Production on director Shane Black’s Iron Man 3 just recently got underway, but it didn’t take long for the first set photos to surface.  That first batch revealed the inclusion of Iron Patriot in the film (or at least the Patriot Armor), and a new batch of set photos that went online today reveal yet another possible threat to Tony Stark.  Though no actors are included in these images, we do see a building with a signpost that says “A.I.M.” which stands for Advanced Idea Mechanics.  As fans of the comics know, this could signal more bad news for Stark.  Hit the jump for the set photos and details regarding this organization, including analysis as to what this may mean for the plot of the film.Here are the set photos (via io9), followed by details regarding A.I.M.A.I.M. is an organization in the Marvel universe that is made up of a group of brilliant scientists who are dedicated to “the acquisition of power and the overthrow of all world governments by technological means.”  I’ll let Wikipedia take it from here:

The organization supplies arms and technology to various terrorist and subversive organizations both to foster a violent technological revolution and to make a profit. A.I.M. operatives are usually involved in research, development, manufacturing, and sales of high technology. Members of A.I.M. are required to at least have a Master's degree, if not a Ph.D, in some area of science, mathematics, or business.

Some of A.I.M.’s achievements include an android called the Super-Adaptoid and something called MODOK (Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing) that’s an artificially mutated human with a massive computational brain.  We don’t exactly know how much A.I.M. will factor into the plot of Iron Man 3, but the main story of the film involves the Extremis storyline and Stark’s research with nanobots.

Ben Kingsley is signed on the play the villain (probably Mandarin) and James Badge Dale is playing Eric Savin (aka Coldblood), but this A.I.M. business brings about curiousity regarding another castmember.  Rebecca Hall stars in the film as a scientist who supposedly rivals Stark in intelligence.  Could she be one of the top figures at A.I.M.?  Also, Guy Pearce is set to play geneticist Aldrich Killan, who was one of the people responsible for creating the nanobot virus that plagues Tony Stark, so it’s feasible for his role to be somehow intertwined with A.I.M.

Whatever the case may be, the science nut in me is thrilled to see that much of Iron Man 3 involves scientists/technology/world domination/etc.  Moreover, these set photos confirms that Black will continue his streak of setting at least part of his features during the Christmas holiday, as a Christmas tree is visible outside the A.I.M. building.  Iron Man 3 is set for release on May 3^rd, 2013.