An ever-jovial Robert Downey Jr. was on hand Saturday to bring "Iron Man 3" footage and news to a buzzy Comic-Con crowd. As part of Marvel's Hall H panel (which also featured big news in the "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "Ant-Man" departments), the studio debuted clips and discussed Tony Stark's future.
Also revealed/confirmed: Sir Ben Kingsley is starring as "Iron Man 3's" villain, The Mandarin. Kingsley looked absolutely intimidating in a clip shown during the presentation. The footage began with Stark (Downey Jr.) being put in his suit, with pieces flying in from every direction (one lands on his crotch with a rather unfortunate thud).
Jon Favreau then appears as Happy Hogan. "I don't work for you anymore," Hogan quickly reminds Stark. The line is an obvious reference to the fact that Favreau, who directed the first two installments in the "Iron Man" series, is not steering the third film. Stark's response? "That's right, you quit."
Appearing on Marvel's panel were Downey Jr., Favreau, Don Cheadle, "Iron Man 3" director Shane Black and Kevin Feige, Marvel's president of production. "We're halfway through [filming], and if we don't f--k up the rest, it will be great," Black said.
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Downey Jr. entered from the back of the hall and danced his way onstage before introducing the footage. It was noted that his contract with Marvel ends with "Iron Man 3," but he joked that he would find a way to stick around. "He is Tony Stark," Black added, prompting Downey Jr. to say, "I'm an asshole." (Black: "A rich asshole.")
Further footage shown revealed Stark on an operating table, followed by a closeup of a damaged Iron Man helmet. In another clip, helicopters are seen blowing up Stark's California mansion with missiles.
A parting bit of "Avengers" news: After a fan asked if moviegoers would ever see The Hulk again, Feige responded, "At the end of 'Avengers,' Bruce [Banner] jumped in the car with Tony. Then Tony droped him off at the Port Authority and we'll see him again some day."