Movies - Spoilers: Rourke ALSO Joins the Cast of Iron Man 2!?

Whoa!! I know there are several fans of Mickey Rourke out there and his recent comeback began with a role as the lead in the critically acclaimed The Wrestler. Well it seems like that role has kicked down the door of opportunity as we now get word that Rourke is also being cast in Iron Man 2 as a villain.

Earlier today we posted that Variety reported that he was cast in Stallone's The Expendables. Talk about a comeback and a great day for Rourke.

Also, being reported is Sam Rockwell could possibly be joining the cast as well.

Here is the full story:

Marvel has just announced that both Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell are in talks to join Jon Favreau's Iron Man 2! Rourke is in discussions to play a villain described as Tony Stark's Russian alter ego, a heavily tattooed bruiser named Ivan who becomes Crimson Dynamo, a villain with his own nuclear-powered armored suit. Rockwell will play a British villain named Justin Hammer, a multibillionaire businessman and a rival of industrialist of Tony Stark. No other details were revealed about the highly anticipated sequel at this time. Can you handle two huge casting announcements in one day?

This is the second major casting news for Rourke today, following confirmation that he also had joined Sylvester Stallone's The Expendables. This is easily the greatest acting comeback we've seen in years. As for the villain, the original Crimson Dynamo first appeared in Tales of Suspense #46 in 1963. There have been 12 various Crimson Dynamo incantations over the years, so it's likely this one is being written specifically for the cinematic Iron Man universe. However, there are conflicting reports that Rourke might be a villain named Whiplash instead. My best guess is that he's actually Crimson Dynamo, not Whiplash.

As for Rockwell's character, Justin Hammer, he first appeared in the comics in Iron Man #120 in 1979. Hammer invented a device called the hypersonic scan transmitter, which allowed him to take control of Iron Man's armor. Angered that he had lost a lucrative bid to Stark Industries, Hammer took control of his armor and forced him to kill the Carnelian ambassador. Since then, Hammer has been one of Stark's primary adversaries, coming up with new evil schemes over the years. Sounds like Favreau has found the right villains for this sequel! Paramount will bring Iron Man 2 to theaters on May 7th, 2010.

Source: First Showing