The following is an attempt to clear up the confusion over the recent Iron Man 3 set photos and possible heroes/villains.  We recently posted some images of a certain red, white and blue suit of power armor with a non-descript gentleman nestled within.  The internets responded by claiming the man was none other than James Badge Dale and his character was that of the Iron Patriot.  Matt was quick to point out that the suit's pilot didn't exactly look like Dale, but we went with it.  Now reports are coming out saying that the Iron Patriot won't be in the film, but the Patriot Armor does indeed belong to a character.  Hit the jump to get this all sorted out.  The film stars Robert Downey Jr., Ben Kingsley, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Rebecca Hall,  Ashley Hamilton, and Guy Pearce.  Iron Man 3 opens May 3, 2013.[Update: We've removed the unofficial images.]Possible SPOILERS follow after this unrelated picture of War Machine...If you're still reading, GOOD!  Then you'll be happy to hear that the above image DOES have something to do with the Patriot Armor.  Courtesy of Latino Review, it appears that the Star-Spangled armor will belong to Cheadle's War Machine in Iron Man 3. The gentleman in the suit was, as Latino Review puts it: "not a movie star, it's just a white guy."  So, for all you know, it could have been me in there!  LR is also quick to point out that the scene shown in the unofficial set photos is likely the unveiling of the Patriot Armor fit for military service.  They also astutely mention that since the plot of Iron Man 3 is rumored to take place, at least partially, in China, this new Patriot Armor will make America look good (kinda).  Production will shoot in China late this summer and the movie is partially financed by China's DMG Entertainment.Oh, and there's the pesky rumor about Sir Ben Kingsley playing the Mandarin, which may or may not factor in.  Current speculation involves the Mandarin as a silent partner of sorts to the scientist, Aldrich Killian (Pearce) who is developing the Extremis nano-technology.  This technology is supposedly being used to build an Extremis army, which may include Coldblood (Dale) and Firepower (Hamilton).  Again, this is all just speculation at this point and we'll have to wait until more official reports come out.  Until then, here's a look at the Iron Man 3 updates we've brought you so far:

• More set photos reveal the presence of another potential villain(s) in Iron Man 3.
• The first official set photo from Iron Man 3.
• A collection of set photos from Iron Man 3.
• An update on where/when Iron Man 3 is filming.
• Jessica Chastain passes on Iron Man 3 and Rebecca Hall picks up the role.
• Kevin Feige talks about continuing the Iron Man franchise in a James Bond-like manner if need be.
• Rumors of Scarlett Johansson's possible return to Iron Man 3.
• The first hints of plot details for Iron Man 3.
• Downey Jr. says Iron Man 3 could be the best of the trilogy.
• Downey Jr. plans to "leave it all on the field" for Iron Man 3.

Here are some images via Paltrow's Twitter account.