The first trailer for Shane Black's Iron Man 3 dropped earlier today, and it's pretty great.  The big take away is that this looks to be a surprisingly dark entry into the series, especially for the wise-cracking Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.).  But there are also some cool details in the trailer you may have missed.   What's with the tattoo on the back of the Mandarin's neck?  What happened to poor Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau)?  Who is Iron Patriot beating up on?  There are also plenty of cool images that prove Black, even though he only directed one movie before this one (albeit an excellent one), knows how to shoot action.Hit the jump to check out the images.  The film also stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, and Ben Kingsley.  Iron Man 3 opens in 3D on May 3, 2013.

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Here's the official synopsis for Iron Man 3:

Marvel Studios’ 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 secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale with Jon Favreau and Ben Kingsley, Iron Man 3 is directed by Shane Black from a screenplay by Drew Pearce and Shane Black and is based on Marvel’s iconic Super Hero Iron Man, who first appeared on the pages of Tales of Suspense (#39) in 1963 and had his solo comic book debut with The Invincible Iron Man (#1) in May of 1968. Iron Man 3 is presented by Marvel Studios in association with Paramount Pictures and DMG Entertainment. Marvel Studios’ President Kevin Feige is producing and Jon Favreau, Louis D’Esposito, Stephen Broussard, Victoria Alonso, Alan Fine, Charles Newirth, Stan Lee and Dan Mintz are executive producers. The film releases May 3, 2013, and is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.