"Avengers: Age of Ultron" is scheduled to hit theaters next month but more news continue to pour out. A new press release from Marvel Studios, cited by Cinema Blend, gives more insight on Andy Serkis' character Ulysses Klaw – spelled as Klaue in the press release – and his connection to Tony Stark a.k.a. Iron Man, played by Robert Downey Jr.
The press release describes Ulysses Klaw as follows:
"A black-market arms dealer, smuggler and gangster operating out of South Africa. He is a former acquaintance of Tony Stark's from his weapons-dealing days and a powerful new player in the Marvel Cinematic Universe."
The first "Iron Man" movie featured Tony Stark as a weapons dealer, and the second film pitted him against one of his main rivals in the business, Justin Hammer. Klaw may be a side character in "Age of Ultron," but his roots as a South African arms dealer implies his involvement in "Black Panther."
During an interview with Empire Magazine, Serkis did not confirm that he would be returning or what plans Disney and Marvel have for him and his character in any of their future projects. If the character description above gives any hint, it is that Serkis may indeed come back for at least one more film.
While a new character in the MCU, fans of the comic books instantly identify who Klaw is and his relation to T'Challa a.k.a. the Black Panther. In the source materials Klaw mines vibranium, the strongest metal in the Marvel universe, and fans have speculated that the villain Ultron will deal with him in order to coat his entire body in Vibranium, essentially making Ultron invincible.
Ulysses Klaw is also the assassin who murdered T'Challa's father. After an incident that disfigured him and broke off his hand, he replaces it with a vibranium prosthetic.
