Transformers was the biggest steaming sack of stink ever made except for the Super Mario Bros movie. Worst character design, worst fan movie, had nothing to do with the comics or TV show. on to iron man- people seem to forget, rhodey was IRON MAN, not War Machine, after tony started drinking. TONY was WAR MACHINE first. When his body was almost dead, he had to rely on GUNS rather than his strength amplifying armor. War Machine was a pretty dumb idea actually. We were supposed to believe that some shoulder mounted helicopter machine guns were more powerful than Repulsor beams? It was clearly written back in the 90's when marvel let any HACK write a comic. He had no knowledge of Iron Man's history. Bringing in War Machine will only cheapen IRON MAN's worth. There should be only one. If Rhodey does suit up, it should be in one of tony's older armors (assuming he upgrades during the next movie), but even so it will be like the first movie.. where IRON MAN doesn't actually save the day, but yet another friend (PEPPER POTS defeated Stane, in case you didn't notice). Maybe there could be a war machine armor specifically made for Rhodey in the future, but only as a prep for a War Machine movie, not actually helping save tony from destruction again. Mandarin should be a chinese extremist, like the comic. not the current "brown middle easterns are ok to hate because we are at war with some of them" villain.
jt

I agree that an Avengers movie would be unbelievable and something that we all wish to see in our lifetimes but it would be so hard to put all these superheroes on one screen and make it work without first doing the individual films (e.g. Iron Man, Captain America etc...) first. People need to see and know about these characters on their own before an Avengers movie because there simply would not be enough time in the movie to show the background of every Avenger. However, if people are already familiar and comfortable with the superhero characters then the Avenger movie can just jump right in and concentrate on the plot and relationship with the characters. As far as the Avengers characters, i would love to see Iron Man, Captain America, Vision, Thor, Hulk, Hawkeye, Wasp and Scarlet Witch on the same screen. For Avengers #1, it would be cool to do some "the Ultimates" plot and make Hulk go crazy and SHIELD forms the Avengers to stop the Hulk. Then at the end of Avengers#1, Hulk joins the team and sets up Avengers#2.
taurinh24

seems every one is forgetting, iron man, spider man, hulk, captain america, and thor, pretty much the core avengers. i think all of these movies have been made, or are on track to be made. just a thought.
nha

The film lacked one thing for me - a more adult orientated context... we won't see any alcohol issues as its a 12a!! And remember, he's on a high man, why would he turn to alcohol - the film has already established - nasty guy - to mr nice... so how can that change now? Please Favearu if there's one thing you do with a sequel, dont introduce more than one enemy!! Learn from Spidey 3's mistakes. Looking forward to the next.
Peter

As long as this all ends up with a Secret Wars movie, than I am a happy guy!!!
RStewie

#20, he likes oranges? lol. But seriously, that movie was great! I wasn't sure, but I'm so glad I went and saw it. And, being absolutely not knowledgeable about the comics at all...does this Mark suit have any connection to the suits in Halo? Isn't the one in it the Mark IV?
Fox

War Machine: Giving _too much_ time to War Machine would be a big mistake: this movie is about Iron Man, and not Iron Man and War Machine, which would Batman & Robinize this saga right from the second episode. A _little_ War Machine in the 2nd movie wouldn't hurt anyone, though, and it has to happen somewhere in time (Rhodey: "next time baby"). the Mk3 or Mk4 Avengers: The same thing goes for the Avengers: there's simply not enough room here, in a Iron Man saga, to introduce a all new bunch of super-heroes - and big ones! (Cap. America, Thor, etc.). Again, this would turn Iron Man in just another super-hero. Bottom line: Imo, the main theme in Iron Man is hardware: weapons, giant robots, jet propulsion armors, etc. It would be a good idea to stick with it. Mandarin's Magic = Bad Idea.
Eric

#28 please jump off a cliff... thinking that Iron man has any sort of connection to Halo is so beyond retarded... I'm sorry to be a jackass but seriously come on...
Djo.

2nd movie will be alcoholism & mandarin, eh? that's cool- I hope they still find a way to inject a heavy dose of unpredictability in that- though I'm sure a good, loose script and Robert Downey's impov skills will take care of that. Chow Yun fat as mandarin? Or an unknown (since it's one of the worst ethnic-stereotyped villains, he might not agree). Perhaps a sideplot in 3rd movie, if hulk doesn't get, say a 4th movie, would be Tony Stark trying to help Bruce Banner find a cure, then both of them going against Fin fang Foom. Then, if they really want to drive the fanboys ballistic, they should include GOOM. (One of the most ridiculous marvel characters EVER created)
Djo.

Eric #30: go get a girlfriend. #28: No, iron man has nothing to do w/ halo, although the guys building exo-suits for soldiers in our military right at this moment, based on iron man's general idea, might learn something from the Red vs. blue banter, if they want to start colonizing space. #29: Pitting Iron Man's tech-savvy against Mandarin's Magic could be very exciting, actually. One thing i like about this suit design is, when he has the facemask off, it looks like a kind of medieval armor. I will say it would take some very masterful writing to pit Magic against technology effectively, and still have it be believable on screen. (I think general audiences are already reacting a little strangely to Marvel's version of "Believability") I'll admit, I don't know a whole lot about Mandarin's background, aside from his rings. But to me, he's Tony's most interesting villain, and the fact that not much is known about him leaves alot of room to the develop him as a character, provided they get a really good actor to portray him. One thing we've learned so far (from Spidey): Top Notch actors as Villains equals AWESOME.
Fox

#32: Science (Iron Man) vs. magic (Mandarin): if done well, really well, could be great! But... didn't we already saw that guy in John Carpenter's Big Trouble in Little China ? Now, that's a Mandarin I just dislike a magic Mandarin (could it be otherwise?) because i saw The Invincible Iron Man yesterday, and it's not bad... but not very good either. Anyways, Iron Man's world looks and feels very real, solid, and I guess it would feel fake to insert magic there. Then again, if Favreau chooses this path, he must know whats he's doing, right ? Right ?? About that medieval armor, did you saw he Invincible Iron Man ?
Djo.

If Iron Man Two bore ANY striking resemblance to Big Trouble in Little China, I think we'd have a winner on our hands. (Particularly the huffing, puffing, and exploding guy. I'll ALWAYS remember that image...) Haven't seen the movie yet. Damn theatre in my neighborhood charges $12.50 on weekends and cuts out their student discounts as well. Kept waking up and wanting to see the matinee (which is still 9 freaking dollars!!!), but it was a beautiful day & I had flea markets to hit, and Gigs to play. I live in PHilly so, now that I know the Riverview is where Marvel's planted their Philly HULK Statue, I'll end up seeing it there. I was referring to pics and footage of Downey wearing the actual suit, and not the CGI scenes. Kind of Robo-cop-ish, but with Stoli, Selter, & sexy dames on the diet instead of the Baby Food. Can't wait. All signs point to it still being in theatres for quite a while- but I'm still gonna see it ASAP. So far, I can say I think Favreau knows what he's doing w/ Iron Man. If he has a vision for the Mandarin, there's not much you or I can do to stop him. And the Movie is called IRON MAN. The cartoon, I think, is called the Invincible Iron Man. (If he's an alcoholic in the 2nd Film, I don't think they can tag him as 'Invincible'. Maybe: "The RELAPSE-able Iron Man" would work.)
BinYe East

Not certain if this was stated previous, but to answer Alex's question about throwing in Nick for kicks, i believe would be quite the frivolous thing to do on Marvel's behalf (in a way, even disrespecful). We are all aware of how fond Sam L is of the Marvel universe, he's a huge fan of the comics (hence, the creators of Fury modeling their character after the award-winning actor). I just don't believe he was thrown in there for the sake of it and yes, imo, is a definite sign of things to come (great things, hence, why in the Ironman movie, S.H.I.E.L.D. was constantly brought up - what, three-four times?). This is what i would love to see, regarding Terrances involvement with the future episodes: Ironman 2, with Terrance aiding Tony in the Mark II suit battling Mandarin (2010). Ironman 3, with Terrance donning the War-Machine ware. Antagonist? Bring in Ultimo (2012). The beginning of a War Machine franchise... (2013). Yes, the following year. Keep it going while the momentum is still there. If they can make hobbit movies and flicks about talking lions so frequently, i don't think consecutive, back-to-back films would be too much to ask for. Don't emphasize so much on Tony's alcoholism and stray from a duel against Tony and Rhodes. We should be good to go! With that said, there is no such thing as comic-book-to-movie-adaptation overload. We, the fans, new and old, simply love it. As long as they keep producing movies of Ironman's caliber (writing, plot, special effects, a-list actors, etc.)... we will continue to flock to the big screen. This is huge and i have never been so pleased to be living in a time like this. Tinsel Town... make us proud to be a part of this generation. *sighs*
Chris

WAR MACHINE Wow you nailed it, the movie is IRON MAN, not WAR MACHINE. Iron Man doesn't need a robin, he's one of the most powerful super-heroes in the marvel universe. It'll happen, but it shouldn't be 'till #3. MANDARIN Mandarin would be the perfect antagonist for the second film. He WAS a stereotype Communist Chinese way back, but recently (and even then) he is simply a chinese man who is very powerful and a megalomaniac. He doesn't care about China or Chinese people, just about himself. There's nothing Racist or Anti-Asian about that. It CAN be done right. AVENGERS Marvel announced Avengers: July 2011 Yes certainly the heavy hitters should have their own movies first, and then a separate Avengers movie. But pretty much everyone will have had a film by then. Hulk, Iron Man, Thor (June 2010), Cap (May 2011). All the second hitters can be introduced in the film itself. I hope to see CAP, IM, Thor, Hulk?, Giant Man, Wasp. Basically Avengers #4 with or without hulk.
Zeith

For good villains to go against IronMan: 1. Venom. But Peter Parker must be the one using it. Parker has some sense of technology and side scientist which could be a good match for the Technology of Stark. 2. Brainiac. This is SuperMan's villain product of kryptonian technology. Or to make it more better since Brainiac has no define embodiment, we can also make Brainiac possess Clark Kent. 3. Maybe a new character based on the concept that the iron can affected by magnet. And another thing the fact that iron when oxides turns to rust.
ak

if you remember in the iron man movie towards the end where he is reading the paper.headline says who is iron man.tony said his suit was titanium alloy but he likes the concept of iron man.so therefore his suit does not rust neither can it be magnetized.
lolgasm

What the fuck, Zeith. Why would they have Venom or someone from DC comics cross over? That makes no sense whatsoever. Sure Parker has an inquisitive mind and adept in some science but he has neither the money nor the skill to rival Stark in that regard, how would Venom possibly hurt Iron Man? There's no contest, he's got fire, Venom no likey fire, or sound which could easily be adapted into the suit. No hero weakness, no conflict, no movie. The Brainiac idea is just plain awful. I really doubt they'd go through the trouble of creating a brand new villain when they have plenty of great ones to choose from. As for the Avengers thing, I think the 2nd Hulk movie is supposed to come out 2011 and Iron Man 2 is 2010. Also, the Captain America movie is slated for 2011 as well, I doubt they'd tack in both Iron Man and The Hulk into that one. I don't think we'll see a full on Avengers movie until 2012 at the earliest. All these tie ins could make for an epic "series" that could very well rival Star Wars and LoTR.
calkenn

if they do bring in war machine he has to be atlest 1and a half feet taller than ironman wigh 250 more pounds and be loaded to the nuts with guns so you preety much have to do an armor based villian or else youd have war machine kill the guy in about 5 seconds into the battle
calkenn

a warmacjhine ironman fight would kick a$$ but they need to find a way to doi so one of them is stopping the other from hurting somebody maybe tony gets plastered and tries to stop crime or they could do the whole rodey brain wave thing
Chris

This is why WAR MACHINE SUCKS. NO true fan of Iron Man gave much of a crap about war machine when it came out in the comics. Fact #1 IRON MAN is stronger than the war machine armor. The war machine armor was built because TONY STARK was almost dead, paralyzed and was using the armor to be able to move around. He couldn't use the armor to amplify his strength because he had no strength anymore. So instead of relying on his normal way of fighting, he just put a bunch of guns on his armor. How lame is that. So to say if there's a war machine, then there has to be an armored villian is completely backwards. Bullets dont hurt armored villains, they hurt people. The war machine armor would be totally useless against another armored person. Basically the movie armor already is war machine armor, that's how he took out all the terrorists holding the people hostage. People who like guns and bullets need to not watch Iron Man, the whole point of Iron Man is that he's super intelligent and super strong. whereas people with guns are generally brain dead evil fools Here's armor that can pick up cars, blow holes through buildings, out fly the fastest jets, and even hurt the HULK (a little) ... but you want it to have some guns taped to it.... (>_<)