The Comic Version: As an amalgam of two Iron Man foes, Vanko bears similarities to both Whiplash and the Crimson Dynamo. Mark Scarlotti, the comic-book Whiplash, was an electrician at Stark International who invented an electrified whip and became a career criminal. Using his skills, he went to work for the Maggia, working undercover at the Stark plant and battling Iron Man. Crimson Dynamo, on the other hand, is a title held by multiple men, usually Russian, who sport an armoured suit like Iron Mans and typically try to stifle American interests at the behest of their government. The Better Movie Version: By taking parts of each of these characters, Iron Man 2 managed to update the antiquated Soviet-era Dynamo as well as give the generic Whiplash a personal connection to the hero. In addition, using Whiplashs signature whips provided a new visual dynamic and immediately separated Vanko from Iron Monger of the first film. Though its a pretty standard MCU tactic, they morphed Whiplash into more of an inversion of Iron Man. Vanko represented an intelligent inventor, like Stark, but who corrupted the use of his technology. While much of his Russian backstory was lost on the cutting room floor, the version we got, although imperfect, still marked an improvement on the classic characters of Whiplash and Dynamo, largely thanks to the changes that were made and the devoted performance from Mickey Rourke.
Connor loves movies, comics, and TV, and is trying to write for people who feel the same way. When he's not sitting on the couch with his laptop, you might find him lying in his bed with his laptop.
