It’s been a while since we’ve reported anything on Iron Man 2. Jon Favreau & Co. have been very quite since debuting five minutes of footage at Comic-Con in July; a bootlegged version of which you can watch on YouTube. While this is undoubtedly one of the most-anticipated blockbusters of 2010 and is sure to rake in a fortune, I’m surprised by the lack of official footage that Marvel has yet to release.

I mean, it’s not like they have to do any introducing here, Iron Man is already a household Hollywood brand name, but usually studios like to give audiences a little taste a year in advance to up the ante with even more anticipation and internet buzz. Although Favreau & Co. have apparently hinted that a potential trailer could be attached to Robert Downey Jr.’s other upcoming blockbuster, Sherlock Holmes on Christmas day. Oh well, for now we have to settle for the first official poster of IM2 which was released on Yahoo on Monday. The poster features Iron Man staring at us in a menacingly-badass manner, with the one and only, War Machine. Check it out, analysis to follow.

SPOILER ALERT! (kind of)

“Who is War Machine?” Some of you may be asking. War Machine is Rhodey Rhodes, Stark’s BFF and military confidant who was portrayed by Terrance Howard in Iron Man, who was replaced by Don Cheadle for IM2. In the comic universe over the years, War Machine has played a dual role in the mythos of his more famous progenitor. On one hand, he’s an everyman who provides Iron Man with some firm moral grounding (a good thing when you’re a workaholic billionaire supergenius.) On the other hand, he can be a loose cannon, more willing to follow his gut than the cerebral Stark. The casting of Cheadle could suggest the former. Having said that, (lol Curb) from the footage shown at Comic-Con, it was Rhodes who bought the technology to make his War Machine suit from Stark’s business rival Justin Hammer. Could this suggest maybe Rhodes does indeed become the loose cannon who’s idea of justice is to rash for Stark’s taste. We shall have to wait and see.

Here’s some bullet points on what we know about the film thus far to refresh your memory:

• Sam Rockwell plays a fast-talking weapons manufacturer named Justin Hammer, “who fancies himself the next Tony Stark”. He sells Stark the weapons he uses to construct War Machine.
• Mickey Rourke plays Russian criminal Vanko, who creates his own battle-suit while incarcerated in a Soviet prison.
• Whiplash’s suit “shoots devastating, whip-like beams.”
• Hammer and Whiplash join forces to take on Stark/Iron Man.
• Scarlett Johansson plays Russian superspy Natasha Romanoff (aka the Black Widow), who is hired as Stark’s assistant which inevitably sparks romantic tension between Stark and former assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), who’s been promoted to CEO of Stark Industries.
• Tony is trying to learn more about his father’s mysterious past, specifically the Stark Expo, which must “play a major role in the energy crisis, which is a chief issue in the film.”

While all this is going to be awesome, I can’t wait to see what Mickey Rourke has in store for us as Whiplash. He is just an amazing and powerful actor who should be able to create a menacing and memorable comic-book villain. Check out this recently released photo of Rourke as Whiplash (via MTV), conjuring up some madness. Buuuhahahah!!!

What Do You Think? Discuss.