Elln Brandt
That's all you got? Cheap trick and a cheesy one-liner?
~ Ellen Brandt

Ellen Brandt is a minor antagonist in Iron Man 3. She was a war veteran who became exposed to Extremis and became an assassin for Aldrich Killian.

She is portrayed by Stephanie Szostak.

Powers and Abilities

Can combust and explode at will which would cause her death. Unknown martial arts skills.


Ellen Brandt grew up in a loveless household with a father who was so emotionless and cold that the two never developed any sort of family bond. Such emotional detachment bred an instinctive distrust in Ellen - one that would govern her the rest of her life. When she was old enough, she enrolled in a University where she met her future professor,Ted Sallis. The two fell in love with one another and at age nineteen, she ran off and eloped with Ted. After their honeymoon, they visited the fortune teller Madame Swabada, who foretold of a great calamity that would soon affect both their lives. Sallis went on to become a scientist and was assigned to "Project Gladiator," a S.H.I.E.L.D. research program based in the Florida Everglades aimed at re-creating the lost "Super-Soldier Serum" that had originally created Captain America, the World War II legend.

Though Ellen and Ted were initially very much in love with one another, Ted soon became consumed by his work and grew into a cold and detached human being. As he spent more and more time devoted to research, Ellen's feelings towards him began to change. She began to see him as the same sort of emotionless man that her father was.

At some point, Ellen became an agent of A.I.M.. As Ted's work drew closer to success, Ellen revealed her true colors. One night in his cabin, she held Sallis at gunpoint, demanding him to surrender his research. Sallis tried to flee, but Ellen shot him several times in the back. Sallis fell into the swamp and desperation forced him to imbibe the formula he had been working on. The untested serum had a radical effect on Ted's physiology, turning him into the swampland monster known as the Man-Thing. The Man-Thing returned to the cabin and found Ellen Brandt. Brandt's fear of the creature prompted an emotional and chemical reaction in the Man-Thing's body and he viciously mutilated her face with his corrosive acid touch. Ellen survived the encounter however and went on to live the life of a recluse.

At this time, she discovered that she was pregnant with Sallis' child. Ellen's soul was as scarred as her face, and she could not bring herself to raise a child. She placed the infant up for adoption where it was later raised by the Burke family. Ellen's life continued in a downward spiral of abuse, violence, and sexual degradation. She was later admitted to the Rosewell Sanitarium in Charles, Massachusetts. It is unknown how long Ellen remained as a patient at Rosewell, but what is known, is that during this time she met a mysterious mute woman named Sorrow, who helped to give her hope and strength.

Years later, Ellen found herself once again in the town of Citrusville, Florida. She encountered the Man-Thing and believed that some aspect of Ted Sallis' humanity might still exist in the creature. When local sheriff's opened fire on the Man-Thing, Ellen stood in front of him, ready to sacrifice her own life to save the monster. She likely would have died in a hail of bullets if not for the timely intervention of sorcerer supreme Doctor Strange.



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Elln Brandt
Ellen Brandt



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The Invincible Iron Man

Iron Man

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Elln Brandt
Ellen Brandt

Heroes United: Iron Man and Hulk

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Iron Man: Armored Adventures
