SDCC 09: “Iron Man 2” Panel Report

Marvel kicked off their massive Iron Man 2 panel today at SDCC and aired some extended clips which revealed not just Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow but also Don Cheadle as a very impressive War Machine.

Not to be out done by Twilight, Hall H was packed with an insane amount of fans who screamed and cheered as Robert Downey Jr. and Jon Favreau tried to ham up the audience about not having any good footage to show. Joining them were actors Sam Rockwell, Scarett Jonahnssno, and Don Cheale.

The footage opened with Tony Stark encountering Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) who is telling him to come down from a giant donut he’s sitting in on top of a donut shop. They are then inside the shop discussing the possibility of putting together a superhero team.

Another scene shows Stark in a courtroom being asked about whether or not he has specialized weapons that he is not disclosing to the government. We are introduced to James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) who seems to be a rival/ former friend of Starks. They exchange a few words and we get the hint that Rhodes may possibly be a villain (Think Harry Osborn from Spider-Man).

The third scene reveals Whiplash (Mickey Rourke), who sits at a bench and is prototyping a metal suit similar to Iron Man’s chest plate. We also see quick shots of the Black Widow in action. Whiplash is then shown in full costume (same as the promo pics) and we get to see him in action. He’s whipping and cracking his energy whips around. We’re then cut to a scene of Iron Man flying in the air and the logo.

In the final scene, we see Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), who walks up to the original Iron man armor and asks Rhodes what he’s been doing to it. Sure enough we then get our first look at the newly retooled and retrofitted armor as War Machine, which is flipping amazing (Want a sneak peak of it in toy form? Then hit up our Hasbro Iron Man coverage)!

Cheadle was asked about what it felt like wearing the armor. “It’s heavy” he joked.

Favreau was also asked if he will direct “The Avengers,” in which he replied, “I’ll be involved in some capacity. It doesn’t shoot until we’re done with ‘Iron Man 2.'” But also added that he’s “looking forward to beginning involved in that project.”

Favreau also explained how they decided against doing “The Demon in the Bottle” storyline, explaining that Iron Man won’t be a “dark” film. But what they will include in the film is the pressure that amounts in Starks dual life.