Early last year it was announced that Mickey Rourke's character in
Iron Man 2 would be a combination of two comic villains, Whiplash and the Crimson Dynamo. When the first clips of the film were released, fans got to see Rourke sporting modernized Whiplash-esque technology and a Russian accent, but no red armor. Later on down the road, the film's director Jon Favreau told the media that he only used the Crimson Dynamo's surname, Vanko, and modified backstory for Rourke's character; which had fans wondering if the
real Dynamo would actually grace the big screen.
Well, he did; though not the way it was expected. Those who have seen
Iron Man 2 know that the villainous Whiplash dons a fully armored suit at the film's climax. That suit, though effective for the scene, was an independent design and not influenced by the character's comic counterpart.
So where was the Crimson Dynamo? Leave it to Jon Favreau to find a way to subtly sneak him in...
Do you notice the name Boris Turgenev? In the film, Ivan Vanko (Rourke) was given that name on the forged passport and travel documents by a Ten Rings gangster in Russian. He subsequently used the same name for the orange jumpsuit he wore at the Monaco Grad Prix, when he faced down Tony Stark.
According to Marvel comic cannon, Boris Turgenev was the second Crimson Dynamo after Anton Vanko. Turgenev had a very short career as a super villain. In his first and only appearance in Marvel comics, Turgenev came to the United States with the Black Widow to kill Anton Vanko, Tony Stark, and Iron Man (who the public thought was one of Stark's bodyguards).
Turgenev almost carried out his mission, virtually defeating Iron Man with the stolen Crimson Dynamo suit. He was killed by Vanko, who, sacrificing his own life for the cause of freedom, fired an experimental and unstable laser pistol at the new Dynamo.
So there you have it; though it may not have been the Crimson Dynamo cameo a lot of people wanted, the filmmakers managed to squeeze a reference to him rather gracefully. And don't forget, Whiplash's father, who made a brief appearance in the film's opening sequence, had the name Anton Vanko; which happens to the the name of the first Crimson Dynamo from the comics. So not only did we get one Dynamo comic reference, we got two. Personally, I like seeing that someone took the time to specifically honor a film's source material; it's a practice that fans very much appreciate.
MPP - Well, this concludes my three part series of
Iron Man 2 Easter eggs that were generally overlooked. If I find anymore after another viewing of the film, I'll be sure to let you all know. In case you missed them, there are the other two:
- Was Union Jack Referenced in Iron Man 2?
- Did Iron Man 2 Hint at Namor The Submariner?