With less than two months before “Iron Man 2″ hits theaters, a new trailer hit the web today giving a better look at the slew of new villains Tony Stark has to face. With the first Iron Man doing boffo business at cineplexes, the sequel looks even better. Admittedly, even though I was a comic book aficionado growing up, Iron Man never appealed to me. After being wowed by the first installment, I quickly became a fan and couldn’t wait for the follow-up.

Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark) and Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts) are back for a second go-round and this time battling a quartet of new faces. Joining the Iron Man franchise are Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow, Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury and Mickey Rourke’s Whiplash, plus introduces Sam Rockwell’s Justin Hammer. With the addition of Johansson, the possibility of a romantic foil for Gwyneth and Downey Jr. is a definite possibility.

Check out a few movie stills from the sequel. Descriptions are courtesy of Wikipedia.

WHIPLASH (Mickey Rourke)

This version of the character includes elements of both Whiplash and Crimson Dynamo from the comics. In the film, he will be the son of Russian scientist Anton Vanko, who, in the comics, is the original Crimson Dynamo and creator of said armor. Rourke researched for the part by visiting Butyrka prison. He suggested half of the character’s dialogue be in Russian. Whiplash will act as the main antagonist of the film. In the trailer, he is shown using electric whips.

BLACK WIDOW (Scarlett Johannson)

An undercover spy for S.H.I.E.L.D. posing as Stark’s assistant. Johansson was cast after a scheduling conflict forced Emily Blunt to drop out of the part.

JUSTIN HAMMER (Sam Rockwell)

Rockwell was considered for the role of Tony Stark in the first film, and he accepted the role of Hammer without reading the script. He had never heard of the character before he was contacted about the part, and was unaware Hammer is an old man in the comics, whereas in the film he will be significantly closer to Stark’s age. Originally thought to be a major antagonist, Rockwell says his character is “plucky comic relief, but he’s got a little bit of an edge”.

NICK FURY (Samuel L. Jackson)

Jackson initially had financial problems with Marvel and was unsure about reprising the part of Fury, until they reached a deal that would entail his appearance in up to nine films as the character.

VIRGINIA “PEPPER” POTTS (Gwyneth Paltrow)

Stark’s closest friend, budding love interest, and business partner after Pepper replaced Obadiah Stane as CEO of Stark Industries

Are you looking as forward to watching the sequel as I am? Will the sequel surpass the original or will it, like most sequels, pale in comparison? Post your thoughts and comments below.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://ironmanmovie.marvel.com/

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