Iron Man 2 (2010) was the second Iron Man film, and the third for the MCU. It greatly expanded on many aspects of the comics – but which comics? Here’s our guide to comics you should read after Iron Man 2.
Tales Of Suspense #46
October 1963
Stan Lee, Don Heck
First appearance The Crimson Dynamo.
Iron Man 2 was to feature two villains, but Crimson Dynamo was ultimately cut. Parts of his comic book origin was repurposed for the film version of Whiplash – the soviet roots, and the high tech equipment, and the characters real name. A character with the same name – Anton Vanko – appears in the film.
Tales Of Suspense 52
April 1964
Stan Lee, Don Heck
First appearance of Black Widow.
Black Widow was another in a long line of Russian villains from the early decades of Marvel, and Iron Man in particular. She turned into one of the longest serving Avengers and a vital part of the team, and the Marvel comics universe.
Those early Tales Of Suspense stories are collected in The Golden Avenger, the first Iron Man Epic Collection.
Tales Of Suspense #97
January 1968
Stan Lee, Gene Colan
First appearance Whiplash.
Whiplash’s origin was changed almost completely from the comics. He was a weapons designer for the maggia (the Marvel comics version of the mafia) with an adamantium whip. The film version takes the whip idea and the code name and little else.
This story is featured in the second Iron Man Epic Collection – By Force Of Arms.
Iron Man 28
August 1970
Archie Goodwin, Don Heck
First appearance Howard Stark.
Some time after Iron Man (2008), Marvel studios decided that Howard Stark would be an important player in the MCU, so They cast John Slattery in the role. In the comics and the film, he is a brilliant inventor in his own right, playing important roles in World War II and the founding of SHIELD.
Iron Man 120
March 1979
David Michelinie, Bob Layton
First appearance of Justin Hammer.
In the comics, Tony Stark had many corporate rivals, including Justin Hammer. In the comics he is British and a lot older, and put together many of the weapons that powered Iron Man’s various foes.
Iron Man 200
November 1984
Denny O’Neil, Mark Bright
First appearance of the Red and White armour.
Iron Man’s red and white armour is a nod to one in the comics. Known as the Silver Centurion armour, it was the first major colour change for Iron Man in 20 years. It was the end of the story for The Iron Monger, the key villain in Iron Man (2008).
Iron Man 282
July 1992
Len Kaminski, Kevin Hopgood
First appearance of War Machine.
The start of the War Machine storyline. James Rhodes had subbed for Iron Man, but now he had his own armour, and heroic identity. The epic story saw Rhodes become War Machine, who would also become an Avenger.
This epic story is collected in War Machine.
Other comic book references:
– Stark has that great suitcase armour in the film. He’s had suitcase and other portable armours in the comics.
– Olivia Munn plays a reporter named Chess Roberts. She appeared in one comic, Iron Man v3 #1 in Feb 1998.
– Stark alludes to being willing to take the role of Secretary of Defence. He did so in the comics.
– Pepper becomes CEO of Stark Industries, something she does in the comics.
– Vanko’s fake passport uses the name Boris Turgenov. That’s the name of the second Crimson Dynamo in the comics.
– We see Hogan boxing in this film, badly. In the comics, he was once a professional boxer.
– Black Widow’s alias is Natalie Rushman. In the comics, she had the alias Nancy Rushman.
– In the race, a car sponsor is Roxxon, the evil corporation from the comics.
– Bambi Arbogast, Pepper’s secretary, was a long time minor character from the Iron Man comics.
– At the expo, there is a company called Circuits Maximus. Stark owned a company with the same name in the comics.
– And of course, in Howard Stark’s possessions is a copy of Captain America #1, from March 1941.