Favreau Reveals Whiplash!

Courtesy of USA Today I have our first look at Mickey Rourke in character as Whiplash in the upcoming Jon Favreau directed "Iron Man 2". Rourke plays Ivan Vanko, who in the comics, was a weapons designer working for Stark's rival industrialist Justin Hammer. The image below gives us a oustanding glimpse of Vanko's own version of a power suit complete with energy-charged whips (I'd definately say this is an early prototype of Whiplash's power suit, look for Whiplash to have a more armoured suit at some point in the film). In the image, Ivan Vanko is at the Monaco Historic Grand Prix and unfortunately that is all director Jon Favreau was willing to reveal regarding the plot points seen in the image. Favreau however, did talk a bit about Rourke's character and the design of the suit. Read what Favreau had to say and checkout out Rourke in character below...

The first thing you might say when looking at Rourke in character as Whiplash is, "isn't that the same power pack on his chest that Tony wears?" Favreau answers that question specifically. He said, "The technologies are definitely related. That's part of the core theme of the film." Favreau continued, "Ivan has constructed his own version of a suit." Mickey Rourke commented on his role by saying, "Whiplash is going to light them up!" Favreau also hinted that his Whiplash may be a bit different from the comic. He said, "We like to play into and against the expectations that people might have, so we mixed it up a bit." The last thing Favreau talked about concerning the character of Whiplash, was the decision to go with Mickey Rourke. He told USA Today, "It was very important that the villain be as compelling as can be. … Once I thought of Mickey in that role, it made me understand how to shape the story."

What say you? Do you like the look of Rourke as Whiplash? Could this be an early prototype that Whiplash designs or is this what he will battle Iron Man in? Strikeback...