1. Familiar Faces- Most of the series cast is returning, with Robert Downey, Jr.  once again leading the charge of talented actors.

Also returning is Gwyneth Paltrow (who made a brief appearance in this summer’s “The Avengers”) as Pepper Potts, Don Cheadle as James “Rhodey” Rhodes aka War Machine and Paul Bettany as the voice of Jarvis, the supercomputer.

Despite not returning to the director’s chair, Jon Favreau will appear as Happy Hogan, Tony Stark’s loyal friend and sometime caretaker.

2. The New Man in Charge- Series’ director Jon Favreau is stepping down for the third installment, allowing veteran Hollywood scribe Shane Black to sit in the director’s chair. Black previously worked with Downey, Jr. in the critically-acclaimed “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”.

Black is most well-known for his writing, including classic action films like “Lethal Weapon” and “The Last Boy Scout”. His scripts are rife with humor and often take place during Christmas. Whether the holiday will play a major part in Iron Man 3 remains to be seen.

3. Back to the Cave- Marvel Studios producer Kevin Feige has gone on record as saying the film  “is a full-on Tony Stark-centric movie … very much inspired by the first half of Iron Man … he’s stripped of everything, he’s backed up against a wall, and he’s gotta’ use his intelligence to get out of it.”

Taking Tony Stark back to his roots should make for a compelling and possibly brutal film.

4. Extremis- When Guy Pearce was cast as Aldrich Killian and Rebecca Hall as Maya Hansen, all signs began to point to an adaptation of the popular 2005 “Extremis” storyline; where the two characters play central roles.

In the story line, Stark is exposed to the dangerous Extremis virus, an attempt to replicate the super-soldier project. The virus grants him the ability to directly take control of his armor, essentially becoming one with the suit.

Perhaps Captain America’s criticism of Stark in The Avengers as being just a “big man in a suit of armor” caused the playboy to decide on an upgrade in the form of the recently announced Mark XLVII armor.

Tony Stark dons the new “Mark XLVII” armor for Iron Man 3.

5. The Mandarin- Legendary actor Ben Kingsley will join the cast as The Mandarin, arguably Tony Stark’s greatest comic book nemesis.

In the comics, The Mandarin is a wealthy Chinese man who is skilled in the martial arts and obsessed with world domination. He comes in possession of the “Ten Rings of Power” which grant him abilities ranging from icy blasts to molecular rearrangement.

Often pulling the strings behind the scenes, The Mandarin has often made Tony Stark’s life a living hell through his schemes and manipulations. And this time, he may have a pair of dangerous allies.

6. Firepower- Actor Ashley Hamilton has been tapped to play the iron-suited villain called Firepower. In the comics, Jack Taggert was an engineer working on a suit for the U.S. Armed Forces.

 When Iron Man launched an assault on all armored villains, Taggert was sent after him, using the Firpower suit to battle Stark. Later stories in the comics have Firepower in an upgraded version of his suit supplied by The Mandarin.

7. Radioactive Man- Chinese actor Wang Xueqi is playing Chen Lu aka Radioactive Man. In the comics, Lu is a nuclear physicist who is exposed to a massive amount of radiation, turning him into a toxic villain with dreams of world domination.

It’s hard to say if Chen Lu will become Radioactive Man during the events of Iron Man 3, but given his history of battling The Avengers, he could be set up for a bigger role in the future.

8. A.I.M.- Photos taken on the set of the film revealed signs for “Advanced Idea Mechanics” an enigmatic terrorist organization from various Marvel comics.

A.I.M. consists of many scientists in all fields, and bent on destroying the world’s governments through means of their technological achievements.

Regardless of their role, A.I.M. will most certainly be causing trouble for Tony Stark.

9. Iron Patriot- The “Iron Patriot” armor will be making an appearance in the film. The armor is known for its appearance during the 2008 “Dark Reign” storyline that ran through the major Marvel Comics series. Donned by longtime Spider-Man villain Norman Osborn, the armor is a patriotic variation on Iron Man’s suit.  

Obviously, Osborn won’t be playing a role in Iron Man 3, so instead the suit will be worn by Rhodes. Apparently, the government sponsored War Machine will be getting the patriotic makeover for some unknown reason.

Whether this means Rhodes will be taking a villainous turn is uncertain, but if he does, Stark may have a backup partner in the form of…

10. Coldblood- Actor James Badge Dale has been cast as Eric Savin, the superhero known as Coldblood. After an accident left him literally in pieces, Savin was revived as a cyborg, allowing him to interact with any computer system.

Savin used his new abilities to perform mercenary work, assisting in the fall of many a super villain. In Iron Man 3, he may find himself uniting with Stark against a common threat.