Whiplash... he wasn't much of an armored fellow now, was he? Don't let the outfit fool you though, this guy was still a devious pain in the arse for Tony Stark's alter ego, The Invincible Iron Man. Pursuits for luxury and fortune caused the man known as Mark Scarlotti to settle for the criminal life. Instead of being an armored clad enemy like Titanium Man or a magic oriented baddie like the Mandarin, he designed sophisticated metal whips and wore a costume to serve a criminal organization known only as The Maggia, taking up the identity "Whiplash". On his first adventure as a supervillain, he came to blows with Iron Man, but only settled things in a draw during their first fight. Subsequent battles had him paired with other known IM foes such as Blizzard and Boomerang, and at one point he came under the employ of Justin Hammer to don the new identity of "Blacklash". However, Scarlotti always came up short in the end, eventually falling to the might of ol' shellhead.
Next year in Iron Man 2, veteran actor Mickey Rourke will be taking up the role of one of Iron Man's well known rogues. Hearing the news before kinda felt awkward though. I always felt the guy was better suited to play Crimson Dynamo, and that would've been a perfect fit too considering the need for another Iron Man baddie that could whoop ass in another "armor vs armor" battle royal. Yet, after seeing these awesome production pics and trailer footage shown at this year's SDCC, I gotta say, I'm impressed. Mickey Rourke looks real badass with those whips, and with Iron Man still an up and coming superhero, he looks like he could give Stark a heck of a challenge. To top it off, Whiplash is using the same Arc Reactor technology and chest piece that keeps Tony alive and powers his suit... interesting.
In related news, Marvel.com just posted a article announcing a new IM title for one of their November releases - Iron Man vs Whiplash! It's going to be written by Brannon Bragga and Marc Guggenheim, with pencils done by Phil Briones. Not only is the book primed to reintroduce the character to new audiences, it has him sporting a new look too. Taking a cue from the movie, Whiplash will also power his whips via a chest piece, and he has a faceplate mask that conceals his identity. With a complete makeover like that, fans will have all the more reason to look forward to Iron Man 2 now. Can't wait for it!
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