After watching the latest trailer for Iron Man 2, it’s become quite clear to me that directors are finally starting to take their source material seriously when it comes to comic book adaptations.

Over the past few years, audiences have witnessed some of the most acclaimed stories brought to life onscreen with absolute reverence for the source material. In 2008 we saw The Dark Knight soar at the box office while taking cues from novels such as The Killing Joke and Batman: The Long Halloween. In 2009, Alan Moore’s supposedly “unfilmable” epic Watchmen was translated onto the big screen by director Zack Snyder, sticking to the book religiously while framing the story and the novel’s cast of characters into such a complex world.

Iron Man 2 is following this trend through new characters, new designs, and new stories. Here are just a few of the reasons why I think this film will be another standard to represent geeks and comic fans everywhere.

1) The Armour – What can I say? Without armour, there is no Iron Man. Tony Stark always relied on his signature red-and-gold suit of armour to battle the bad guys, but over the years, there have been numerous modifications to accommodate special circumstances. The changes in design always leave new openings for stories and even bigger surprises for readers. The first Iron Man film introduced us to the Marks I, II, and III respectively. With the sequel set six months after the first film, Tony (Robert Downey, Jr.) has been given plenty of time to construct some shiny new toys. One of these new suits is seen prominently at the end of the trailer; a suitcase that unfolds to graft itself onto Tony’s body. The result is a red and silver Iron Man that hearkens back to the design of the Silver Centurion armour.

2) The Villains – Iron Man has never had foes that rival the rogues gallery of heroes such as Batman or Spider-man, but his enemies are many, ranging from the badass (Crimson Dynamo, Mandarin) to the slightly badass and obscure (Dreadknight, Firebrand) to the ridiculous (Fin Fang Foom, Unicorn). Iron Man 2 follows the trend of films like Batman Begins, in that they seek to bring attention to the villains that may not be as well-known by the general audience. The sequel introduces a villain known as Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), who takes on the villainous identity of Whiplash. Armed with a replica of Tony Stark’s arc reactor and a pair of electrified whips, he seeks vengeance on Tony Stark for an unspecified wrongdoing. Also thrown into the mix is Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), who has been adjusted to a fiery young business rival compared to his elderly comic counterpart. Director Jon Favreau has also hinted extensively at an appearance from the Mandarin, but stated he’ll probably keep the character as a subdued prescence, akin to Sauron from Lord of the Rings.

3) Supporting Cast – Iron Man has also had a great cast of characters to assist him in his endeavours and adventures, something Iron Man and its sequel are focusing heavily on. The first film introduced Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), Tony’s assistant and love interest, James “Rhodey” Rhodes (Don Cheadle, formerly Terrence Howard), also known to us geeks as the man who will become War Machine, and even Happy Hogan, Tony’s bodyguard. There were even larger surprises with the emergence of government agency S.H.I.E.L.D.  Iron Man 2 takes this a step further by presenting some new faces for us. Scarlett Johansson plays Natasha Romanoff, aka The Black Widow, an undercover spy sent by S.H.I.E.L.D to pose as Tony’s assistant. Samuel L. Jackson returns in an expanded role as S.H.I.E.L.D’s ultimate badass director, Nick Fury. And of course, we’re all waiting for the moment when Rhodey busts out the big guns as War Machine.

It’s tough to pack all these things into a comic book film; Spiderman 3 attempted it and ultimately failed. However, Favreau, Downey, Jr., and the rest of the crew seem to realize that including the small things here and there earns both faith and respect from the fan community, creating more enjoyable entertainment, a true-to-the-source adaptation, and a better film.