31 May – Sneak photos from the production set of "Iron Man 3", which had begun last week, has revealed that a new villain would be rivalling Tony Stark in his suit of armour in the next instalment.
The photo that has since gone viral, shows that the Marvel villain Iron Patriot from the "Dark Avengers" arc, would be making an appearance in the triquel.
Sources indicate that the suit was worn by actor James Badge Dale, who is set to play Eric Savin, a lieutenant colonel who was severely injured by a landmine and installed with cybernetics to be renamed as Coldblood.
In the Marvel universe, Iron Patriot was the name given to Norman Osborn; a villain in Spiderman. Although there are speculations that Iron Patriot's appearance might tie the Iron Man and Spiderman franchises together, it is unlikely unless a special deal is made, as Sony owns all the rights to the Spiderman property, while Disney/Walt owns the rights to Iron Man.
Earlier reports suggest that "Iron Man 3" would be based on Warren Ellis' "Iron Man: Extremis" arc that would have Tony Stark battling against a villain who has unleashed a nano-technology virus.
"Iron Man 3" is currently scheduled to be released on May 2013.
