About 5pm yesterday the new Iron Man 3 trailer came into the public consciousness and knocked the socks of fanboys and girls everywhere. Tony Stark has gone all Dark Knight Rises and given us a glimpse of his insecure side. The rumble in the concrete jungle he had with the Avengers against Loki seems to have knocked him for six and made him rethink his life choices. He’s in love now, you see; and he has to protect the one thing he ‘can’t live without’.

So what exactly makes this trailer PRETTY AMAZING?

#10 – ‘So why can’t I sleep?’

The events of Avengers Assemble seem to be taking its toll on Tony, and his heartfelt narration at the start of the trailer immediately peaks your interest. This is a side to Shellhead we’re not used to seeing -but we want to see more.

#9 – Manda-rings!

We know he’s the big bad, but it’s still great to see the villain’s evil bling in cinematic form. Although we did spot that his skin is noticeably a lot less green.

#8 – The one thing I can’t live without

A lovely moment between Tony and Pepper reminds us all of what he’s doing it all for. Which is fine, as long as it doesn’t fall into the ‘love conquers all’ trap suffered by X-Men: The Last Stand. If that sort of thing boils your kettle – go watch Safe Haven.

#7 – Slo-mo explo…sion

It’s cool when things look really cool, particularly explosions; and this one is no exception. Glass shards flying, fire, strands of hair – it’s got everything.

#6 – Pepper with Tony’s helmet

Stop snickering at the back. I meant Tony’s Iron Man helmet. In what should prove to be a touching moment, Pepper gently presses the metal mask to her forehead, in what was apparently inspired by the wife of racing driver Ayrton Senna doing the same thing at her husband’s funeral.

#5 – Empty life/meaningful death

Mandarin gives our hero this chilling ultimatum about two-thirds of the way in to the trailer. This is a pretty serious question not just for Stark, but for us all. What would you choose? Sorry to get all ‘deep’ on you, but seriously, think about it…

#4 – Tony takes a trip to Holby City

Actually he doesn’t. But he is in hospital at one point. He’s not out cold however, he’s fully aware he’s lying there while an oxygen mask gets placed over his mouth – but what is he doing it for? Is this Marvel’s version of Inception? Is his reactor playing up again?

#3 – Good old-fashioned revenge

Tony gets tough amongst a gaggle of press desperate for answers. In a rousing scene, similar in tone to Tony’s totally-quotable exchange with Loki in Avengers Assemble, Stark tells his nemesis openly ‘I’m not afraid of you. No politics here. Just good old-fashioned revenge’. We like no-nonsense Tony.

#2 – Tony makes a leap

As explosions rocket around him, Tony flings himself off the nearest ledge (as you do) only to be enveloped by his trusty armour and taking off into the middle distance. The gadgetry is EXACTLY what makes Iron Man so cool.

#1 – Back-up

Iron Man and War Machine need help in their Showdown Against Evil, so who are they gonna call? Every variation on the Iron Man suit going, that’s who. Including a glimpse of the incredible Hulkbuster armour. Hulk-tastic stuff, amiright?

Check out the trailer below to see the magic for yourself…

Roll on April.

Are you excited by the new Iron Man 3 trailer too? What was your favourite bit?