First Look at Rourke in ‘Iron Man 2′

Is Mickey Rourke playing a He-Man figure? Based on the above image, that’s a logical conclusion to come to, but no–this is the first look at Rourke in Iron Man 2. The suddenly-respected actor is playing the central villain, Whiplash, in the film, and he and director Jon Favreau briefly discussed the character and the function of his post-apocalyptic orthopedics:

The villain’s alter ego, Ivan Vanko, is a Russian who “has constructed his own version of a suit,” Favreau says. Among the creative innovations: a pair of whips, powered by the suit’s glowing chest piece, that are expected to keep Iron Man cracking.