Dragons, Drinking, and Samuel L: Iron Man 2 Plot Rumors

Who’ll be back for the sequel? Hopefully the third guy from the left. 

Well, we know when Iron Man 2 will be out (again, that’s April 30, 2010). But what will it be about?

(Warning: all of the following is rumor and conjecture.)

CinemaBlend heard some news from a usually reliable tipster. Here’s what they got:

Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury character will figure prominently in the sequel, calling on Tony Stark to help him defeat a villain called the Mandarin (note: the terrorist group that captures Stark at the beginning of the current movie goes by the name “The Ten Rings”, which is an allusion to the ten rings of power sought by the Mandarin in the comic book). The Mandarin will have a sidekick called Fin Fang Foom who will help battle Stark. In the comic, Fin Fang Foom is an extraterrestrial dragon (good idea–movies need more dragons, in my opinion). Finally, the movie may include cameos from superheroes set for their own movies, just as Stark pops up in next month’s The Incredible Hulk. One candidate may be Thor, whose movie will open a few months after Iron Man 2.

(Reminder: All of the above are rumors. Take them as you will.)

In The Hollywood Reporter’s Risky Business blog, though, there’s a different kind of take on the sequel: they suggest that the way to go is to cover the “Demon in a Bottle” storyline from the 1980s. The idea was suggested to Robert Downey Jr., who thought it could be done without pummelling viewers with obviousness:

“I have a feeling that the best way to go into Tony and the ‘Demon and the Bottle’ storyline is show his 40th birthday party. Let that tie in with something people can understand, (people) who maybe don’t have that disease. Anyone over 40 knows what it’s like to feel like you’re looking at the back 9 of your life. Mid-life crisis. A couple of bottles of champagne and he’s just getting started, and they think there’s something wrong with him, and you understand why he’s going to these excesses. It’s much more fertile when you don’t call a spade a spade.”

It seems like it would be a smart idea to bring that storyline in somehow, whether as a major part of the movie or as a detail. It would help make the character interesting. Once a superhero gets over the origin story, you have to give him something to struggle with personally, not just another villain du jour. Or at least I always think that helps.

Look out for more rumors and maybe even some truths.