When Jon Favreau’s 2008 Iron Man credits rolled, serenaded by Black Sabbath’s classic notes, it was instantly welded into the annuals of classic superhero cinema. It thrust a second tier Marvel into the spotlight, elevating the engineered hero skyward while rejuvenating the teetering career of the almost literal Tony Stark, Robert Downey Jr. The success of this flagship Marvel Studios title launched an inevitable sequel and crafted the equation that led us to The Avengers, now continuing onward to the expected solo follow-up. Iron Man is nowhere near to rusting!

Rooted from the beginnings, the winking nerd Easter egg that was the Ten Rings terrorist group was sadly absent from the arguably lackluster Iron Man 2. Referencing the Moriarty to Tony’s Sherlock, the Ten Rings is a nod to the magical bling of the long-running feud Stark has with the Mandarin. While conceptually there was a cut scene that tied Whiplash loosely to this Fu Manchu of Marvel comics, that was abandoned…until now. Taking a glance at the production crew hats worn on the set of Iron Man 3, it appears the Ten Rings logo has arrived and yet again an ever-present and watchfully ominous shadow over the interests of Stark Industries. Let’s enter Ben Kingsley Mandarin!