By Chance Welch

The glut of recent comic book movies have shown us the good (The Dark Knight) the meh (Kick-Ass) and the ugly (alas, The Spirit), so it comes with relief that a follow-up to the all-around good Iron Man is coming out this summer.

Robert Downey Jr. will step back into the power suit for another go as swaggering billionaire and not-so-secret superhero Tony Stark. This time around, the film has a few noteworthy additions to it in the form of Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Mickey Rourke as Whiplash. The sequel also has recast Don Cheadle in Terrence Howard’s role as Lt. James Rhodes who eventually becomes War Machine.

Hopefully the decision ends up like how Maggie Gyllenhaal improved upon the character that Katie Holmes originated in Batman Begins. Also coming aboard the Iron Man money train is one of my favorite character actors, the cool and quirky Sam Rockwell as Tony Stark’s business rival Justin Hammer. Rockwell proved with last year’s sci-fi mindjob Moon that he could deliver an amazing performance even if he’s mostly by himself, so the chemistry between him and Downey Jr. should be worth the price in popcorn.

Director Jon Favreau, who’s doing double duty acting as Tony Stark’s confidante Happy Hogan, has stepped out from being known as Vince Vaughn’s drinking buddy in Swingers to being a prominent director with Will Ferrell comedy Elf, Jumanji sorta-sequel Zathura and the underrated Made, where he came full circle to make a funny wiseguy comedy with Vaughn.

The first Iron Man had the right mix of action, humor and Tony Stark wisecracks to keep audiences entertained. The sequel appears to have the same formula but heads in darker directions like focusing on Tony Stark’s alcoholism and his complicated relationship with new CEO of Stark Industries Pepper Potts, played by Gwyneth Paltrow.

How about the new villains? Mickey Rourke, fresh off his comeback from The Wrestler, will play Whiplash, a villain based off Soviet powered armor-wearing Crimson Dynamo and whip-wielding professional criminal Backlash.

Mickey Rourke as Whiplash with cockatoo in tow.

Note the parrot on Whiplash’s shoulder. Is this a seal of approval for badassness or what? Probably not, but it’s interesting nonetheless.

Johansson, who recently starred as Silken Floss in Frank Miller’s The Spirit, but even her smoky sex appeal couldn’t save a bomb of such proportions. Fans can trust that Favreau’s direction will have her in a role that suits her well, not just color-saturated eye candy.

Iron Man 2 premieres in theatres May 7.