James Badge Dale Joins Iron Man 3 Cast as... a Villain?
Posted 05.16.12 by Ryan
One of the first cast members brought on board for Iron Man 3 (besides Robert Downey Jr., of course) was Ben Kingsley, who has been cast as a villain "involved in spreading a virus through nanobots." Some reports at the time claimed that Kingsley would not be the sequel's only villain, and, depending on what you believe about the latest cast addition, those rumors may be valid.
According to Deadline, James Badge Dale has been cast as the villain Savin, though further details are still forthcoming. Variety has speculated on the casting, claiming that Dale will play Eric Savin, a character from the Marvel Universe that eventually becomes the cyborg Coldblood. In the comics, Savin is a soldier in the Army who steps on a landmine and is turned into a cyborg as a result. And though, in the comics, the character fell prey to his cyborg side at times, he was not necessarily considered a villain, nor did he cross paths with Iron Man in the Extremis storyline which is serving as the inspiration for Iron Man 3.
How Coldblood will be implemented into the storyline is anyone's guess. In Warren Ellis' Extremis storyline, Tony Stark works to end the spread of a nanotech induced virus, and including a cyborg in a story about nanotechnology doesn't sound like much of a stretch.
Dale is best known for his work on HBO's The Pacific, though the actor will be more recognizable after appearing in the upcoming The Lone Ranger and World War Z. Dale joins a cast that includes franchise newcomers Rebecca Hall as a "sexy scientist every bit as smart" as Tony Stark and Guy Pearce as geneticist Aldrich Killian, while Gwyneth Paltrow and Don Cheadle will reprise their roles as Pepper Potts and Lt. James "Rhodey" Rhodes, aka War Machine, respectively. Shane Black (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) is directing from a script he co-wrote with Drew Pearce.
Next Showing: Iron Man 3 is scheduled to open May 3, 2013