IRON MAN 3 Easter Egg: What is the Story Behind the Face Scar of Female Extremis Soldier Ellen Brandt?

Many moviegoers have seen Iron Man 3 already—if you have not shame on you—and everyone has their own opinions about the movie. Some loved it, while others hated it. But according to the amount of cash it brought in during its opening weekend, it was a huge hit.

We've already given Iron Man 3 an 8-out-of-10 review score and cited some things we saw were wrong with the movie. One thing that keeps coming up online and in conversations is the scar on the face of the female Extremis soldier who goes BOOM! after fighting Tony Stark, in the movie.

Her name is Ellen Brandt, played by Stephanie Szostak, and it's a name that is also a part of the Marvel comic book universe too. Believe it or not, Brandt has an association with the anti-hero character Man-Thing.

Now here is a bit of comic book fact. Brandt has a connection to the creation of Man-Thing as she was romantically involved with the scientist who created it, Ted Sallis. He was actually trying to replicate the Super Soldier Serum that created Captain America—as many in the comic universe have tried to do throughout time. It was part of a S.H.I.E.L.D. project called "Project Gladiator."

A.I.M. then sent to retrieve Saills' research and in a tussle, Sallis had to inject himself. The serum had ill-effects on Sallis. At one point, Brandt was attacked by Man-Thing and her face was severely scarred from it.

The scarring can be seen in Iron Man 3, and this is where the speculation comes into play. Was her scar a result of an early and botched A.I.M. Extremis experiment where Maya Hansen's early research on Extremis caused the creation of the Man-Thing? It's possible since Hansen was shown working on a plant in the early stages of her work. Or maybe Brandt is just an A.I.M. agent who got severely injured in the past, remember in the movie she was also without part of her arm pre-Extremis injection and the scar was so deep even Extremis couldn't heal it—even though it was able to heal her arm. (Hmm... small plot hole?)

Marvel Studios seems to have taken some liberties in changing comic book history and adapting it to the movie universe. It happens with movie adaptations of written work all the time.

Even though nothing was said about Man-Thing in the threequel, and whether there is any real connection to Man-Thing or not, it is still a cool little Easter Egg in Iron Man 3 for the comic book fan base.





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IRON MAN 3: "Demon in a Bottle" Comic Story Was Planned, Pulled, Will Probably Never Happen and Why it Would've Worked

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