Photos from the North Carolina locations for Iron Man 3 have revealed that an organization that has wreaked havoc in the Marvel Universe is making an appearance in the film. The real world headquarters of game developer Epic Games has been redressed for the film as the HQ of A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics), the terrorist group led by power-hungry scientists that was introduced the Marvel Universe in 1966 in Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s Strange Tales #146.
The photos posted by ReelMovieNation depicting the A.I.M. headquarters building dovetail nicely with the previous announcement that Guy Pearce would be playing geneticist Aldrich Killain in Iron Man 3 (see “Sin City, Iron Man Casting News”), a clear indication that the IM3 screenplay incorporates portions of the Warren Ellis-penned Iron Man Extremis storyline in which a nanotechnological drug developed by Dr. Aldrich Killain (with effects much like a demented version of the “Super Soldier” serum) has been stolen and put to evil use by terrorists.
Speculation about the plot of Iron Man 3 centers on Killain either working for A.I.M. or having his nano-drug stolen by the scientist-led terrorist organization. Will the M.O.D.O.K. (Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing) make an appearance? Will all the A.I.M. execs wear yellow suits? Probably not--judging from the previously released Marvel Studios films, it appears that the studio’s screenwriters mix and match elements from the numerous appropriate comic book storylines to create a narrative that is reminiscent of, but hardly identical to, the actual comic book stories.
How will all this fit in with the character played by Ben Kingsley, who is reported to be The Mandarin? Well it appears that Iron Man 3 has yet to give up all its secrets.
