It might seem premature to start worrying about Iron Man 3, with the release of Iron Man 2 still more than a month away, but Marvel’s grand, multi-year superhero plan means things are moving pretty fast. One of the big questions surrounding Iron Man’s next sequel is whether they’ll do it before Iron Man shows up in the Avengers team-up movie which is supposed to bring all the Marvel heroes together, or whether they’re waiting to do it after.

Today the AP offered what could be considered a clue. They talked to Robert Downey Jr. and after their discussion dropped this knowledge: “Galifianakis said he expects to begin work this fall on the sequel to "The Hangover," while Downey said he aims to suit up for a third Iron Man flick.”

It’s not a very specific sentence. Does that mean RDJ is suiting up for Iron Man 3 this fall, or does the timeframe refer only to Zach G? It’s hard to tell. The fact that Downey mentioned suiting up for Iron Man 3 rather than The Avengers is somewhat significant. It sounds like Iron Man 3 comes first. How far off is The Avengers then? Iron Man 3 in 2011 and Avengers in 2012? Right now Thor can First Avenger: Captain America are already slated to come out in 2011. Throw Iron Man 3 into the mix and it gets crowded.

To me it seems more likely that Marvel is planning Iron Man 3 for 2012. Shoot it next year, start post-production and then start shooting Avengers right after. Have them both ready for release in 2012 and blow our minds in a few, jam-packed months. Imagine a summer 2012 with Iron Man 3 in May leaving us with a cliffhanger ending that leads into The Avengers, which shows up in July to pick up right where it left off. Now that’s fanboy heaven.