It's Just Movies

— by ADAM POYNTER —

The wait is over Marvel Fans — Tony Stark is back in the first trailer for “Iron Man 3,” with Shane Black taking over the directorial duties from Jon Favreau.

At this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, fans were treated to a sizzle reel of footage from “Iron Man 3,” so I just assumed I would be seeing that same footage rearranged into the film’s first trailer, but I was wrong. Seeing as the film wasn’t even at its midway point in shooting during Comic Con, the majority of what you see in the trailer is new, with the exception of a few key scenes.

Take a look at the first full trailer for “Iron Man 3”:

“Iron Man 3” stars Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Ben Kingsley, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale and Jon Favreau.

Disney has released a plot synopsis for the film which reads as follows:

Marvel Studios’ “Iron Man 3” pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: “Does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?”

There are quite a few things we learn from this trailer. For those who weren’t in attendance at Comic-Con, it is the introduction of Ben Kingsley as the most iconic villain in the Iron Man universe, The Mandarin. Although we only get glimpses of him here, it is enough to get excited about. As we previously reported, The Mandarin won’t be the film’s main villain, but is the true brains behind Aldrich Killian. The other important aspects we see are the Iron Patriot armor, the destruction of Tony Stark’s mansion and the feeling of true despair as everything he knows and loves is in jeopardy of being taken from him.

Marvel Executive Kevin Feige has said the journey Tony Stark takes in the film will bring him to his lowest moment, ever since he rebuilt himself in that cave so many years ago. This trailer delivers on showing us how much he is losing and for all its flash and grandeur, the trailer is quite somber in tone.

Another interesting story point, very subtly hinted at here, is the attack on a plane in which Iron Man must save the people. Inside sources say is Air Force One and The Mandarin has maniacal plans to kill the president and go even beyond that to devastate the country.

So from what I have seen and heard, this third and possibly final solo film for our armored hero will be dark, gritty and hopefully the best one yet. It is still really too early to tell how the film will take so many amazing aspects and weave them together to make a cohesive story that fits not only into the previous films, but also the massive cinematic universe Marvel has already established. Will the Mandarin’s rings wield true power or does the true power lie in the manipulation and enslavement of others?

So what do you think about the first trailer and possible story points for “Iron Man 3”? Is there anything you want to see happen or hope will happen? Leave a comment and let us here at It’s Just Movies know.

“Iron Man 3” will be hitting theaters May 3, 2013, so stay tuned for more upcoming coverage of the movie.

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