Marvel Comics reveals Black Widow’s ‘Deadly Origin’
Marvel Comics’ Black Widow began as a Soviet spy, introduced as a foil for Iron Man in 1964’s “Tales of Suspense” No. 52. While her first few appearances saw her as an antagonist to Marvel heroes, she’s since joined with them, even leading the Avengers for a time.
The Black Widow, aka Natalia Romanova or Natasha Romanoff, will be played by Scarlett Johansson in next year’s film “Iron Man 2.” Marvel is doing its best to catch up readers on the character before the film, starting this week with the comic-book series “Black Widow: Deadly Origin.”
Scarlett Johansson suits up as Black Widow in Iron Man 2
SAN DIEGO – Although she was excited to join the “Iron Man” franchise as the Black Widow, actress Scarlett Johansson admitted it was intimidating to see the skintight costume.
“I had a freak-out moment, but then it only lasted about a half a day, and then it’s like, ‘Suck it up,’” said Johansson, promoting the film at Comic-Con.
She said in “Iron Man 2,” the Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow character is “a bit of a shape shifter.”
One side is demure and covert, while the other is aggressive and tough. “She does have a dark past, and I think that she is very seductive,” Johansson said.
Johansson wasn’t sorry to see the slinky cat-suit go at the end of filming, but said she looks forward to getting a chance to wear it again, perhaps bringing the character back in future installments.
“The character remains quite mysterious in this film,” Johansson said. “This movie is not about dealing with the Black Widow identity. Hopefully, if the character continues on, whether that be through ‘Avengers’ or something like that, we’ll be able to explore more of her past.”
In the comics, “The Avengers” is a team of superheroes including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and others. Black Widow has been a member of “The Avengers” in the comics, and Marvel currently has an “Avengers” film scheduled for 2012. Jon Favreau, director of “Iron Man 2,” is attached to “The Avengers” as an executive producer, and Robert Downey Jr., star of “Iron Man” and “Iron Man 2,” is likely to reprise his role as Tony Stark/Iron Man in “The Avengers” film. All of those are positive reasons for Johansson to return, she said.
“I loved making the film (Iron Man 2),” Johansson said. “I loved working with Jon. I loved working with Robert … so for me to be able to bring something like this back and kind of develop the character is exciting,” she said.
- by Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
Get your War Machine on: Don Cheadle talks about role in Iron Man 2
SAN DIEGO – The War Machine armor worn by James “Rhodey” Rhodes made its debut in a film clip shown at Comic-Con International, and “Iron Man 2″ co-star Don Cheadle got his first look at the armor along with 6,000-plus screaming fans.
“It was pretty incredible,” Cheadle said of the experience. “I hadn’t seen any of the footage cut together, I didn’t know what to expect. … And even as good as that looked, that’s still not the end result. That’s not totally finished. So it’s like, wow, it’s going to really be awesome.”
Cheadle replaces Terrence Howard as Rhodes in the “Iron Man” sequel set for next summer, but says there’s no bad blood between him and Howard about the change in roles.
“Terrance has been a friend for a while. I produced ‘Crash’ and put him in ‘Crash,’” Cheadle said at an interview at Comic-Con. “And, I was his friend before that, too, so he knew there was no beef. I didn’t snake a part from Terrance. He was cool with me.”
Cheadle said Howard was the first person to wish him good luck on the film, and by the time he came on, Howard “was already not doing the movie.”
Cheadle researched his role by checking out the comic-book history of Rhodes and War Machine. The 
character first appeared in the January 1979 issue of Iron Man and was created by David Michelinie and Bob Layton. Rhodes took over as Iron Man temporarily, starting with “Iron Man” No. 170 from 1983. Rhodes first donned the War Machine armor in 1992.
“I went back and looked at a lot of different (comics),” Cheadle said. “There’s so many different iterations of James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes in the comic books. It was hard to go, well, I want to be the one in 1982. It’s like, which one am I picking?”
Cheadle said he tried to go with the common denominator of Rhodes’ friendship with Tony and how it’s affected when Tony reveals to the world that he is Iron Man.
“I am in the military, and there’s a chain-of-command that I have to follow, but (Tony is) working outside of the military,” Cheadle said. “That was the strain, that was the tension that was between their relationship that drives the whole movie, for our characters.”
Cheadle said rather than try to match directly with what Howard did in the first movie, the filmmakers worked with him to create a performance that worked for the story in “Iron Man 2.”
“That’s why I liked how we kind of just dealt with it right up front, first scene, first moment that I was here on screen, say something about it and then just move on,” Cheadle said.
Cheadle said he had no trepidations about signing on to be in possible sequels or spin-offs from “Iron Man.”
“Well, what I know is that no matter what you sign, if the movie isn’t successful, it doesn’t matter how many movies we decide we were going to do, the public will say, ‘We don’t want any more,’” he said. “So, you want them to be successfulm and if they are successful, then, good, why wouldn’t you want be in more?”
“Iron Man 2″ is scheduled for release May 7. The collection “Iron Man: War Machine,” available now, collects Rhodey’s first appearances in the “Iron Man” armor. War Machine appears in an ongoing series from Marvel Comics, written by Greg Pak (”World War Hulk”). The first five issues of the current “War Machine” series are collected in “War Machine: Iron Heart,” released in July.
- By Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
Iron Man 2 promises more heroes, villains
SAN DIEGO – Sequels often promise bigger, faster, more. “Iron Man 2″ is no exception, offering an introduction of even more heroes and villains from the pages of Marvel Comics. But, star Robert Downey Jr. says, the filmmakers also wanted the story to be a logical outgrowth of the events of the first film.
“We … tore our eyebrows out to try to find the best way to express the complexities of what really would happen (in this film),” Downey said. The filmmakers, including Downey and director Jon Favreau, wanted a realistic emotional take on what would happen to Tony Stark.
Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark.
“No sooner has he said, ‘I am Iron Man,’ than he is wondering what that means. And if you have all this cushion, like he does, and the public is on your side, and you have immense wealth and power, I think he’s way too insulated to be OK.”
Downey certainly had the public on his side at his recent Comic-Con International appearance, where about five minutes of footage from the “Iron Man” sequel were played for several thousand screaming fans.
When Downey appeared at Comic-Con two years ago to promote the first “Iron Man,” the character was a lesser-known Marvel Comics character to the general public. Now, “Iron Man 2″ is a hotly anticipated sequel that was many comic fans’ most anticipated panel of the convention.
“It all started here,” Favreau told the Comic-Con crowd, after walking out to riotous cheers as the song “Iron Man” by Black Sabbath played.
“Nobody cared before you guys did.”
Robert Downey Jr. at Comic-Con International (AP)
Fans got a look at Nick Fury, director of a shadowy government agency, portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson, who appeared in the after-credits sequence of “Iron Man.” Also making an appearance in the preview footage were Garry Shandling, as an anti-Stark senator; Don Cheadle as Jim Rhodes; Mickey Rourke as Russian inventor Ivan Vanko; Scarlett Johannson as the Black Widow; and Sam Rockwell as rival arms dealer Justin Hammer. Cheadle replaced Terrence Howard in the role of Rhodes. Fans at Comic-Con got the first look at Rhodes’ variant of the Iron Man armor, called War Machine.
And that’s not the only new tech in “Iron Man 2.” Vanko develops his own mechanized weapon and apparently has a grudge against Stark.
“I think the footage has tipped the fact that (Stark is) struggling with some sort of contamination of his own system,” Downey said. “And he has a very formidable guy saying, I don’t care what everyone thinks about you, I know that you come from a family of murderers and thieves and I’m going to take you out of your misery. And maybe he almost half wants that to happen.”
Hammer, meanwhile, appears ready to take on some of the arms work that Stark is refusing.
Kevin Feige, Robert Downey Jr., and Jon Favreau at Comic-Con panel. (AP)
“Justin Hammer is ready to step in and fill Tony’s shoes, and say ‘Hey dude, just let me do it for you.’ But if you look at Justin Hammer and you look at the way Sam Rockwell plays him, you’d be like, ‘Not you buddy. You are a jerk. I don’t trust you.’ And maybe he should have trusted him, or maybe he’s more trustworthy than Tony thinks.”
Stark’s problem in this film is his self-reliance. It worked for him in the first film, as he was able to build an armor that saved his life, but Downey said Stark has to learn he can’t solve everything simply by putting his mind to it.
“I think that’s the big lesson in this film, is that he has to utilize not only all of his own resources, but the resources of those close to him and then resources from somewhere he never ever ever could have imagined.”
“Iron Man 2″ is scheduled for release May 7, 2010.
By Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
Sam Rockwell’s Justin Hammmer aims to take down Tony Stark in Iron Man 2
SAN DIEGO — Sam Rockwell said there’s some pressure coming into a high-profile project like “Iron Man 2,” but added that director Jon Favreau made the process very actor-friendly.
The actor, receiving great buzz for his role in the sci-fi film “Moon,” attended the “Iron Man 2″ presentation in Hall H of the San Diego Convention Center on Saturday and talked to reporters following the panel.
“It’s definitely nerve-wracking; the first one was such a big success,” he said of the pressures of “Iron Man 2.” “But you find a home and realize there’s a reason you’re there.”
Rockwell plays a rival arms dealer to Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, in “Iron Man 2.”
“He’s kind of a Tony Stark wannabe,” Hammer said. “I’m going to do whatever it takes to take Tony down.”
Rockwell said most of his scenes in the film are with Mickey Rourke’s Ivan, who becomes the Whiplash character.
“I’m sort of a patron of evil,” Rockwell said. “Mickey is the main adversary. I come to his aid.”
The comic-book Justin Hammer is an older British man. So Rockwell obviously took some liberties from that version of the character.
“I looked at the comics, but they wanted me to create something a little different,” Rockwell said. He also said he decided against playing the character with an accent due to the amount of improvisation “Iron Man 2″ required.
Meanwhile, the fan and critic accolades keep coming in for “Moon.” Rockwell, who described himself as a sci-fi fan, was asked about his Oscar chances for the film.
“It’s very flattering,” he said. “From their lips to God’s ears. It’s very early in the year for that sort of thing.”
- Matthew Price
Olivia Munn joins Iron Man 2 cast
Huge week for G4’s Olivia Munn – first, she’s on the cover of Playboy, then it’s announced she’s joined the Iron Man 2 cast. Pretty good nerd convergence, here: One of geekdom’s favorite personalities nabbing a role in what’s likely to be a huge comic-based hit.
Speculation on the role continues; Munn posted on twitter, “i am not playing a reporter. but that’s all i can say. 
”
Update: USA Today has some more information about Munn’s upcoming role:
“All my scenes (in Iron Man 2) are with Robert Downey and one other actor. I don’t know how much I can say,” she says. “We were (improvising) and it came to me (to say a line) … (Later) Robert said, ‘Can we just stop a second and give Olivia a round of applause. She is rocking it. That made me feel good.”
Munn also appears in the upcoming “Date Night” with Steve Carell and Tina Fey.
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- Olivia Munn as Princess Leia
Mickey Rourke’s Whiplash from Iron Man 2 revealed
The first look at Mickey Rourke as Whiplash has been released by Marvel Studios, via USA Today. The tech that powers Whiplash and Iron Man are related, according to director Jon Favreau.
“That’s part of the core theme of the film,” he tells USA Today.
Iron Man 2, starring Robert Downey Jr., Don Cheadle, Rourke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sam Rockwell and Scarlett Johansson opens May 7, 2010.
– Matt Price
AP: Downey Jr. suits up again as Iron Man
Downey suits up as ‘Iron Man 2′ starts filming
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Robert Downey Jr. is officially back in the superhero business.
Production started Wednesday on “Iron Man 2,” the sequel to his 2008 blockbuster about the Marvel Comics character.
Downey reprises his role as a billionaire genius who fights bad guys in a high-tech metal suit that’s loaded with gadgets. “Iron Man 2″ reunites Downey with co-star Gwyneth Paltrow and also features Don Cheadle, who replaces Terrence Howard as the superhero’s military ally.
Mickey Rourke is signed on to play a villain, and the cast also includes Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson, who had a cameo at the end of the first “Iron Man.”
Jon Favreau is back directing again for the sequel that hits theaters May 7, 2010.
Best movies of 2008
Superhero films came to the fore in 2008. In summer, it seemed each week brought another superpowered or comic book-based tale. Other of the year’s top films featured washed-up wrestlers, 1970s politicians and an optimistic trash compactor. The following are my list of the best 10 films of the year.
1. “The Dark Knight” – Director Christopher Nolan made a crime epic disguised as a comic-book caper. The Joker looms large over “The Dark Knight,” as portrayed by the late Heath Ledger. The Joker’s lunacy has the town on edge. While the Joker ostensibly is working for the city’s criminal powers, his real goal is chaos. This creepy vision of the Joker is original and unsettling, with greasy hair and a painted-on smile covering scars.
Ultimately, Nolan’s Batman film asks viewers to consider when and why rules should be broken.
2. “Slumdog Millionaire” – Director Danny Boyle shows us the life of a young “slumdog” in Bombay, who becomes a contestant on the Indian version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” Alternately terrifying and uplifting, “Slumdog” is something of an Indian “It’s A Wonderful Life” as Jamal Malik attempts to explain his game-show success to police who suspect fraud.
3. “The Wrestler” – Mickey Rourke plays Randy “The Ram” Robinson, a former top pro wrestler who still lives for the adulation of the crowd while hanging on in the dregs of the business as he approaches middle age. He wants to re-establish a relationship with his daughter (Evan Rachel Wood), but isn’t sure where to start. He asks for help from a friend, exotic dancer Cassidy (Marisa Tomei – she’s also holding on to her profession past the usual sell-by date. Each of them must determine the best way to end this phase of their lives in this drama directed by Darren Aronofsky.
4. “Frost/Nixon” – Director Ron Howard makes the cat-and-mouse game between interviewer David Frost (Michael Sheen) and the resigned President Nixon (Frank Langella) into compelling drama.
5. “Iron Man” – Robert Downey Jr. plays billionaire playboy Tony Stark, forced to invent a high-tech suit of armor to save his life in “Iron Man.” Toward the end, “Iron Man” descends into formula, but before it does, the highs are incredibly high.
6. “WALL-E” – The animated Pixar film features a robotic trash compactor on an abandoned Earth. When a probe from the surviving humans arrives, WALL-E finds love. “WALL-E” is a classic love story disguised as a science fiction tale, but it works as both.
7. “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” – Brad Pitt stars as Benjamin Button in this epic film loosely adapted from an F. Scott Fitzgerald short story. Benjamin is born old, then ages backwards. The sweep of the film reminds of “Forrest Gump” – Eric Roth wrote the screenplay for both.
8. “Milk” – Sean Penn stars as gay activist Harvey Milk in this 1970s biopic. Milk was the first openly gay man elected to office in California. Exceptional supporting performances abound, especially by Emile Hirsch as Milk protégé Cleve Jones. Also of note are Josh Brolin as Milk’s adversary and eventual assassin Dan White, and James Franco as Milk’s long-time companion Scott Smith. The film was directed by Gus Van Sant.
9. “Happy-Go-Lucky” – Sally Hawkins carries this film as the constantly happy Poppy. As the film begins, you can’t imagine making it through this movie without being irritated by her, but by the close you don’t want the movie to end. It’s a fascinating character study by Mike Leigh, with a strong supporting performance from comedian Eddie Marsan, here as an angry driving instructor.
10. “Gran Torino” – The better of two Clint Eastwood-directed films this year, this stars Eastwood as Walt Kowalski, a cranky, somewhat racist widower. Walt discovers his young neighbor Thao (Bee Vang) attempting to steal his prized car. After his neighbors insist, he allows Thao to do some odd jobs to work off his transgression. While “Gran Torino” has some flaws and an unbelievable ending, it deserves its placement on this list through the force of Eastwood’s portrayal of Walt, a retired Dirty Harry-type seething his way through his twilight years and forced to confront preconceived notions.
– Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
Downey Jr. in “Avengers”
As reported by Variety, Robert Downey Jr. has signed on for Iron Man 2 and 3, and “The Avengers” as well. NewsOK has a report. Jon Favreau will also be involved in “The Avengers,” as an executive producer.
