After a monumental performance that will go down in box office history thanks to The Avengers, Marvel Studios is ready to get their cinematic universe back to stand alone installments as Phase Two kicks off with Iron Man 3. With plenty of set photos and a trailer description from San Diego Comic Con to get us through until the first footage, Marvel is ready to unleash the first trailer for the upcoming sequel tomorrow. But in preparation for that, they have decided to release a brief teaser of that, the first poster and seven first look photos that feature our typical heroes, some romance, the Iron Patriot and our first shot of Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin:

Directed by co-writer Shane Black, Iron Man 3 pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale with Jon Favreau and Ben Kingsley, Iron Man 3 hits theaters on May 3rd, 2013.