The promo for Iron Man 3 is coming thick and fast as the 24 April release date approaches. A new trailer is just about to hit and, true to form, a new poster has been released ahead of it.

What makes this poster particularly exciting is that it previews what is believed to be the Iron Legion, (possible spoiler alert) an army of  replica Iron Men which Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) can control from his new Mark 47 armour. What’s the bet this will be the focus of the new trailer?

So what prompts Stark to create such a thing, I wonder? Was the clue in the recent Super Bowl spot, where he was unable to save everyone falling to their deaths after an explosion on Air Force One?

And whose side does this army of iron end up on? Stark certainly apologises a lot in the early trailers and on several occasions looks beaten to a pulp. Does The Mandarin (Ben Kinsgley) or Dr Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) turn Stark’s creation against him in their personal quest to destroy him? We’ll find out soon enough.

Here’s the new poster:

IronMan3-Payoff-Poster-NZ-1

Marvel’s “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 haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

Directed by Shane Black, the film stars Robert Downey Jr, Guy Pearce, Cobie Smulders, Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Bettany, Rebecca Hall, Ben Kingsley, Jon Favreau, William Salder, Don Cheadle, William Hunt, James Badge Dale and Ashley Hamilton.

Iron Man 3 is due for release in New Zealand on April 24, 2013 – one week ahead of both the US!