Things go dark for Tony Stark in 'Iron Man 3' trailer

Posted Tuesday, October 23, 2012 at 11:25 AM Central
Last updated Tuesday, November 6, 2012 at 8:05 AM Central

by John Couture

I know that yesterday I went a bit hard on the teaser to the teaser trailer for Iron Man 3, but it turns out that my mockery may have been a bit rash. As it turns out, the teaser trailer for Iron Man 3 turned out to be a full-length trailer, so the teaser tease could be seen as just a simple teaser trailer.

Of course, you still have to question why they would release a teaser trailer a day before the full-length trailer, but I digress.

What you can't question though is just how impressive this trailer is and how fascination the Tony Stark character has become over the course of three (soon four) films. I think it's safe to say that Iron Man 2 was a bit of a let down, but that Iron Man was back to form by The Avengers.

So, the big question was which Iron Man would we see in Iron Man 3?

I think after watching this trailer, you will agree with me that Tony Stark is back and the action looks better than ever. At the same time, Iron Man 3 looks to be the darkest chapter yet with the introduction of The Mandarin played by Ben Kingsley sporting a killer pony tail and sporting a voice that my co-hort Tim thinks that Daniel Day-Lewis should have co-opted for Lincoln.

I think out of all of The Avengers, Tony Stark/Iron Man is the most human character that audience members can relate to. I don't think it hurts one bit that actor Robert Downey Jr. is as flawed as his on-screen alter-ego. Over the first three films, there has been a definite story arc as Stark has grown as person, all the while trying to come to grips with the suit that is as much his crutch as his life force.

From the looks of it, the trailer leaves us with the impression that Tony Stark will have to do some heavy lifting without the help of his suit and what could be more fitting for his character? Whatever the case, it appears that dark times are ahead for Tony Stark and the darker stories seem to work best.

Some people have already started to make comparisons between Iron Man 3 and The Dark Knight Rises citing the darker tone and the broken cowl, but I think they are simply trying to fit a round peg into a square hole. While yes, there are very real similarities between Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark, I'm not buying into the conspiracy theory.

I'm willing to bet that Iron Man 3 will stand up on its own two feet. Now, the only question is whether Tony Stark will be able to as well.

Iron Man 3 hits theaters on May 3, 2013.