Iron Man 3 Confirmed to Include Iron Patriot

Shane Black’s Iron Man 3 will feature the red, white and blue Iron Patriot armor. What is uncertain, however, is exactly who will be wearing it.

The armor made its first appearance in 2009′s “Dark Avengers” #1. Following the events of the “Secret Invasion” crossover, Norman Osborn was mistakenly heralded as an American hero and tasked with leading a group of government sanctioned-Avengers. Taking the technology from Stark Industries, Osborn designed his suit to represent the then-recently-deceased Captain America.

Because the character of Osborn is a Spider-Man villain and the rights rest at Sony Pictures, it’s pretty much a certainty that a different character will be donning the suit in the upcoming film.

Now in production in North Carolina, Iron Man 3 stars Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Ben Kingsley, Guy Pearce, James Badge Dale, Ashley Hamilton and Jon Favreau. The film is scheduled to hit theaters on May 3, 2013.