Soon after the world discovers Tony Stark's (Robert Downey Jr.) identity as Iron Man, he is receiving pressure from the media, the government and the general public to share his design with the U.S. Government. When Stark won't hand over his design, the government hires his rival, Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), to create a similar suit. To make matters worse, dangerous Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) emerges, intent on using his identity of Whiplash to find vengeance on the entire Stark family. When Hammer and Whiplash unite against Tony, he must lean on his few friends to help him overcome this challenge. Along with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and James Rhodes (Don Cheadle), Iron Man must find a way to vanquish his newest enemies.