You may not know this, but the main character in Machete first appeared in the Spy Kids movies. It's true! Okay, so technically, it wasn't exactly the same character, but Danny Trejo played another guy named "Machete" who was the uncle to the titular child agents, and also a spy and inventor himself. He wasn't a bloodthirsty killer, but Trejo certainly made the franchise more awesome simply by being in it -- just as he did in the From Dusk Till Dawn movies, as well as the last two Mariachi flicks. Now he's got his own franchise, with two more Machete movies supposedly on the way, but why is Robert Rodriguez the only one taking advantage of his awesomeness? The man would make a valuable addition to any existing franchise -- here are seven we think should grab him while he's hot.

Tags: Danny Trejo, Harry Potter, Iron Man, Nanny McPhee, Pirates of the Caribbean, Step Up, The Hangover, Twilight

Well, that's it. The backlash has begun. Against the Iron Man franchise (although not the first movie, which is apparently unimpeachable), against Marvel's slow build to The Avengers (which is really only touched on twice in the new film, briefly) and against Robert Downey, Jr. himself, who is apparently too obnoxious, although they may have him confused with the character he plays. I'll admit that I had my own doubts going into this second installment since I do recognize the greatness of the original and since Marvel hasn't had the best luck with getting their comic book characters firmly established as film characters on par with the likes of James Bond, Indiana Jones and Harry Potter. But from the perspective of a long-time, die-hard fan of ol' Shellhead, I thought director Jon Favreau, screenwriter Justin Theroux and RDJ and the rest of the cast delivered a sharp, entertaining follow-up despite some cracks in the armor.

Tags: Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Jon Favreau, Mickey Rourke, review, Robert Downey Jr., Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson

There is very little that could be done to make me (or most people) worry about Iron Man 2. The first movie was so good, and so fun, that the second would have to be good, right? Unfortunately, it has to be good. It has to be better than the first, in fact, or people will be disappointed. It has to bring something new to the table. Luckily, director Jon Favreau and star Robert Downey Jr. seem to realize that, and they brought their A-game to the San Diego Comic-Con this past weekend. The footage they showed isn't online yet, but the descriptions of it dazzle the imagination. Here are ten things I learned from the Iron Man panel at SDCC that have gotten me even more excited to see it.

Tags: Iron Man, Iron Man 2

Jon Favreau must really like AC/DC. Or, more likely, the band's blistering guitar rock, violent lyrics and electrically inspired name simply make them perfect candidates to provide the entire soundtrack to Iron Man 2. Rockers providing soundtracks is nothing new, but rather than featuring all-new songs, like Queen did for Highlander and Daft Punk is doing for Tron, the AC/DC soundtrack will be a "greatest hits" collection, including some of their best-known anthems from as far back as 1976. (The promo video is set to 1980's "Shoot to Thrill.") With this in mind, we looked at other tentpole films slated for this year and picked the bands (and solo artists) with suitable back catalogs to provide all of the music for each movie.

Tags: AC/DC, Alice in Wonderland, Deathly Hallows, Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, J. Lo, Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga, Sex and the City 2, The A-Team

Today, the news broke that Disney has bought Marvel Entertainment, lock stock and barrel, for $4 billion. That includes Marvel Comics, with over 5,000 characters, and Marvel Studios, with the successful Iron Man and Hulk film franchises, plus the upcoming Thor, Captain America and The Avengers. It seems like it's a win-win scenario -- Disney gets a boys' brand to bookend the Disney Princesses, and Marvel gets some global multimedia clout -- but what does this really mean for our beloved Marvel superheroes? As fans, these are just a few things we're worried and/or excited about.

Tags: Disney, Hannah Montana, High School Musical, Iron Man, Marvel, merger, Mickey Mouse, Spider-Man, X-Men

You hear that? That's the sound of a million geeks crying out. But whether it's a cry of happiness, anger or confusion depends on the geek, and that geek's specific feelings towards Marvel comic books and Joss Whedon. Word has come down that Whedon, the creator of Dollhouse and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, will direct the Avengers movie, and while many are intrigued at the possibilities, there are some who just don't see the logic. (To be fair, Whedon's an experienced Marvel Comics writer and also wrote and very nearly directed a Wonder Woman movie, so this isn't the craziest idea we've ever heard.) As for us, we're mainly wondering about which members of his talented acting stable may make appearances in the film. Although half the movie is already cast (Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, etc.), there are plenty of other classic Avengers and Avenger villains that could be used to round out the story. Here are the past Whedon stars that we'd cast:

Tags: Avengers, Buffy, Dollhouse, Firefly, Iron Man, Joss Whedon, Nathan Fillion, Serenity

I really can't blame Jon Favreau for wanting to pass on the third Iron Man movie. He's already made two really good films, and any sort of arc he wanted to have in the third one was going to have to take a back seat to what happens with Iron Man in the Avengers and what Marvel wants him to do in Avengers 2. So best to leave it in the hands of someone who's sold on the whole "big picture" plan, but hopefully can still deliver the goods. Sadly, go-to sequel master Irvin Kershner is no longer with us, but we came up with a list of name directors with sequel experience who would, at the very least, create a threequel that would get people talking.

Tags: Ben Affleck, Clive Barker, Darren Aronofsky, director, Iron Man, Iron Man 3, Jon Favreau, Michael Bay

Are you in need of an Iron Man fix? It's been two months since the DVD came out and you've already found the Easter eggs and watched it often enough to make your significant other put Iron Man underpants on his or her Christmas shopping list. How else are you supposed to get your fix? Filming hasn't even started for the sequel! Have no fear, my jittery friend. Relief has come through in the form of Jeff Bridge's personal photo diary, Making Iron Man.

Tags: Iron Man, Jeff Bridges, Jon Favreau, Obadiah Stane, photography, Robert Downey Jr., Stan Winston, Tony Stark