What Could Be "Iron Man 3" Plot Details (Extremis Play-By-Play)

I have been a fan of following plot details on up-and-coming movies, whether they are minor or major story points. They never hinder my movie-watching experience and as much as these "spies" dig out any "dirt" on a movie there will be one scene that will take you by surprise. And besides, all movies follow a formula (except maybe indie films) that you'd know what will happen next ( I'm looking at you, Filipino action movies) 

Anyway, the third Iron Man movie is said to be based on the "Extremis", a 6-part storyline wirtten by Warren Ellis and illustrated by Adi Granov originally featured on Invincible Iron Man  # 1-6 last 2005. It was recently collected in trade and even reprinted along with 2 other stories by local publishers PSICOM Publishing in pocket form. I was able to purchase all the issues until it stopped publication. 

So as a means of dishing out some "dirt" on a possible "Iron Man 3" spoilers and also telling you guys a good story, I've made a detailed blow-by-blow account of the story while also providing some scanned pictures as well. But with some recent news of an American flag-painted Iron Man popping up the 'net, it's everybody's guess if the third movie will follow closely this particular storyline. Of course I don't want to scan the whole comics as that would defeat the purpose of my writing. (and, all images Copyright 2005 Marvel Comics). 

(Click on any image for larger view)

The story opened with 3 men going to an abandoned building and injecting a buddy with an advanced-looking syringe. We learn that the buddy's name is Mallen. (take notes, there will be a quiz after) 

 At first Mallen seemed to have fainted and his buddies thought it was a dud. But then...

Gaaahhh. Looks like a 28 Days Later movie Zombie...

Cut to scene in a dimly-lit garage and we hear a cellphone ringing and Iron Man Tony Stark, reaching from his folding bed, answered it. It was his secretary reminding him of an interview that he set a few months back.  He got up, took a bath and did this bit:

Over the course of the story he would seem to talk to himself over his reflection a couple of times, as if he is assessing his self-worth. Up to now, I really don't quite "get" what the writer is achieving... 

Next we cut to an office where an old man is typing something on his computer and printed it. After that he reached for his drawer and...

Definitely not an all-ages book. 

Then we get to Tony Stark in his office all suited up and set for his scheduled interview with a document filmmaker named John Pillinger. He shook his hand and said that he is an "admirer of his documentaries". One would think that he is just being civil and never really heard about the guy, but Tony is a very smart man...

This story bit is pretty intense. The filmmaker is making Tony question his motives for having a weapons company that seemed to do more bad than good to the world. I read on a comic book magazine that the writer is trying to place Tony Stark on the "real world", where he is notorious enough to be interviewed by someone famous on the field like the controversial Michael Moore.

While this particular scene is wordy, it does not hinder your reading experience. For me, it packed more punches than his fight with Mallen on the following issues. And to think that this just occurred on the first issue... It just showed that the story showed potential early on. 

And he gave out the best "zing" or a big, subtle F-U to the filmmaker in this following panels:

After the interview Tony took a breather not by driving a sportscar, but flying around the skies with his Iron  Man suit. From there he received a call (isn't there anything the Iron Man suit can't do??? It's like an IPhone that you wear...) from a biologist/medical programmer named Maya Hansen that he met a few years back in a convention, asking for someone to talk, regarding her boss killing himself. (as seen previously) 

Tony recommended that they go to Sal, some hippie/proclaimed shaman. We get the same treatment before from the documentary filmmaker where we get a lot of conversations but this one fell short. It's not that much interesting to read and it makes me wonder how Sal knows what Maya and Tony are thinking.

While Sal does give out some thought-provoking pieces, it is overshadowed by a "powered-up" Mallen destroying an FBI building and killing the people inside as well shown in between talks. This is a comic book, after all. I'm guessing the writer did this to remove the monotony of "talking heads", which is a good move.

Naturally Tony suited up and fought Mallen.

Before we get to the incredible fight scene, we finally understand what "Extremis" is. Basically it's like a super-soldier serum on a biological scale. Read more on he image below.

And we also discover Mallen's bit of his past which would explain why he is doing this.

There are a few scenes here that the film "Iron Man", starring Robert Downey Jr., "borrowed" from, like the part where Iron Monger lifted a whole van to squash on Iron Man but Tony used his chest beam to prevent it from happening. The fight scene was pretty straightforward, brutal and wordless, which is a welcome change. I believe that this is also the first time that we see the "status updates" that Tony Stark is seeing on his helmet. 

Tony got beaten up really bad and would almost be killed if not for the police's choppers arrival. A police officer approached Iron Man and asked him what to do next. He asked to be sent to Maya's bio-medical office and:

Of course Maya objects with Tony's request but Tony ain't having that. He's convinced that an Extremis dose will help him beat Mallen and give his armor a much greater upgrade.

The following panels below give a very nice characterization bit for Mallen. While running away from the authority at 300mph he stumbled into an outcast student hanging around. The way he reasons out his motives to "save" his country to her is kinda hilarious and morbid. 

Back to Tony and we see him being lead to the Extremis-testing room and was given the last dose. Just like Mallen he got into an uncontrollable seizure and has gone into a coma. While in coma Tony dreamed about the time where was held captive by terrorists and  how he made his first Iron Man suit with the help of fellow captive Ho Yinsen to escape. We were treated to a flashback for people not familiar with Tony's origin.

I really enjoyed this part, besides the filmmaker interview part. It made me love the "First-Appearance" costume. And seeing the suit take down terrorists, jeeps and shelters was very empowering. 

When Tony woke up he told Maya that he made some modifications to the Extremis dose and showed that the under sheath of his armor is stored in his bones and he can command his armor at will. He even boasted  that he knows where Mallen is going and stated "I can see through satellites now."

With Tony getting the proper evacuation from the town where Mallen is wandering, he was able to give him a rematch where he was able to go toe-to-toe. As usual, the fight scene was brutal.

 In the first panel below we can see a Bender toy from the Futurama series. Just something I've noticed. And on the next image I can't believe that he would headbutt with his helmet on. Brutal indeed.

 Mallen was greatly pissed about Tony's remarks about him being an evil version of the Iron Man suit and and tackled him to the ground. He was choking him and Tony did something to save his life: 

Mega Ouch.

After the fight Tony was able to get his thoughts together and went back to Maya's office along with some army guys. This is, as we say, the twist to the story:

 And we get a last shot of Tony being able to be contented with himself. Still do not get it though.

But other than a few nitpicks, Iron Man: Extremis is a very well-written story perfect for readers just getting into Iron Man. A perfect jumping-off point, if you may. The art is also a delight. The artist Adi Granov is so influential he was tapped as lead designer on the suits on the "Iron Man" film. A recommended read for all.

I hope you enjoy this post, and as "First Appearance" Iron Man would say, "So Long, Folks!!!"

 and "Now F*%& Off!!!" ( I was so greatly inspired by the story that I sought and bought a Marvel Legends Iron Man just like the one featured on the storyline. Articulation is good but I glued his face mask shut because Tony's face is not proportional with his body. But still, a solid figure)

- "the king"