Pretty much out of nowhere, Coming Soon has announced with confidence that the Iron Patriot armor is going to show up in Iron Man 3.  I hadn't seen this rumored previously, but whatever the source, Coming Soon confirmed that we'll see the ridiculous paint job onscreen.

The question, then, is who will be wearing the suit, which was introduced three years ago in the first issue of Dark Avengers.  In the comics, the Iron Patriot armor was worn by none other than Spider-Man bad guy Norman Osborn.  Since Sony Pictures owns the movie rights to the erstwhile Green Goblin, there's not a snowball's chance that he'll be in this movie.  Will Tony be making a smartassed statement with some unsubtle armor, or will military man Rhodey earnestly put aside the grays of his War Machine suit for something flashier?  Or it could be someone else entirely.

So, put a check next the Iron Patriot box.  Moving on.  When, in early April, it emerged that Ben Kingsley was in talks to play a mysterious but definitely villainous role, an anonymous source said that the character would not be The Mandarin.  That bad guy is Stark's most famous nemesis, and both Iron Man and the first sequel alluded to the character with references to the Ten Rings, refashioned as an international criminal organization.

Rumors of The Mandarin's involvement have continued, however, particularly since Marvel announced that the Iron Man 3 production would spend some time in China later this summer.

In response to a security guard on the Wilmington, North Carolina set's assertion that the Mandarin is the bad guy and that a pair of "twins" carry out his plans, the normally reliable Latino Review has clarified that Mandarin is a villain, but that he's a more shadowy threat.  Apparently, he's a "silent partner" to Dr. Aldrich Killen, the scientist who drummed up the Extremis nanotechnology and is using it to create superpowered individuals. Marvel Studios has never had beef with denying a character's involvement even when that character is set to appear, as was the case with Loki in The Avengers, so don't expect any kind of official confirmation on this rumor any time soon.

Latino Review's story would seem to support the suspicion that James Badge Dale and Ashley Hamilton, as Coldblood and Firepower respectively, will be injected with the nanotech virus.  But how in the hell does the Iron Patriot armor fit into the story?

What we know for sure is that Shane Black is directing from a screenplay that he co-wrote, while Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, and Don Cheadle will be joined by Guy Pearce as Dr. Killen and Rebecca Hall as a "sexy scientist," along with Kingsley, Dale, and Hamilton.  Just last week, we learned that Iron Man director Jon Favreau is returning to his supporting role as Stark's chaffeur, Happy Hogan.

Iron Man 3 is scheduled for May 3, 2013.