FIRST LOOK: Set Images From 'IRON MAN 3', Features James Badge Dale As Iron Patriot

ComingSoon has got ahold of the first real set images from the Iron Man 3 production. Oddly, enough it's one of the villains likely before he turns as James Badge Dale (Coldblood) is donning the Iron Patriot armor which was originally built/worn by Norman Osborn in the Dark Avengers comics. It will be interesting to see how many of these suits that the government makes before Extremis comes into play. This one looks like a copy of the War Machine armor.

Guy Pearce The Main Villain Of 'IRON MAN 3' And Kingsley Confirmed As The Mandarin

LatinoReview is confirming that Ben Kingsley is indeed playing The Mandarin (Gene Khan?) in Iron Man 3. However, he won't be the main villain of the film which will be scientist Aldrich Killian played by Guy Pearce (Memento, Lockout, Hurt Locker, Lawless, Prometheus). Mandarin will be more of a silent partner to Killian who develops the Extremis virus and creates a group of his own Extremis soldiers. It's very possible that Eric Savin/Coldblood (James Badge Dale) and Jack Taggert/Firepower (Ashely Hamilton) will be apart of this army and they will be greatly changed from their original incarnations in the comics.

LatinoReview has a decent enough track record with the Marvel exclusives, as they previously reported that Loki was going to be the villain of Avengers before it was announced. Seemingly this confirms that Marvel is combining Extremis and Armor Wars. It's possible they are moving slowly with amount of The Mandarin to leave room to use him as a main villain in Iron Man 4 or even Avengers 2. Marvel might be hopeful to get a couple more Iron Man films out of Robert Downey Jr. so they're holding back on a few villains (popular ones like Ghost and Whitney Frost). I wouldn't be surprised to see Crimson Dynamo (another version), Kearson DeWitt, Titanium Man and Cobalt included in Killian's Extremis army.

James Badge Dale Joins 'IRON MAN 3' Will Play Cyborg Villain Coldblood

Variety reports that James Badge Dale has joined the cast of Iron Man 3. He'll will play Lt. Eric Savin a soldier who is brutally injured after stepping on a landmine. Savin transforms from soldier to a villainous cyborg named Coldblood. James is best known for his role on HBO's The Pacific along with supporting roles in The Departed, The Grey, Shame and Disney's upcoming adaptation of The Lone Ranger. They also confirm that Rebecca Hall (The Town, Prestige), Guy Pearce (Lawless, Prometheus, Hurt Locker) and Ben Kingsley are all set for the sequel. Shane Black will be co-writing/directing the film with Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow and Don Cheadle returning.