Top 10 Iron Man 2 Villains

Iron Man is no doubt going to be a hit and a sequel will definitely follow (rumored for 2010). Iron Man has a great rogues gallery and there are a few standouts that should make it into the next movie. Who are they? Let’s take a look at the Top 10 Iron Man 2 Villains.

10. Guardsman

Kevin O’Brien was an engineer working for Tony Stark. O’Brien became a trusted friend to Stark, so much so that Stark began building him a suit of armor to use in case of an emergency. That emergency occurred before the suit was fully tested and when O’Brien put it on, a malfunction in the suit stimulated fits of jealousy and rage within him.

Not realizing the cause, O’Brien continued to wear the armor and eventually agreed to help Stark stockholders take the company from Tony. In the ensuing battle, Tony accidentally killed O’Brien. Kevin’s brother Michael would later wear an improved version of the armor and become one of Stark’s allies.

The story of the O’Brien brothers is an interesting one, but it parallels many of the themes that will likely be explored using the James Rhodes character portrayed by Terrence Howard and his eventual acceptance of the War Machine armor.

9. The Ghost

The Ghost is an industrial saboteur who has clashed with Iron Man on more than one occasion. They first met when Roxxon Oil executive Carrington Pax hired the Ghost to destroy Accutech Research and Development–a company which Tony Stark was interested in acquiring. The Ghost’s costume allows him to become invisible or intangible, allows him to communicate with computers and renders him invisible to electronic devices.

While he’s a perfect foil for Iron Man, the industrial espionage villain would not be able to sustain a film by himself. However, he would fit perfectly with villain #7.

8. Ultimo

Ultimo is an artificial being created by an alien race and stranded on Earth after destroying another alien race. Iron Man’s arch enemy–the Mandarin–discovered the creature and eventually restored it using a mix of science and magic.

Virtually indestructible and with the ability to fire disintegration beams from his eyes, Ultimo would be a good match cinematically for Iron Man, but I would expect him/it to only appear as a device used by another villain.

7. Justin Hammer

Justin Hammer is very similar to Obadiah Stane. When Stark stopped manufacturing weapons, Hammer Industries quickly became the world’s leading weapon developer. Hammer came into conflict with Iron Man when he tried to build a plant in a Communist country and Iron Man intervened, thwarting his plot to assassinate the country’s UN ambassador.

This started a long-lasting feud with Hammer and Hammer did not hesitate to use his company’s technology to create multiple super-powered villains to do his bidding. Imagine a movie filled with low-level bad guys like: Aqueduct, Blacklash, Beetle , Blizzard, Blue Streak, Boomerang, Cardinal, Captain Barracuda, the Constrictor, Eel (Edward Lavell), Man-Killer, the Melter, Porcupine, the Scorpion, Spymaster, and Whiplash.

With one person backing all the villains, it would not require a lot of screen time to develop their origins. Hammer builds the technology and hires thugs to use it. Perfect setup for a large super-villain battle. That’s something I’d like to see.

6. Madame Masque

Giulietta (Whitney) Nefaria is the daughter of crime lord Count Nefaria and was trained by him to be a criminal mastermind. With her father imprisoned, Whitney became the ruler Nefaria family branch of the Maggia. After a failed raid on Tony Stark’s company, Whitney’s plane crashed. The crashed scarred her face and her rescuer Midas enticed her to hide her face behind a mask of gold and gave her the name Madame Masque. She later shared a romantic relationship with Stark, but returned to her criminal ways after the death of her father.

Madame Masque would make for a great storyline in a movie. Have a few super-powered goons working for her and you’d have a perfect mix of action, romance and plot. Would be surprised to see her show up as a supporting character, just in case they decide to use her later.

5. Crimson Dynamo

The Crimson Dynamo is an armored Soviet Scientist by the name of Professor Anton Vanko. An expert on electricity, he built an armored suit that allowed him to control electricity and fly. After his initial confrontation with Iron Man, Vanko defected to the U.S., where he worked for Tony Stark. It wasn’t long before the Soviets sent a group to kill Vanko. He died heroically saving Iron Man. Many other Soviet agents have worn the suit since that event.

Given, there would need to be several changes to the character’s origin and motivation for it to work in today’s political world, the character is a classic Iron Man villain and should make an appearance in a sequel.

4. Titanium Man

The Titanium Man is the Soviet Union’s equal to Iron Man. The original Titanium Man was Boris Bullski. A KGB agent in the Cold War era, Bullski convinced the Soviet Government to build the Titanium Man suit in order for him to defeat Iron Man and provide the Soviet Union with a symbolic defeat of the Western hero Iron Man. Needless to say, things didn’t go his way and he was disgraced.

Similar to the Crimson Dynamo, he would need an origin revamp, but it’s almost certain he’ll be in Iron Man 2. He’s already received a toy in the current Iron Man line from Hasbro and makes an appearance in the video game.

3. Extremis

The Extremis virus is a techno-organic virus that can have varying results depending on how it is “programmed”. As conceived, it was meant to be a Super-Soldier serum and grant the virus recipient a plethora of powers (healing, super-speed, super-strength, super-endurance, ability to breath fire and project electricity).

The first dosage was taken by a terrorist named Mallen, who easily defeated Tony in their first battle. Severely injured as a result of the battle, Tony modified the Extremis virus and inject himself with it in order to heal his wounds. The modified dose also allowed Tony to house components of his armor in the hollows of his bones and communicate with computers and satellites organically. He then used his increased powers to defeat Mallen.

Just reading that is sounds like a perfect movie plot. Recent issues of the story have had Iron Man battling the Mandarin and thwarting his plot to release the Extremis virus into the Earth’s atmosphere. Sounds like a perfect lead in to villain number two.

2. Mandarin

The Mandarin is Iron Man’s arch enemy and many considered him a shoe in as the villain for the film. Using Obadiah Stane made for a better origin story, but hints of the Mandarin are in the film (if you know what you’re looking for). Consider this, the Mandarin’s powers are based on 10 Rings with each giving him a unique ability. They are:

Ice Blast: (left little finger), to emit waves of cold;
Mento-Intensifier: (left ring finger), to place people under mental control;
Electro-Blast: (left middle finger), to emit electricity of various intensities;
Flame-Blast: (left index finger), to project heat and trigger chemical explosions;
White Light: (left thumb), to emit various forms of electromagnetic energy;
Black Light: (right little finger), to create absolute blackness,;
Disintegration Beam: (right ring finger), to break down a target’s molecular bonds;
Vortex Beam: (right middle finger), to manipulate air for levitation or concussive force;
Impact Beam: (right index finger), to project explosive, sonic, or magnetic force;
Matter Rearranger: (right thumb), to alter a substance’s molecular structure into gas, liquid, or solid form.

He’s a good candidate for Iron Man 2, but Marvel and the filmmakers may want to build up to him and save him for Iron Man 3.

1. Demon in a Bottle (Alcoholism)

Tony’s battle with alcoholism was brought to the forefront in the 1979 storyline Demon in a Bottle. Written by David Michelinie, the storyline is considered a staple of Iron Man lore. While the story and dialog are dated, the taboo topic and realistic portrayal of alcoholism, make this one of the most important pieces of Iron Man lore. Many pegged Robert Downey Jr. as perfect for the role of Tony Stark, based on his previous battles with addiction. While this won’t be the only “villain” of Iron Man 2, it will almost certainly play a role in the plot.