It’s a great time to be evil. Three men with plenty of experience playing bad guys, have been cast as villains in next year’s Iron Man 3, Thor 2, and Red 2.
Iron Man 3
Just days after it was announced that James Badge Dale 
(Lord of the Flies, The Grey) would be playing Eric Savin, AKA the villain Coldblood, it looks like Iron Man 3 is throwing another villain in the mix, bringing its total now up to three (Sir Ben Kingsly’s villainous part has not yet been revealed). Ashley Hamilton (Beethoven’s 2nd) has signed on to play Firepower, an experimental suit much like The Iron Monger suit in Iron Man. The character first appeared in “Iron Man” #230 in 1988, and just recently in #513, being hired by The Mandarin (Kingsly’s rumored role) to destroy Tony Stark. With villains like Coldblood (a cyborg) and Firepower, it makes me wonder why Iron Man seems to only fight mechanical villains in the franchise. And having multiple villains in one film seems to be a recipe for disaster these days (that’s why us superhero geeks never talk about Spider-Man 3). Do you think Iron Man will fight these guys alone? Or will he be getting help from his good friend, James “Rhody” Rhodes, AKA War Machine? Or, in a weird twist, will they be teaming up to help Iron Man?
In ‘Happy’ news, former Iron Man director John Favreau took to his Twitter to confirm that he will be returning as Tony Stark’s driver/bodyguard, Happy Hogan.
The Shane Black directed Iron Man 3 began filming this week and blasts into theaters May 3, 2013.
Thor 2
Also to begin filming this summer is Thor 2, sequel to last summer’s blockbuster, Thor. It has recently been announced that Mads Mikkelsen, best known as the blood-crying baddie in Casino Royale, will be joining Tom Hiddleston‘s Loki as another villain in the film. Who is he going to be? No one knows for sure, but there are speculations that he may show up as the Executioner. In the comics, the Executioner teams up with the Enchantress, also rumored to to have a part in Thor 2, to kidnap Jane Foster (Natalie Portman).
SPOILERS AHEAD!! What about Thanos, the big purple dude in the middle of The Avengers credits? Will he be showing up in Thor 2, or is he being saved for The Avengers 2? It makes sense that Thanos would show up in the sequel if it follows the Infinity Gauntlet story line. But according to Thor AKA Chris Hemsworth, “We need bigger fish to fry.” So a god in love with death who can destroy worlds isn’t enough? Perhaps Mikkelsen’s character will be this “bigger fish.”
Thor 2 is directed by Game of Thrones’ Alan Taylor and hammers its way into theaters November 15, 2013.
Red 2
Speaking of Thor, Odin himself, Sir Anthony Hopkins
may be a villain in the upcoming Red 2, but that’s only if his Thor 2 schedule allows. If Hopkins has time for the role, he would play a genius scientist who was locked up in an insane asylum. Red 2 is a sequel to the 2010 film Red based on the comic of the same name by Warren Ellis and Cully Hammer. The new film has the team of retired CIA agents using their old school methods again to face new enemies across Europe.
Already starring Bruce Willis, Mary Louise-Parker, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Byung-Hun Lee (G.I. Joe), the Dean Parisot (Galaxy Quest, Fun With Dick and Jane) flick arrives in theaters August 2, 2013.
Thoughts?
What do you think of these casting choices? Who do you think the unnamed villains will be? Let’s here your opinions in the comments below.
