The first trailer for “Iron Man 3,” which Marvel released at midnight PST, reveals glimpses of a story far darker than its predecessors.

The two-minute trailer implies that self-proclaimed “genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist” Tony Stark loses everything he values, perhaps including his girlfriend and girl Friday Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), at the hands of Marvel super-villain the Mandarin, brought to the big screen for the first time by Ben Kingsley.

The film, directed by Jon Favreau’s former “Iron Man” and “Iron Man 2″ consultant Shane Black (“Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”), is due out May 3, 2013.

The trailer (check it out above) begins with a shot of a battered Iron Man falling into snow, his arc reactor flickering on his chest as he removes his mask and reveals a bloodied face.

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