Iron Manhasmany different suits over the decades, but his final suit took a form that no fans would expect.As one of Marvel’s greatest intellects, Tony Stark found a way to circumvent death, ensuring that he would always be around to protect Earth – by literally becoming Avengers Tower itself.
100th Anniversary Special–TheAvengers, written and illustrated by James Stokoe, is a unique look at the Marvel Universe in 2061. The future in this story is bleak, as the world has been decimated and only a few Avengers are left. This includes aRogue empowered by Wolverine’s healing factor, a Doctor Strange who has been reincarnated several times, and Beta Ray Bill.
These are the last Avengers, along with original team member Tony Stark,but Iron Man isn’t able to join them in the field, because his new form is that of the final Avengers Tower.
Iron Man’s final form, depicted in100th Anniversary,was his brain inside the center of Avengers Tower, which had been remodeled to look like the classic Iron Man armor. From there, Tony was capable of sending out an army of Iron Man drones to support the Avengers in the field, even if he couldn’t go himself. This was anincredibly powerful version of Iron Man, but it is a dark ending for the hero. Stark himself admitted in the story how much he wished he was capable of having one last drink, instead of being trapped inside the tower forever.
Tony Stark becoming a disembodied brain, forever trapped inside a giant suit of armor, might sound shocking at first, but upon further examination, it is perhaps Iron Man’s most logical endpoint.
While it might be shocking to some fans thatIron Man became Avengers Toweritself, in a way, it actually seems like a consistent ending for his character. Iron Man has always had a twisted relationship with his armor. While he is just a man, his obsession with mechanics and wearing a suit of armor has led to dark conclusions multiple times. Tony Stark becoming a disembodied brain, forever trapped inside a giant suit of armor, might sound shocking at first, but upon further examination, it is perhaps Iron Man’s most logical endpoint.
Marvel Has Played With The Idea Of Iron Man’s Armor Outlasting Tony Stark’s Physical Body Before
Age of X: Universe– Written By Simon Spurrier; Art By Khoi Pham
Avengers Tower-Tony in100th Anniversaryis just one example of the ways Marvel creators have taken Stark’s commitment to being Iron Man to extremes. InAge of X: Universe,the techno-virus is unleashed on Earth and Tony Stark is quickly infected. This results in Tonytaking on the new name of Steel Corpse, as he becomes literally fused to the inside of his suit,unable to ever leave it. This monstrous version of Tony has no issue using brutal force to kill his enemies, and was altogether disturbing.
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Tony Stark’s about to lose his company again, and what’s worse is that it’s being taken over by multiple supervillains and super scientists!
Another example, and perhaps the most horrific form of Tony Stark, appeared inThe Darkhold: Iron Man.This series was about the darkest possibilities of Marvel characters, Iron Man included. This story took place in the early days of Iron Man’s career, just after he escaped captivity. Instead of going on to inventthe brilliant Iron Man suit,though, Tony tried to create a suit that could heal all wounds and imperfections. As most horror movies go, this resulted in a suit that replaced everything human about Tony, turning him into a monster.
InThe Darkhold: Iron Man, Tony loses himself to the machinery, eventually creating an army of Iron Man suits to force humanity into creating a disturbing race of mechanical beings, freed from the curse of flesh. It is one disturbing extension of Tony’s fascination with machinery, while his becoming a brain trapped in a jar that oversees a giant version of his own Iron Man suit in100th Anniversaryis another. It’s truly Iron Man’s ultimate form,as he sheds everything about his humanity and becomes only his intelligence, wrapped in cold iron.
From the Steel Corpse to a brain in a jar, Iron Man’s obsession with technology seldom has a happy ending.
Iron Man always wanted to use his brilliant mind to save humanity, but there are so many endings for him that result in him losing his connection to humanity and simply becoming a machine. From the Steel Corpse to a brain in a jar, Iron Man’s obsession with technology seldom has a happy ending. So, while this final form of Iron Man might be surprising to some newer fans, old-school fans know that this future is the only one that is awaitingIron Man.
100th Anniversary Special: Avengersis available now from Marvel Comics!
Iron Man
Anthony “Tony” Edward Stark, AKA Iron Man, is a Marvel Comics superhero who has enjoyed several years of the spotlight and has become a mainstay in several Marvel media franchises. After suffering a critical injury, Tony creates a specialized armored suit powered by an arc reactor, which keeps him alive. Egotistical but good-hearted, Tony utilizes his super intellect and inventions to fight to protect humanity from various threats, eventually becoming a founding member of the Avengers. In 2008, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was kicked off with the film Iron Man, which starred Robert Downey Jr. as the superhero.
