The first pictures of Mickey Rourke as the villainous Russian mercenary Whiplash in the upcoming “Iron Man 2″ have hit the web, and you can get a glimpse of Rourke in his whip-wielding armored glory below.

Directed by Jon Favreau and starring Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Rourke as the Russian Whiplash, Don Cheadle as James Rhodes, Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, and Sam Rockwell as businessman Justin Hammer, the sequel to 2008’s “Iron Man” is set six months after the end of that movie, but little else has been released about the film’s premise.

The character of Iron Man, a Marvel Comics character, premiered in 1963. Industrialist and inventor Tony Stark, injured while overseas and captured by terrorists, he forges a suit of armor to save his injured heart and escape from his captors, and uses this armor as the basis of becoming Iron Man, the red and gold hi-tech hero and founding member of the Marvel mainstay superhero team the Avengers.

“Iron Man 2″ is in theaters May 7th, 2010.

Keep checking back with Shockya.com for more “Iron Man 2″ news.

By Costa Koutsoutis (Source: USA Today)

Mickey Rourke as Whiplash