Iron Man's award ceremony segment introduced all of Tony Stark's backstory, glossing over the business of the late Howard Stark, who founded the company that gave Tony the resources and know-how to create the nifty Iron Suit and the breastplate that keeps him alive.

But fans will get to see the man himself in Iron Man 2, and actor John Slattery told SCI FI Wire that he will play Howard Stark. "All I can tell you is it's in a flashback," Slattery said in an exclusive interview Tuesday in Pasadena, Calif,. where he was promoting his AMC TV series Mad Men.

"It's not that extensive," Slattery continued. "It's really Tony's story. It's just an introduction. Hopefully it will go on from there."

Slattery teased that the Howard Stark flashbacks could play a role not only in future Iron Man movies, but also in the eventual Avengers team-up. "I hope so, I hope so," Slattery said with a smile. "That would be good."

To do right by comic-book fans, Slattery made sure to brush up on his Stark family tree. "I did some research, just to find out who he was," Slattery said. "While I liked Iron Man, I was more of a Batman/Superman [reader], more conventional. Iron Man was a little more under the radar, but I did a little bit of research just to find out who it was. But it was all there in the script, you know?"

Iron Man 2 opens May 7, 2010.