The new Iron Man #1 is here, written by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Spencer Ackerman, who is joined by artist Julius Ohta, colorist Alex Sinclair, and letterer Joe Caramagna. With the new Iron Man #1 comes a new status quo for Tony Stark, more troubles with his company, and a serious injury that forces him to change the way he operates as Iron Man.
And as promised, the new Iron Man #1 also brings the return of Iron Man's classic arch-foe Iron Monger. But there's a twist to the identity of the villain who now wears the Iron Monger armor which ties right back into the legacy of Tony Stark and Iron Man.
We've got the answers to all your questions about the new Iron Man #1 right here, including what's going on with his new armor, what happened to seriously injure Tony Stark, and even how the new Iron Monger fits into Tony's past. But be aware, we will be getting into spoilers for Iron Man #1.
How is Tony Stark injured?
The new Iron Man #1 kicks off with Tony Stark retaking the reins of his company Stark Unlimited after reclaiming it from the villainous Feilong, who used all Tony's assets to build Sentinels during the fall of Krakoa.
Tony dispatches some union busting goons who are trying to stop the workers at one of his factories from organizing, instead offering to negotiate with the union in good faith and to get them a fair contract.
But as Tony leaves, he's gravely injured after his armor fails and he falls out of the sky. It's not clear yet who the union busters work for, or what's going on with his armor. However, the result of the fall is that Tony spends an extended period in the hospital, followed by intensive physical therapy.
What's the deal with Tony's company Stark Unlimited?
Unfortunately, just as Tony is reclaiming his company from nefarious forces, his hospitalization and recovery leave him away from the corporate board just long enough for the combined forces of the villainous scientists of AIM and the evil corporation Roxxon to join forces in a hostile takeover.
Tony is left locked out of his own company once again, with the malevolent new owners doubling down on continuing to make weapons of destruction - something Tony desperately wants to put a stop to. And as it turns out, Tony's new corporate enemies are also the ones who sent the union busters to his factory in advance of their takeover.
What's worse, he can't stop himself from getting into an online flamewar with trolls who turn out to be the villains Flying Tiger and Tiger Shark, calling themselves the "Tiger Pack." And while Tony comes out on top, his armor continues to fail at crucial times, leaving him vulnerable, especially with his still healing injuries.
Who is the new Iron Monger?
There's one more terrible surprise in store for Tony Stark as he learns the reason behind his armor's failure - he's been affected by magic. Fortunately, Tony has a special set of magic-proof Mysterium armor given to him by Emma Frost.
But as he goes to retrieve it, he's encountered by none other than Justine Hammer, ex-wife of his long-dead former rival Justin Hammer. As it happens, Justine also died, but she's been resurrected by Roxxon and AIM. And what's more, she's stolen Tony's Mysterium, using it to power her new massive, magically infused Iron Monger armor, taking over the mantle from Tony's other big business rival/arch-enemy, Obadiah Stane.
Worst of all, she's used a magical virus to infect all of Tony's armors, rendering them totally inert. She deactivates Tony's armor again, taunting him about her involvement in the impending takeover of Stark Unlimited by AIM and Roxxon.
How does Tony Stark get his new armor?
Though we don't see Tony don his new armor just yet, which has already been dubbed the "Improvised Iron Man," we do see how he winds up building it following Justine Hammer making all his most high-tech armor useless.
As it turns out, he's going back to basics to build a hand-forged, mechanically powered armor that won't be affected by the virus used to destroy all his other suits. This explains the strangely steampunk-esque look of the new armor, as it's more low-tech, much like his very first armor.
That said, we also know that Tony's new Iron Man armor will have tricks of its own, including a massive mechanical sword, and more gadgets and weapons to be added as the series rolls on.
What's next for Tony Stark and the new Iron Man comic?
As Justine Hammer says, "This isn't any kind of Armor War," and indeed, the story that lies ahead has been dubbed the Stark-Roxxon War, as it seems Tony will be bringing the fight straight to the evil, environmentally destructive corporation.
Interestingly enough, Hammer also teases Stark by telling him that one of his "old Avengers allies" is also joining in on the hostile takeover - though we don't learn who it is just yet. Still, we have some idea thanks to the solicitation for December's Iron Man #3.
In that issue, which will mark the conclusion of the Stark-Roxxon War arc, it's teased that Iron Man will face the "Iron Swordsman," potentially indicating that it will in fact be a souped-up version of the former Avenger the Swordsman who prompts Tony to break out his own aforementioned massive sword.
The Stark-Roxxon War continues in November 27's Iron Man #2.
Armor Wars is one of the best Iron Man stories of all time.
