Marvel Cinematic Universe: Definitive Guide To Easter Eggs, In-Jokes And Foreshadowing
Iron Man 2
15. A Ten Rings Agent Gives Whiplash False Papers
To get into the Monaco Grand Prix, Ivan Vanko uses fake papers, which he got from a mysterious man. According to Jon Favreau, far from being a Southern French criminal, this guy is actually a member of The Ten Rings, the terrorist group from Iron Man. It's a subtle, short moment, but it keeps the terrorist group relevant ahead of a much more prominent role in Iron Man 3.
14. Vanko Defected Year Of Characters First Appearance
Anton Vanko, father of Ivan, defected to the United States in 1963, where he helped Howard Stark develop the Arc Reactor before getting deported when suspected of being a spy. That year of defection is a pretty important one for the character in general - it's the year he first appeared in the comics. In print, Anton became Crimson Dynamo, one of Iron Man's first enemies and one of two villains who were pooled to make this movie's version of Whiplash.
13. Tony Stark Accidentally Comes Up With The Name War Machine
In the grand MCU tradition of naming characters with potentially goofy titles through seamless lines of dialogue, War Machine gets his from a drunk Tony Stark trying to insult him during their armoured conflict; "You wanna be the war machine, take your shot." Unlike Iron Monger and Abomination, however, who don't adopt their name, Rhodey does - by the time Iron Man 3 rolls around he's pretty comfortable calling himself War Machine (before becoming Iron Patriot).