Eric Savin

"You think you're so smart?" "That's the thing about smart guys: we cover our asses!"

- Eric Savin and Tony Stark

Eric Savin is a former Lieutenant-Colonel of the United States Armed Forces. He is an ally of Aldrich Killian and enemy of Iron Man.

Biography
Formerly in some branch of the United States Armed Forces, Eric Savin became an Extremis-enhanced man working as hired muscle for Aldrich Killian when he first encountered Happy Hogan on a visit to Stark Industries with Killian. There, he quickly raised Hogan's attention by taking off his guest pass identification and lounging casually on the furniture.

When he left again with Killian, Hogan discretely followed and eventually tailed Savin to a public drop-off where he was delivering ampules to Jack Taggert, a fellow Extremis subject. Hogan interfered in an attempt to snatch evidence, and Savin stepped in to stop him. The two came to blows with Savin about kill Hogan but was interupted when Taggert's Extremis virus went critical and exploded. Savin's right foot was blown off in the explosion, and yet he was still able to get up and walk away, regrowing a new one as he left the scene.

On his next mission for Killian, Savin was deployed to Tony Stark's Mansion to kill the industrialist. Watching from the armed helicopter as Stark's home fell under a withering missile assault, he could only report back that the house was destroyed with no body to be seen.

He encountered Stark soon enough however, when he was sent with Ellen Brandt to Rose Hill, Tennessee, to recover documents that could potentially incriminate his benefactor. Instead they found Stark alive and well, leading to the two of them attempting to capture him. In the ensuing chase, Brandt was killed, and Savin was temporarily incapacitated by Stark's improvised tactics.

Savin finally caught up with his target when Stark deduced a location that Killian had been using in his criminal plot. Savin stumbled in on him interrogating Trevor Slattery about Killian's fake terrorist plot where he managed to sneak up behind him and knock him unconscious. Pressing Slattery for what information might have been divulged, he got only an evasive reply, before turning his attention back to Stark and handing him over to Killian. Savin's next mission was to pilot the captured Iron Patriot battlesuit in a move against President Ellis of the United States. To that end he posed as Col. James Rhodes, the normal wearer of the Iron Patriot, and marched onto Air Force One along with the presidential contingent. Once the jet was well underway, he overpowered the security team, captured the president and stuffed him into the suit to be delivered back to Killian.

After the president was well clear of the plane, Eric Savin planted a bomb and prepared to leave. He was interrupted, however by the arrival of the Mark XLII Iron Man armor remotely controlled by Tony Stark. Savin surprised Stark with the extent of his Extremis abilities, but was eventually beaten when Stark activated the unibeam in the Iron Man armor's chest. The weapon discharge blasted a gaping hole right through Savin's chest, killing him before his heart could regenerate. Savin's body was left aboard the plane which soon after exploded.

Relationships

 * Aldrich Killian - Ally
 * Iron Man - Enemy and killer
 * Trevor Slattery - Ally
 * Ellen Brandt - Ally

Trivia

 * In the comics, Eric Savin becomes the cyborg known as Coldblood after stepping on a land mine which blew him to pieces. However, in Iron Man 3, he is Aldrich Killian's right hand man, having undergone the Extremis treatment to boost his combat skills and giving himself various fire-based powers.
 * In the early days of filming for Iron Man 3, James Badge Dale was spotted on set wearing the Iron Patriot Suit.  Marvel debunked all rumors stating that it was simply Don Cheadle's stunt double.  This was obviously a diversion to cover the fact that Savin eventually steals the Patriot Suit.