Using the Internet

Exciting times are ahead for Marvel fans: Iron Man 2 and Iron Man 3, Thor, Captain America, Avengers, more of Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow, a reappearance of the Hulk somewhere in the mix, and then Doctor Strange and Black Panther among a second wave of comic book heroes. There is also an iron man animated series in the works.

Marvel has a movie masterplan and it’s not afraid to flaunt it.

And never was it displayed to more dazzling effect than at San Diego Comic-Con, where it sent the geekometer off the scale.

Amid the rapturous reception for the new Iron Man 2 footage screened at the convention, the way ahead for Marvel Studios’ comic book adaptations was unveiled.

Watching Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark on a blazing race track, Mickey Rourke cracking electrically-charged coils as the villainous Whiplash, and Ms Johansson in action as the deadly Black Widow, the future looks dynamic, and that’s just the start with Iron Man 2.

Marvel’s superhero strategy has been carefully mapped out, with solo movies Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America coming together like pieces of a jigsaw that will eventually lock into place for The Avengers ensemble film opening on May 4, 2012.

So, what exactly does Marvel Studios have in mind? A whole mass of information surfaced at Comic-Con, so let’s try to bring it all together to lay out the road ahead.