Robert Downey Jr. Comments on Side-kick Switcheroo, "I love Terrence... I admire Don"

One of the biggest news stories of the last few weeks has been a surprising switcheroo of the actors playing Tony Stark's best friend "Rhodey" in Iron Man. Now the star himself, Robert Downey Jr., has made a comment about both men...

The controversy started mid-october when news leaked onto the web that Terrence Howard, the original James Rhodes in Iron Man, would be replaced by Don Cheadle.

Howard said the swap was a surprise, and the silence over the matter was deafening. Then Marvel officially confirmed the move and now Cheadle was not only signed for Iron Man II, but for the ensemble superhero film, The Avengers. Read the official announcement HERE. There seemed to be more to this switch than was being said.

Sure enough, we learned that Terrence was trouble on the set, and the whole fiasco may have been a set up by the "powers that be" to move Cheadle in.

Everything thus far has been spurious Internet rumor, with very little from insiders. Nothing has been said "on the record" until MTV caught up with Iron Man himself, Robert Downey Jr. Here is what they got out of him...

When asked if he had anything to do with the Howard/Cheadle switch, Downey immediately responded, “I had nothing to do with that decision. I love Terrence very very much. That’s all I’ll say because I haven’t talked to him yet.”

Furthermore, the “Iron Man” star makes it clear that he will not play favorites between the two equally talented actors, so if you’re looking for a juicy “good riddance” quote from Downey (who’s definitely not shy when it comes to speaking his mind), you won’t find it here.

“I’ve always admired Don [Cheadle],” said Downey. “It’s one of those situations where I still don’t quite know what happened or why. Here’s what happens too: things happen and you wind up commenting on them before you’ve actually talked to the people and it’s in poor taste.”

Sounds like Robert isn't going to take sides, and is interested in protecting his burgeoning franchise. He adds...

“I think the important thing with the ‘Iron Man’ franchise is to not do too much too soon and to make sure we don’t piss off the public that put us in the position we’re in,” said Downey. “We’ve just got to keep rolling up our sleeves higher and further up the elbow. If we show up and we’re in the right head space and our heart’s in the right spot and we really think about the audience at every turn and we don’t try to stamp our hipness onto anything. It’s very interactive.”

Iron Man Mark 1 Toy

Hot Toys Iron Man Mark 1

If you've been pre-ordering the last previous two Iron Man Hot Toys, Then this iwould be your ultimate finale to add to your Iron Man Movie collectibles, unless they decided to make the Iron Monger, which is highly and likely, i mean, every hero has a villian.

So Sideshow Collectibles has just released the latest addition to Hot Toys' Movie Masterpiece Series of 12-inch figure. Each 12-inch Movie Masterpiece Series figure features Hot Toys' fully articulated 12-inch figure body and a generous number of accessories. Now, from the recent MARVEL blockbuster film comes the Iron Man MARK I figure!

The Iron Man Mark I 12 inch Figure features:

* Stands approximate 12 inches tall
* Over 36 points of articulation
* Hot Toys' TrueType figure body dressed as TONY STARK beneath the armor**
* Authentic and fully realized Mark 1 armor, including helmet with raising faceplate to reveal likeness of Robert Downey Jr. as TONY STARK
* Metallic paint
* Light-up heart and red button on left forearm (battery operated - batteries not included)
* Two pairs of interchangeable hands
* Realistic built-in flamethrower
* Forearm missile launcher
* 12-inch figure stand
* and an awesome figure to drool over.

[ Now all you need to do is play ACDC and Rock away with Iron Man]

"Iron Man" helps push up profits for Marvel

Strong box-office receipts for the film “Iron Man” lifted Marvel Entertainment’s third-quarter earnings 39 percent, the company said on Tuesday.

Marvel, which publishes comic books, licenses characters and makes movies, also raised its forecast for the current year but said results next year would weaken.

Marvel said it earned $50.6 million, or 64 cents a share, up from $36.3 million, or 45 cents a share, a year earlier. Revenue grew 48 percent, to $182.5 million, from $123.6 million last year.

The company said several factors would affect 2009 results. A larger-than-expected portion of “Iron Man” revenue will be realized this year instead of next, having been paid early by the distributor.

The company will not be releasing a summer feature in 2009 and it expected sales related to Spider-Man to weaken. Executives also worry that licensees may not get financing to manufacture related merchandise.

Stock in Marvel, which is based in New York, rose 57 cents, or 1.85 percent, to $31.45 a share.

Iron Man Silver Centurion Suit Small Image Wallpaper

Iron Man Silver Centurion Suit Part 2
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We have always been a fan of the Centurion suit so we thought we'd fire up some images of it. If you are interested in some real wallpapers - we can fire those up to. Just contact us by commenting.

Iron Man Suit - Different Iron Man Armour over the years

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Iron Man Silver Centurion Suit Tech Specs and Wallpaper

Iron Man Silver Centurion Suit
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Nickname: Silver Centurion
Designer: Anthony Stark, HOMER
Worn By: Anthony Stark, Michael O'Brien (IM #300)
Appeared: Iron Man #200

Design Notes :

Shell Composition: Rigid interior/3-D knitted metallic exterior provided protection from physical attacks as well as acid, heat, cold, most forms of energy, radiation, and electricity. A 3-D knitting pattern on a submolecular construction level gives the armor itself more strength, while allowing for the most comfortable suit interior.

Power Source and Energy Information: Most of this armor used solar power to charge the batteries and run most of the integrated circuitry. However, the pods on the sides were batteries that could maintain the suits functions for a short time. It was able to recharge itself from electrical sources,a thermocouple to syphon power from extreme heat or cold, and solar power.

Control Systems Interface: Cybernetic interface and battle computer .

Weaponry:

*Unibeam: Multi-band light and force beam emitter. Can be adjusted for a variety of effects such as search light, heat beams, tractor beam, lasers, image inducers, and ultraviolet light.
*Sonic Emitter: Generates and broadcasts high frequency sound waves.
*Palm Repulsors: Laser-guided particle beam emission units mounted in the palm of each hand.
*Pulse Bolts: High energy plasma discharge "torpedos" that build in intensity as they travel through the atmosphere, picking up static and ambient energy. However, they are slow-moving projectiles, easily dodged.
*Heat Beam.
*Disruptor Field.
*Sonic Distorter.

Equipment:
*Life Support Equipment: The eye and mouth hole slits could be sealed. The suit had an indefinite supply of recycled air, water, and nutrients.
*Boot Jets ): Incorporates high-speed duo-source turbines in the boots.
*Booster Pack: A separate twin engine rocket system. It enables the armor to attain speeds up to 750mph in the air and 180mph in the water.
*Force Field: By expanding the field that keeps the armor rigid, the armor can encase itself in a protective force field that is effective against most forms of attack. He can also use this field to polarize the armor to either attract or repulse other items of magnetic polarity.
*Voice Distorter.
*Subterranean Equipment.
*Absorption Field Grid.
*Hologram Emitter: Generates 12 simultaneous images of the armor. It is used to confuse the enemy - he is unable to identify the real armor allowing Iron Man an attack advantage. It could also be used to generate a "chameleon field" around itself. The computer in the armor would analyze its surroundings and generate a hologram to make it blend in with the surroundings making it effectively invisible visually and to cameras.
*ECM Equipment: The outer coating of the armor absorbs the signals from both radar and sonar making the armor invisible to those forms of detection.

Sensors: Full Band Transceiver, both Audio and Visual; Radar; Sonar; Infrared; Electrical/Magnetic: By measuring the variences in the magnetic fields in structures, the armor could reverse engineer a chematis of the layout of where power lines ran inside of the walls and overlay the layout onto the visual display inside the helmet.

Iron Man Classic Golden Avenger Suit Tech Info & Wallpaper

Iron Man Classic Golden Avenger Suit
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Nickname: The Classic Golden Avenger
Designer: Anthony Stark
Worn By: Anthony Stark, James Rhodes, Happy Hogan, Eddie March, Carl Walker
Appeared: Tales of Suspense #66

Design Notes :

Shell Composition: Semi-rigid interior/3-D knitted metallic exterior made from actual, ordinary iron provided protection from physical attacks as well as heat, cold, some energy forms, and acid. A new 3-D knitting pattern on a submolecular construction level gives the armor itself more strength, while allowing for the most comfortable suit interior to date including maintaining it's ability to collapse for storage into a briefcase. It used a magnetic field to bring the armor into it's rigid state.

Power Source and Energy Information: Most of this armor used solar power to charge the batteries and run most of the integrated circuitry. However, the pods on the sides were batteries that could maintain the suits functions for a short time. It was able to recharge itself from electrical sources; a thermocouple to siphon power from extreme heat or cold, and solar power.

Control Systems Interface: First integration of cybernetic interface and battle computer

Weaponry: Unibeam (Mark 3): variable intensity light source. Can be focused for use as a spotlight or fine-focused for use as a laser; Sonic Emitter: generates and broadcasts high frequency sound waves; Palm Repulsors : laser-guided particle beam emission units mounted in the palm of each hand.

Equipment:

*Life Support: earlier models contained pacemaker in the chest-plate that was later removed when Stark had a heart transplant.
*The eye and mouth hole slits could be sealed.
*The suit had oxygen storage for roughly three hours..

*Boot Jets: Incorporates a high-speed gyro-stabilized turbine in each boot.

*Force Field: by expanding the field that keeps the armor rigid, the armor can encase itself in a protective force field that is effective against most forms of attack. He can also used this field to polarize the armor to either attract or repulse other items of magnetic polarity.

*Storage Pods: Detachable batteries that can generate local force field, assume control over machines, and be set to explode.

*Voice Distorter.

*Roller Skates: Collapsed into the boots of the armor.

*Subterranean Equipment.

*Freon Emitters.

*Fire Extinguisher.

*Hologram Emitter: Generates 12 simultaneous images of the armor. It is used to confuse the enemy. He is unable to identify the real armor allowing Iron Man an attack advantage.

*ECM Equipment: The same magnetic field used to keep the armor rigid absorbs the signals from both radar and sonar making the armor invisible to those forms of detection.

*Sensors: Full Band Transceiver, both Audio and Visual; Radar; Sonar; Infrared.

Notes: True electronic incorporation into suit material.The transistors were replaced with cutting edge, microscopic, integrated circuitry.

Classic Iron Man Suit (Prototype)

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Iron Man Classic Suit (Prototype)
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Nickname: Proto-Classic Armor
Designer: Anthony Stark
Worn By: Anthony Stark, Weasel Wills (TOS #65)
Appeared: Tales of Suspense #56

Design Notes :

Shell Composition: Ultra-fine 3-D knitting incorporates knitted motors for full mobility surface, improved power handling circuitry.

Power Source and Energy Information: The armor ran on batteries and was able to recharge itself from electrical sources.

Weaponry: Monobeam: portable proton beam generator with a pulsed laser for ionized air conduit. Useful range about 275 feet; Palm Repulsor (Mark 1): laser-guided particle beam emission units mounted in the palm of each hand.

Equipment: Pacemaker; Boot Jets: second generation boot jets. Provided limited flight and it was the first to use a two-inch diameter turbine. Without the turbine in each boot, Iron Man would only be able to hover.; Jet-powered roller skates; Long-range AM/FM radio.

Notes: First attempt at anti-acceleration field; practical because of suit-wide electrical contacts. Armor's eye and mouth hole slits could be sealed as it had an oxygen supply for about 15 minutes.

Iron Man Silver Suit - Wallpaper (1680 by 1050)

Iron Man Silver Suit [1680 by 1050)
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Iron Man Silver Suit - Wallpaper

Iron Man Silver Suit
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Iron Man Silver Suit Wallpaper & Tech Specs

Iron Man Silver [ War Machine ] Suit - created for Stark used by Rhodes
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Nickname: War Machine
Designer: Anthony Stark, HOMER
Worn By: Anthony Stark (w/o uni-beam), James Rhodes
Appeared: Iron Man #281

Design Notes :

Shell Composition: Micro-Scale suit tiles fabricated by genetically engineered metal affinity bacteria which assemble themselves in specific orderly arrays, then expire, leaving behind various metallic depoaits which form all the metal shapes and micro-electronic circuits.

Power Source and Energy Information: Beta Particle Generator. Solar power converters. Laser Absorption Grid.

Control Systems Interface: Cybernetic Interface combined with visual menu overlays with visual tracking system.

Weaponry:
*Repulsors: Laser-guided particle beam emission units mounted in the palm of each hand.

*Unibeam (Rhodes model): Multi-band light and force beam emitter. Can be adjusted for a variety of effects such as search light, heat beams, tractor beam, lasers, image inducers, ultraviolet light, and electromagnetic pulse.

*Pulse Bolt Generators: Plasma discharges that build in intensity as they travel through the atmosphere, picking up static and ambient energy.

*Force Shield: A focused photon emitter on the back of his left wrist that shapes into a shield.

Electromagnetic Pulse.

*Gattling Gun: Shoulder mounted. This is a state of the art gatling machine gun. It can be loaded with all kinds of bullets including stun and armor piercing.

*Laser Blade

*Micro-Rocket Launcher

*Particle Beam Discharger

*Flame-thrower

*Wrist-mounted machine gun

Equipment:
*Life Support Equipment: The eye and mouth hole slits could be sealed. The suit had a supply of air to last about an hour.

*Boot Jets (Mark 4): Uses high-speed triple-source turbines located in the boots.

*Force Field: By expanding the field that keeps the armor rigid, the armor can encase itself in a protective force field that is effective against most forms of attack. He can also used this field to polarize the armor to either attract or repulse other items of magnetic polarity. The armor can temporarily surround itself with a force field that greatly increases its protection from attacks. While the force field is engaged, the armor is unable to use any other systems.

*Voice Distorter

*Absorption Field Grid: Embedded in the surface of the armor is an absorption grid. It is able to absorb energy from attacks or surrounding power sources to recharge the armor or redirect into the weapons systems.

*Protected Senses: The armor contains ear protectors to baffle incoming noise greater than 70 decibels. Similarly, blinding lights trigger polarized lenses in the helmet's eye slots.

*Tractor and Repulsor Beam: Using magnetism, the armor can generate a tractor and repulsor field.

*Language Translator: The computer in his armor is able to translate to and from English and many of Earth's more popular languages.

*Anti-Theft Device: The armor is protected from anybody analyzing or duplicating the circuits in the armor. Once tripped, the security circuits melt the interior of the armor to slag. A few minutes later, the armor explodes to destroy itself.

Sensors: Universal-Band Two-Way Radio.

Notes: Created initially by Stark to deal with the Masters of Silence threat. Later suit built specifically for James Rhodes. It was designed for all-out warfare. It was also known as the "Variable Threat Response Battle Suit."

Looking to buy the original War Machine Iron Man Issues?

THE STORY: We've seen Tony Stark go down and get back up many times – but from the grave?! When his longtime employer and friend seemingly loses his struggle to hold onto life, Jim Rhodes dons the new War Machine armor and shows the world what's black and white and fed up all over! Can even cutting-edge Stark-tech withstand Firepower, Atom Smasher and the Living Laser? And while Rhodes is filling Stark's boots, what's up with the empty armor zipping around? Guest-starring the West Coast Avengers! Collecting IRON MAN #280-291.
All Ages …$29.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-3132-8


PRICE: 29.99
IN STORES: May 7, 2008

COVER BY: KEVIN HOPGOOD

WRITER: LEN KAMINSKI

PENCILS: KEVIN HOPGOOD
TOM MORGAN
SCOTT BENSON

IMPRINT: MARVEL UNIVERSE (What's this?)
FORMAT: TRADE PAPERBACK
RATING: ALL AGES (What's this?)

War Machine Wallpaper - Series 1: "Iron Man Armour"

10 Iron Man Armors you won't see in the movie
May 04, 2008

The Summer Movie season of 2008 exploded with the release of Marvel Studios' Iron Man, starring Robert Downey Jr and directed by Jon Favreau. Audiences are set to be blown away by the realism of the film and how close it is to the comic book series.

In the context of the film, Favreau focuses on Tony Stark's Iron Man armor evolution, with the Mark 1, Mark 2, and the final Mark 3 suit.

Yet, as comic fans would know, these three armors are far from being the only Iron Man designs ever created by Stark. In fact, there are many more, and while a majority of them stay in the red-and-gold theme, there are a few that are quite different from the ones you will see in the Iron Man movie.

Here are ten of them...

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Silver Centurion

While Stark faces the Iron Monger in the movie wearing the classic Mark III armor, in the comic book series, it is the Silver Centurion Armor (technically referred to as Model XII or Mark XII) he dons while fighting Stane. This costume design is perhaps one of the more well-known alternates in the Iron Man series, and was first introduced in the 1980's.

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War Machine

In the comic series, James Rhodes becomes the second Iron Man; but much later on he takes on the superhero identity of War Machine wearing the armor of the same name. It is almost certain we will see Rhody become the second Iron Man in the sequels, and it is also possible he may wear this armor, designed specifically for concentrated warfare.

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Stealth Armor

As the name implies, this armor is designed completely for stealth. You won't see this in the movie, though it is possible it might make an appearance in sequels. Artistically, it is often depicted in a dark blue shade, though it is supposed to be jet black. There have been some variations of this armor over the years but the concept has always remained the same.

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Outer Atmospheric Armor

In the comics, throughout his career as Iron Man, Tony Stark has designed and used several variations of space armor concepts. The Outer Atmospheric Armor is one of these designs, first seen in the Iron Man: Bad Blood mini-series. Fans would no doubt see a variety of influences in the design from other armors, including the Heroes Return design, and the Silver Centurion highlighted above.

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Hulkbuster

The name on this one pretty much says it all, and as to why it is not in the movie. Obviously, Stark had this one designed in mind for defense (or attack) against the green behemoth known as the Hulk. While it is unlikely that we'll ever see this armor on the big screen, the chances of an appearance do increase as development on the Avengers movie continues...

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Arctic Armor

Designed for the harsh weather conditions of the Arctic, this version of the Iron Man armor has only made one appearance in the comics to date; though its cameo had an impact on fans that made it memorable. Loosely based on the Silver Centurion and Modular armor designs, the Iron Man Arctic Armor allows Stark to stay warm while located in sub zero temperatures.

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Modular Armor

As far as Iron Man history goes, it was the Modular Armor design that was probably the first to add more specific and finer detail to the classic "red-and-gold". Storywise, it also was a revolutionary idea for Stark - instead of being one integrated suit, it was literally "back to the drawing board" in which this new armor became made up of individual modular components - each specifically design for particular tasks. What does that mean? It means that Stark could use additional modules onto the suit based upon the objective he had ahead of him.

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Ghost Armor

The Ghost Armor was only ever seen in Black Panther comics - in which the two heroes would face each other. Often considered to be the third generation of the Stealth armor above, this baby had numerous technological advances over the original Stealth design. The best part? The inclusion of hologram generators that allow Stark to literally become invisible.

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Hydro Armor

Okay, so Stark had stealth, arctic, and space designs... obviously he needs an underwater suit as well, right? The Hydro Armor is specifically designed for that purpose. It looks somewhat campy and bulky, but there's reason for that. This is actually two suits in one. The larger bulky armor you see is the external shell, while inside, Stark wears a specialized smaller version in case of damage to the larger shell.

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O.N.E. Armor

You most likely won't see this armor in any film, but it looks pretty bad-ass. The O.N.E. Armor, also known as the Sentinel Armor, was designed by Stark for use by James Rhodes in his role as trainer of the pilots of the 21st Century Sentinels. Rhody became leader of the Sentinel Squad, and had been selected by Tony Stark himself.

7 Things Iron Man Fans want out of Iron Man 2

Seven Things We Want From Iron Man 2
by Brian Tallerico

(Spoiler Warning: If you need a spoiler warning on a feature about what we want from a sequel, you will have a few harsh lessons to learn about the internets, but if we've learned anything from the adventures of Tony Stark, it's that peace is much cooler than aggression. Naturally, to discuss what we want from Iron Man 2, we need to discuss what happened in the first Iron Man. Nothing, not even the post-credits ending, is off-limits. Now you're warned.)

In case you've been buried in GTA madness and haven't noticed, it's Iron Man's world now. After only ten days in release, Jon Favreau's Iron Man is already the highest-grossing film of 2008 and stands behind only the Spider-Man and X-Men movies on the all-time list of Marvel movies. Tony Stark had the second-highest non-sequel opening weekend of all time and has already made a small fortune. When it's done, Iron Man will have passed all three X-Men movies, making it the second biggest franchise in the Marvel Universe, and could easily be the number one film of the entire year. As we all know, financial success doesn't always mean quality (Spidey 3 was #1 in 2007 but most people considered the movie a disappointment), but fans and critics have fallen for the man dressed in hot-rod red even after they've opened their wallets. The flick scored an amazing 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, 78 on Metacritic, and a stunning 8.3 on IMDB, which puts it in the top 150 all-time. People are madly in love with Iron Man.

As we all expected, on the day after the film's amazing opening weekend, a sequel date was announced for 4/30/10. Iron Man 2 already has a release date, star, and director, but, according to reports, not even a writer, much less a screenplay. With the pedestal that Iron Man has been put on, the question is can Iron Man 2 match the pattern of the second Spider-Man and X-Men movie and actually surpass the expectations that have been set before anyone's even started writing it? We hope so. Even fans would admit that, as good as the first Iron Man was, it could have been better. It's not up to the best of the best in the superhero genre, but we firmly believe the sequel can be. How? Let us light the way my iron-clad friends...

SEVEN WAYS TO MAKE IRON MAN 2 BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL

1. A FULLY-REALIZED WORLD

Think about the best superhero movies of recent years and the worst. One of the first distinctions is a director who is willing to create a fully-realized world, so the audience believes that our heroes and villains might not actually stand next to us at Wal-Mart, but they know how much a gallon of milk costs. You can go one of two ways here - the Burton-esque, completely unique worlds of Batman and Batman Returns or the closer-to-real Gotham of Batman Begins with its recognizable Chicago landmarks. In between is where superhero movies fail. There's nothing about the Fantastic Four movies, Daredevil, Elektra, or even most of Superman Returns that feels like the world that we inhabit. A LOT of Iron Man took place in the desert and in the underground of the Stark mansion, so it hasn't really become an issue yet, but when Stark is free to roam the world as its biggest protector, we need to feel that that world is real. Now, of course, don't take it TOO Far. We don't EVER want to see Iron Man fly through one of the 'O's in the Hollywood sign, but the fact that major scenes in the Batman and Spider-Man movies take place in a recognizable world adds a degree of power to the action that can't be underestimated. It's what we look for in superhero movies - a merging of the superhuman and the real.

2. A GOOD VILLAIN...BUT NOT TWO

The main weakness of Iron Man was the villain or lack thereof at the center of the piece. The real bad guy of Iron Man is the entire military-industrial complex, which we'll agree is pretty damn ambitious but sometimes you just want The Joker or Lex Luthor to kick someone's ass. The two main physical villains of Iron Man - Raza (Faran Tahir) and Obadiah/Iron Monger (Jeff Bridges) - are pretty tame. We generally love Jeff Bridges, but did anyone feel any actual danger from his character? Of course not. Iron Man 2 needs a dangerous, on-the-edge villain. We need the Doc Ock to Spider-Man or Joker to Batman for this franchise. If we have a black hole at villain again, fans are going to notice. But don't go overboard. The most common misjudgment in superhero franchises is too many villains. X-Men 3, Spider-Man 3, Batman Forever - all of them were weighed down by scenery-chewing baddies. The comics regularly use the government or villains who work for it as the bad guys, which is probably how the sequel will go - using Stark's technology against him again - but make sure it's a charismatic villain this time. No offense, Jeff Bridges fans.

3. YOU'RE FAMOUS, SO WHAT?

Please, please, please avoid the fame issues that have sometimes sunk superhero franchises in their post-origin era. Let Stark deal with fame between movies. After the revelation at the end of Iron Man with arguably the best closing line in superhero movie history, it would be incredibly easy for a lazy writer to do one of those stories about the "perils of superhero fame," something that helped sink Spider-Man 3. Does anyone want to see Tony Stark dealing with those same issues about "what makes a hero"? Of course not. Let him just BE a troubled, drinking, womanizing hero. One of the best things about Iron Man is how subtly Downey plays the transition of Stark from warmonger to peacemaker. Imagine how melodramatic that move could have been with a lesser actor. It will be incredibly easy for a writer to dip into that pool with the sequel and focus on Tony "dealing with" being a hero. Don't go there. Deal with alcohol, Maxim models, and his true love for Pepper Potts, but don't deal with paparazzi and the perils of fame. The last thing we need is a whiny Iron Man.

4. WINK AT THE FANS BUT DON'T BE A TEASE

The first Iron Man contained two well-publicized gigantic winks at the fans who knew how to catch them (along with a few other, more subtle nods to comic book fans). The big winks were a brilliant move because they caused the film's most dedicated fanbase, heavy internet users, to get excited on message boards and in the blogosphere in general. The first was obvious - James "Rhodey" Rhodes (Terrence Howard) staring at the Iron Man technology and making it clear that his comic-book alter-ego, War Machine, is coming in future films with a brilliant line reading on "Next time, baby.". Actually, Howard has been commenting on War Machine in interviews for over a year, implying that the main reason he took the underwritten part in the first film was to expand into a superhero in the second one. Set-up done. Now is the time to pay off. In the next few weeks, Favreau and his team should announce that Rhodes' transformation into War Machine WILL happen in the second film, otherwise that wink in the first film feels like a cheat. And, of course, there's the super-sized nod to fans after the credits, when Samuel L. Jackson shows up as Nick Fury, head of S.H.I.E.L.D. It was such a wink that Favreau actually held the scene from advanced screenings, including ones for critics. It's for the fans. That's great, but don't make it a false promise. Imagine if Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. aren't a part of the sequel. You'll just piss off the fans who you winked to in the first film. Jackson's not signed on yet. Make that your next priority. If War Machine and Nick Fury are announced in the next few weeks for Iron Man 2, fans will have more confidence that this project is going in the right direction before the script is even finished.

5. DON'T DULL STARK'S EDGE

A common problem in superhero sequels is a desire to appeal to as many demographics as possible. The Fantastic Four sequel got even more family-friendly and X-Men 3 and Spider-Man 3 felt softer than the previous films in the franchise, leading to angry fans. If Iron Man loses his edge, the franchise will collapse. Luckily, Favreau has said in interviews that he's interested in exploring the alcoholism that was a major part of the comics and only hinted at in the movie. With Stark even more on top of the world than he was a weapons dealer, booze and stewardesses on stripper poles need to stay a part of his world. We love the Stark/Potts dynamic and we don't want to lose that part of the story but we're very worried about a domesticated Tony Stark. That would be a disaster. If anything, we need to see Stark go more off the rails and with his increased popularity in the next movie, it shouldn't be hard to make a troubled character even darker than he was in the first film.

6. DON'T 'MARY-JANE' PEPPER

Gwyneth Paltrow actually does some of the best work of her career in Iron Man. She's charming and beautiful and her chemistry with Downey is essential to the final film. The same was true of the dynamic between Kirsten Dunst and Tobey Maguire in the first two Spider-Man movies, but, without question, Mary-Jane became far too big a character in the third film. We never want to see Pepper Potts singing. We never want to see Pepper and Tony cooing at each other hanging above the city. And, for the love of Galactus, we NEVER want to see Pepper and Rhodey doing the twist like MJ and Harry did in Spidey 3 (a scene that still turns our stomachs just thinking about it.) Pepper has significantly more edge than MJ and we don't want her getting soft on us. Don't get us wrong - we absolutely love Spider-Man 2 but the lovey-dovey dynamic of MJ and Peter Parker simply would not work between Tony and Pepper.

7. THERE SHOULD BE BLOOD

Finally, let's up the stakes in Iron Man 2. When Tony is first held hostage and he looks beaten and bloody, it's one of the few scenes in the movie with any sort of emotional stakes, largely due to the work of Downey, but also because the pain feels real. After Tony blasts his way out, the action in Iron Man gets very comic book-safe. The film barely even earns the 13 in its rating. Let's see Stark really get hurt in Iron Man 2. Let's see him battered, bloody, and on the precipice of death. It might even be wise to kill someone close to him early in the second film. Make the potential for danger feel real, something that distinguished Batman Begins from its brethren and the ride will be that much more rewarding. We're all going to take the ride. Let's make it count.

War Machine Wallpaper- Iron Man 2

SlashFilm has discovered a War Machine pic in the slew of Iron Man concept art that hit the web a couple weeks ago. You may remember that Yahoo posted the images created for Jon Favreau’s Iron Man. Hidden in the piles of artwork is Phil Saunders concept art of War Machine. Now reposted for your enjoyment.

Iron Man Plot

Iron Man 2 script & Avengers casting news

Louis Leterrier says new Avenger will feature in Iron Man 2 and Jackson, Downey and Norton set for Avengers in 2011

Louis Leterrier has revealed not only that Jon Favreau is currently writing Iron Man 2 with Robert Downey Jr., but that the sequel to the Spring blockbuster will feature a new character from the Avengers, after the brief appearance by Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury in the post-credits sequence of Iron Man.

Additionally Leterrier is reported to have said that 2011 will definitely bring Jackson, Downey Jr., Hulk actor Ed Norton and two other 'A-list actors' - presumably whichever A-listers get cast as Thor and Captain America in their respective upcoming movies that Marvel is also producing - together for the Avengers movie.

DoG source 'Mr Miyagi' spoke with Leterrier - who had just come from a meeting with Iron Man director Jon Favreau - at the Marvel Night at the Grand Rex in Paris in early July.

Current expected release dates are Iron Man 2 in 2010, Thor is pencilled in for 2010, Avengers in 2011 while The First Avenger: Captain America is due in May 2011 too.

Why the new Jim Rhodes? Why was Howard Replaced?

One of the biggest behind-the-scenes gossip stories still being talked about in Hollywood is Marvel's decision to dump Terrence Howard for Don Cheadle as Col. James Rhodes in Iron Man 2 (and beyond). Following the announcement, we ran a quote from Howard, who claimed that "it was the surprise of a lifetime." No on really knows the real story (or, at least, won't speak publicly about it), but Nicole Sperling from Entertainment Weekly has uncovered some interesting details and tries to explain exactly what happened. While I haven't lost any respect for Howard, I'm still not sure Cheadle will be able to fill in or do a better job than Howard, who seemed like the perfect choice for the role of Rhodey.

So the story begins way back during pre-production on Iron Man, where Howard was apparently the first to sign on to the film, making him (somehow) the highest paid actor - even above Robert Downey Jr. Sources later blame "Howard's difficult behavior on the set" and say that "Jon Favreau and his producers were ultimately unhappy with Howard's performance, and spent a lot of time cutting and reshooting his scenes." They must have done a great job, because he seemed like a perfect fit in the final cut. This less-than-satisfactory experience on the first film, which was an amalgamation of Howard being difficult and overly expensive, resulted in Favreau and the producers making a lot of changes for Iron Man 2.

Apparently Favreau and screenwriter Justin Theroux decided to minimize Rhodey's story in the sequel. Subsequently, Marvel tried to go back to Howard with a "drastically reduced offer," because of the smaller role and aforementioned experience on the first movie. It was such a drastic reduction, "estimated at somewhere between a 50 and 80 percent pay cut," that his agents obviously flipped out and questioned the offer. Given Marvel (and Hollywood in general) are frisky, penny-pinching bastards, they decided to go back to Don Cheadle and sign him on before it was too late. Which somewhat clarifies why it was a surprise to Howard - it seems like they didn't even finish negotiations before they signed on Cheadle.

I'm not going to jump on the bandwagon and say Howard is a greedy bastard, because I still really like the guy and I wasn't there personally observing all of this. I am just reporting the news from Entertainment Weekly, but will admit that it's a rather interesting story to hear. Now it's time to move on and hold our breath as we wait to see whether Cheadle will do a good job or not. I'm also curious to see how much of Rhodey's story is actually cut from the script; and whether they decided to add it back in once they knew Cheadle (who is at least as competent as Howard) would be taking over. I'm not alone in my desire to see War Machine take flight - let's hope Favreau and Theroux decided to keep him in there afterall.

Iron Man 2 Don Cheadle As Jim Rhodes War machine Instead of Terrence Howard

Hollywood may want you to believe that the movie industry is a big family when promoting a movie, but actually it is but a big business. A stark example is reported by Slashfilm: actor Terrence Howard who played Jim Rhodes, Tony Stark’s military friend in the movie Iron Iron Man, is being replaced by Don Cheadle for Iron man 2. Marvel Studio is kicking Terrence Howard out of the loop to save money!

More information at: Iron man 2 Trailer

Well Marvel is maybe also preparing to give more weight to the character of Jim Rhodes, maybe Marvel is thinking about War Machine in Iron man 2. So Don Cheadle may be a better bet because he has indeed more experience than Terrence Howard: such experience would be welcome in case of a spin-off movie dedicated to War Machine.

Downey, Favreau reteam on `Iron Man 2,' 'Avengers'

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Robert Downey Jr. is strapping on his metal suit to join the superhero team effort "The Avengers" in addition to "Iron Man 2."

Downey is reprising his role as billionaire genius Tony Stark from last summer's blockbuster "Iron Man." The sequel is due May 7, 2010, and "The Avengers" is scheduled for July 15, 2011, Marvel Studios announced Tuesday.

The movies are part of a four-picture deal between Downey and Marvel.

"Iron Man" director Jon Favreau is returning to direct "Iron Man 2" and serve as executive producer on "The Avengers," which will team the guy in the metal suit with Marvel Comics heroes the Hulk, Captain America, Thor and others.

Howard lost the part of Rhodes?

When a summer blockbuster grosses more than $300 million, putting together a sequel is typically as simple as throwing buckets of money at your stars and signing a few pieces of paper. That hasn't been the case with Iron Man 2. It took months for Marvel Studios to lock in director Jon Favreau for the sequel. And reports that Don Cheadle will replace Terrence Howard as Col. Jim Rhodes — a supporting character who seemed poised for a big role in the follow-up after he muttered ''Next time, baby'' to Iron Man's steel suit — hint that IM2 isn't quite as infallible as the superhero at its center.

Hollywood insiders believe the exit stems from Terrence Howard's difficult behavior on the set of Iron Man. But those with intimate knowledge of the situation suggest a far more dramatic backstory: Howard was the first actor signed to the film and, on top of that, was the highest-paid. That's right: more than Gwyneth Paltrow. More than Jeff Bridges. More than Robert Downey Jr. And once the project fully came together, it was too late to renegotiate his deal. It didn't help that, according to one source, Favreau and his producers were ultimately unhappy with Howard's performance, and spent a lot of time cutting and reshooting his scenes. (Favreau could not be reached for comment, while Howard's publicist says: ''Terrence had a tremendous experience working on Iron Man.'')

As such, when Favreau and screenwriter Justin Theroux went to map out the sequel they found themselves minimizing Howard's story line. Once Marvel learned that Favreau was thinking of curtailing the role, the studio went to the actor's agents with a new and drastically reduced offer — a number that's similar to what supporting cast members were paid for the first movie. The agents, according to sources, were so taken aback by this new figure — estimated at somewhere between a 50 and 80 percent pay cut — that they questioned it. Why did they blanch? Multiple sources say that Marvel execs never told Howard's reps that they had issues with the star's on-set conduct. (Marvel would not comment for this story.)

It's unclear whether Howard's team walked away first, or if Marvel ended the discussion at that point. Either way, the studio moved quickly to secure Cheadle and the story leaked out the next morning, Oct. 14. And alas for Howard, there will be no next time.