If you are a fan of the IRON MAN film opus here is some interesting news that has just broken: Mickey Rourke has signed on to play the villain Whiplash. I got a real kick out of this since Whiplash was one of my favorite Iron Man characters. In fact, the first Iron Man comic I purchased in 1981 featured this villain. What is most cool about casting Rourke in the Whiplash role is that Rourke can effectively capture the villainy and thuggish-ness of Whiplash.

Remember, most Iron Man villains are somewhat cerebral and calculating. That is why most classic Iron Man storylines deal with villains such as Doctor Doom, The Mandarin, and Modok. The inclusion of Whiplash as a villain (he will be a support villain as details about the main villain have not been released) adds a unique dimension. Basically, we are going to see a cruel and rough villain clashing with old Shellhead. Rumor had it that this particular sequel was going to be released in 3-D. No word if that will truly be the case, but we can hope…can’t we?