I have not seen the first. I am doing a major basement remodel, and have promised my sons a big screen TV. We have a pact to watch Iron Man I on it, then go out and see the new one. We’re less than 10 days from realizing the dream! I know, I know, we are the last family in America to not own a big screen TV!

As a comic fanboy, loved the extra scene at the end. I do worry about about the future of the franchise and the Avenger movie. Many of Ironman’s villians fall into what you might all the mythical… and so certainly is the character teased at the end. I don’t see any way around it, I mean if you want to expand on the Marvel comic world and its characters there is just no avoiding the mythical. However, I’m not sure how the non-comic fan will take to it. Favreau already said that they teased Ironman’s primary nemesis enough and want him as the villian in the third entry. The Mandarin, who uses ten magical rings.

Geek alert! They’ve retconned the background in the comics so that these 10 rings are technology from dragon-like aliens and not magical… well I think you get my point, this is delving deeper into the fantastic. For myself, I’ll probably enjoy it but I’m afraid they’ll lose the general audience who is going to have a hard time with suspension of disbelief.