It's been floating around for months now that the Iron Man 3 plot is very much influenced by Iron Man: Extremis, the six-issue storyline written by Warren Ellis and illustrated by Adi Granov.  That comic book arc, which informed Iron Man's rejiggering of the classic origin, finds a viral nanotechnology creating superpowered bad guys and, eventually, bonding Stark more closely a nanotech version of his armor.

This concept art, which premiered at SuperHeroHype, will be given to Comic-Con attendees for free next week.  Showing a surrounded Tony with partial armor seemingly coming out of nowhere, suggesting that this might be the Extremis iteration in action. 

Iron Man 3 is currently in production under the direction of franchise newcomer Shane Black, the Lethal Weapon screenwriter whose directorial debut, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, is an underrated gem and a crucial part of Robert Downey Jr.'s ascendance to full-blown mega-stardom.  Downey Jr. is wearing the razor-sharp goatee for the fourth time, and he's once again joined by Don Cheadle and Gwyneth Paltrow, as well as erstwhile series director Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan.  Newcomers to the armored action this time around include Rebecca Hall, Guy Pearce, James Badge Dale, and Ben Kingsley.

The sequel is shooting in North Carolina with plans to film in Miami and China later this summer.  Iron Man 3 is scheduled to arrive in 2D and 3D on May 3, 2013.

Stay tuned for news from San Diego Comic-Con.