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"

My Ali Mall Journey

It’s hard to believe that a very famous athlete came to the Philippines offering massive exposure and a major distraction to the social turmoil happening to our country and in the process, building a mall in his honor. Who knew that he had such a huge influence?

I’m not talking about Manny Pacquiao (although “PacMall” does have a certain ring to it) or Michael Jordan (“JordanMall”, “Jumpman Mall”?) but 3-Time World Heavyweight champion and International Boxing Hall of Fame Muhammad “The Greatest” Ali. For those who don’t know the boxing legend, Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.) is an American professional boxer, philanthropist and a social activist (his most famous was his opposition to the Vietnam War). He fought with boxing legends George Foreman, Floyd Patterson, Sonny Liston and Joe Frazier.

His heated bouts to greatness would take him to one of his greatest fights ever, his second rematch with the late “Smokin’ Joe” Joe Frazier that took place in Araneta Coliseum in the Philippines in October 1, 1975, thanks to the offering of former President Ferdinand Marcos. Dubbed “Thrilla in Manila”, the fight was well-received by many, citing as one of the greatest fights in the 20^th century. Heck, the “Thrilla In Manila” title was famous in pop culture itself that Paramore vocalist Hayley Williams wore a t-shirt with the title on her group’s concert. Ludacris mentioned the title on his rap on singer John Legend’s recent music video “Tonight (Best You Ever Had)” and just recently, comic book scribe Mark  Millar’s visit to the Philippines was dubbed “Milla in Manila”, an obvious nod to the “Thrilla…” title.

old look of the mall

After the fight a mall was built in his honor of his victory against Frazier. Named “Ali Mall”, it is located in Cubao, near the place where the fight took place, has 4-floors and has a 62,000 sqm area. It was one of the first malls in the country. Today there are several malls built in every available place, from the famous SM Malls to the obscure Isetann Mall, one would think if Ali Mall can still go toe-to-toe with other malls.

This is what I tried to find out recently. Acting on impulse and to a recent recollection of the mall, I sought to find out if Ali Mall lived up to its namesake.  And also to try something new besides going to Trinoma or SM North Edsa. With pictures, of course. (Click on any picture to enlarge.)

I have visited Ali Mall 3-4 years ago with my ex, since she lives close to the area. It was pretty beat-up and not a lot of stores are worth visiting. Most of them offer surplus products and second-hand items. Ii remember only looking at the whole mall itself and getting a massage from a blind masseuse (and not getting my money’s worth since he looked tired from the numerous customers and just used his elbow the whole time) And there are numerous malls in the area that offer more options for your shopping needs, like an SM outlet store, Farmer’s Plaza and Gateway Mall. So it appears that Ali Mall has already met its due.

Fast forward to today and I re-visited the mall with my current girlfriend. I was delighted that she accompanied me despite her usual hissy fits and objections. But I guess she just wants to go on a date since it has been a while. And also, to go window-shopping. 

We met on MRT Cubao station and proceeded to walk to Ali Mall. We almost got lost since we don’t know much of the place. Luckily my girlfriend has a slight memory of the landmarks leading to the mall so we were able to find it. I never realize until now that Ali Mall is pretty far from the common transportation, of which is the MRT. When you already get there you might have already visited the other malls and gotten what you want, so you won’t bother to go there anymore. I quickly thought of that disadvantageous scenario.

Another thing that I realize when we already got there is Ali Mall has recently gone a huge renovation. The mall had new lights installed and added some floor spaces, as well as a new foodcourt and cinemas. At one of the entrances there is a large stand showing the vision of the new Ali Mall as well as what is new there. Our visit was timely as the mall is already 70% finished. So you could say that it looks like the admin behind Ali Mall or even Araneta Center company subliminally suggested in my lucid thinking that we visit the place to urge people to go there.

Looking at the place, I was impressed at the new look of the mall. My girlfriend suggested that it looks like one of the malls in Singapore since it’s clean and a few people are there. Ali Mall also put up a covered bridge connecting to SM Cubao, so that people can also take a visit there as well. It was a good idea.

Now it seems that booths selling used celfones or electronic gadgets and what-have-yous were replaced by franchised shops selling signature products. There were a lot to offer for the average consumer, from clothing (Primadonna, Mint, Plains and Prints, Solo, Penshoppe, Bench, Celine, Mossimo) Sportswear/Footwear (Royal Sporting House, Adidas, Bananapeel) Pampering services (Posh Nails, Beauty Haven, Hairliners Salon) and specialty stores (Audiophile, Hahn, Cutting Edge, Silverworks, Japan Home Center, Music Source, Blue Magic, Girl Shoppe, CD-R King). Needless to say, there’s a handful that I haven’t mentioned here. There were other small-time stores that sell bootleg toys, budget clothing, furnitures and accessories and Class-A perfumes, but they are mostly few in the new mall. There is a department store as well in the form of “Shoe Center”, but they’re only selling a few items, has a small floor space and the toys are knock-offs.

they have, however, a very cool chair in "Shoe Center"

cd-r king is everywhere...

And there’s a lot to choose from when you’re hungry. Most of the small-time food kiosks are located at the top floor, at the new foodcourt. At the lower floors there are mostly restaurants and fast-food chains like Savory Chicken, Jollibee, McDonald’s, Max’s and Sbarro. There are some restaurants that cater to the “drinking” crowd all lined up in one spot, like Gerry’s Grill. And there are specialty food stores as well, like Dairy Queen and Starbucks.

There are even forms of entertainment in the form of a carousel located at the basement level and some kid’s rides and a large playpen at the top floor. There is a spot for older people to play as well in the form of an Arcade, but they are mostly decades-old videogames. But they are pretty cheap ( tokens at 5php). Of course it wouldn’t be mall if there are no cinemas and Ali Mall has 4 newly-renovated cinemas. We weren’t able to try them because we don’t have much time left to burn and we already watched The Avengers. But the overall look of the cinema spot looks a lot like Gateway cinemas. Not sure if there are reservations for tickets as well. Maybe next time we could check. Of course there are comfort rooms as well on every floor but you have to tread carefully because you might be entering a pay lounge. Okay, there is a receptionist so you’d know you’re going to pay, and it’s 10php per visit. We weren’t able to try it but I’m sure that it is in pristine condition. We just tried the unpaid comfort rooms and everything is still working and clean (no vandals of a celfone number asking for a “good time”).

Despite the new look, there are a lot of spaces that are still vacant, especially on the top 2 floors. They are covered with tarps showing 2010 Ms. Universe Fourth-Runner-Up Venus Raj as a sponsor of the mall. Not really sure if there are already shops being placed there or they are still for lease. But at the current condition of the mall, the unoccupied spaces does not hinder your mall experience (unless you hate seeing Venus Raj’s face)

I wasn’t able to find out when the renovation of the mall was finished, I asked a saleslady at Girl Shoppe while my girlfriend was trying out a dress, but she doesn’t know (heck, I could count on one hand a saleslady was of any use) so I just used my observation skills to look at the condition of the floor tiles and the comfort room to make a guess of how new it is. I arrived at the conclusion that the new Ali Mall was just 2-3 months old.

So how was our experience there? I love the new look, there are a lot of choices, plus I wasn’t really finding or buying anything. My girlfriend, on the other hand, found most of what she is looking for in Ali Mall. She had a field day that I was pretty surprised when I was just looking at the other direction one second, and the next she already has a paper bag in tow. Not that quick, but you get the idea. After we’ve looked at the mall we ate at a place called Uncle Cheffy’s. The menu consists of steaks, pan pizzas lamb chops and fish fillet. A little expensive, but they’re good.

medium rare steak

paraffin rice

Some of the things that didn’t sit well with me are the legacy of the mall. There are almost no hints that the mall was built in honor of the boxing legend, other than a tarp covering a vacant spot. Some people wouldn’t know why they call it Ali Mall. There should be a statue of Muhammad Ali in any spot of the floor to honor him. Heck, Ali Mall admins should have flown Ali to cut the ribbon and give him a tour of the newly-renovated mall. I’m sure that they can shell out 2-3 million pesos worth of expenses just to give it some public exposure. I may be a guy who values the past too much, but I feel like it’s appropriate.

Another thing is exposure: most of the city folks take the MRT, and when they wanted to shop they’ve already bought what they need on the other malls so they wouldn’t bother to look at Ali Mall anymore. I guess that Ali Mall is in a bad spot in the evolved metropolis. But seeing and being in the mall, it is a great place for buying music instruments (the 2 shops that I saw look credible and had a lot of choices), food trips and looking for affordable signature clothes. 

Looking back, I’m glad Ali Mall was given a new lease; it certainly deserves it for being the first mall in the country. It can be enjoyed by people of all walks of life for another 30+ years. Maybe when Ali would finally go to that great place in the sky, he can be buried there. Hey, maybe…  

 - "the king"