And finally, Splashpage.mtv scored an early copy of the novelization by Alexander Irvine and list some new information that may or may not be in the movie. Typically, the novelization will go deeper into the story or change things completely to work with the novel, but they do reveal some new gadgets, armor and villains so far unheard of.
So possible SPOILER alerts on this, people. Here’s their summary of the book:
COOL GADGETS: Beyond the briefcase armor and his new Mark VI suit, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) has some other flashy products to show off over the course of "Iron Man 2," including a device called the Tech-Ball, "a small sphere that [can] alter the properties of its matter on command." There is also a new set of armor featured in the novel that hasn’t been seen in the film’s trailers just yet — and I wouldn’t assume that it belongs to Tony or James "Rhodey" Rhodes (Don Cheadle).
ROLL CALL: "Iron Man 2" sports several new faces including Whiplash (Mickey Rourke) and Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), but there are also some old characters with upgraded screen time. Samuel L. Jackson returns as Nick Fury midway into the story to provide a reality check for an off-the-rails Tony. Director Jon Favreau’s Happy Hogan is much more than window dressing this time around, finding himself at the center of at least two action scenes. Gwyneth Paltrow has plenty to do as Pepper Potts, thanks to a new role within Stark Industries.
BAD TO THE BONE: Whiplash and Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) are the principle antagonists of "Iron Man 2," finding common ground with one another in the form of their mutual loathing of Tony Stark. Both characters, Whiplash especially, have plenty of scenery to chew on, so it should be wonderful to watch Rourke and Rockwell bring these guys to life. But they aren’t the only villains featured in the film, as the mysterious Ten Rings organization resurfaces — and a certain Mongolian is mentioned, as well.
POWER BREEDS SICKNESS: As footage from the trailer indicates, Tony’s seen healthier days. He doesn’t need a doctor to tell him that sickly purple veins stemming out from the arc reactor embedded in his chest are bad signs, so correcting that life-or-death ailment is a top priority of Stark and his robot sidekick Jarvis throughout the course of "Iron Man 2." Whether he succeeds in curing himself, we cannot say — but no matter how it shakes out, let’s just say the road to recovery won’t be easy.
PARTY HARD: That’s not to say that Stark can’t still party, however, as he throws himself a birthday extravaganza that could go down in cinema history as the craziest, most action-packed birthday bash of all time. That’s all thanks to Tony’s own recklessness, more than a few drunk youths and plenty of Iron Man technology — not to mention one very angry friend of Stark’s.
TONY & RHODEY’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE: The most important thing that we gleaned from reading the "Iron Man 2" novel is this — the movie is going to be awesome. Despite having a wealth of new characters, the story is firmly rooted in Tony’s plight. The other faces are hardly pushed to the side, however, as each character is fully serviced with plenty of cool scenes to enjoy. The action sequences are ambitious, particularly one involving Iron Man and a literally unstoppable War Machine. The humor is exactly what you would hope for based on Robert Downey Jr.’s past dynamics with his cast members.
There it is. Take it or leave it, I can’t wait for this movie. May 7th is just around the corner, but still seems so far away.
All right, any casting suggestions for The Mandarin in the third Iron Man movie? Any other characters you’d like to see brought to life from the Iron Man universe?
