Tony Stark: Iron Man Appreciation 2020

[MichaelC]

hate to point this out but Arno is currently parading around as Iron Man. how is that different from the Mandarin doing it?

The difference is that Arno and The Mandarin are both very different takes on what an evil Iron Man IS

The Mandarin is the hypermasculinity inherent in the very name "Iron Man". He's an imperialist, a bloodthirsty martial artist, and a banger of harems. He is yang-chi made flesh.

Arno is the coldness inherent in the name "Iron Man". He's coldly utilitarian and full of hubris. He wants to solve all the chaos of the world like it was all an interesting equation, and does not care about any individuals who die along the way.

Very different villains, yet both are evil Tony Starks, embodying his worst traits with none of his empathy.

If this theory is true, then what we will see is a war between Tony Stark the hypermasculine conqueror and Tony Stark the cold utilitarian, with the real Tony probably coming back at the end.

[Michael Watkins]

The difference is that Arno and The Mandarin are both very different takes on what an evil Iron Man IS

The Mandarin is the hypermasculinity inherent in the very name "Iron Man". He's an imperialist, a bloodthirsty martial artist, and a banger of harems. He is yang-chi made flesh.

Arno is the coldness inherent in the name "Iron Man". He's coldly utilitarian and full of hubris. He wants to solve all the chaos of the world like it was all an interesting equation, and does not care about any individuals who die along the way.

Very different villains, yet both are evil Tony Starks, embodying his worst traits with none of his empathy.

If this theory is true, then what we will see is a war between Tony Stark the hypermasculine conqueror and Tony Stark the cold utilitarian, with the real Tony probably coming back at the end.

yeah but what i was getting at is that one of these characters is more like Otto/Superior Spider-man than the other. i wouldn't call Octavius cold (he's prone to rage). but he is calculating. definitely wouldn't call him ultra-masculine.

[Marvell2100]

thought he died at the start of the Punisher vs Zemo storyline; bullet to the head.

Yeah, that was supposedly the Mandarin but who knows.

[MichaelC]

yeah but what i was getting at is that one of these characters is more like Otto/Superior Spider-man than the other. i wouldn't call Octavius cold (he's prone to rage). but he is calculating. definitely wouldn't call him ultra-masculine.

Well, of course not; Otto Octavious is an evil Peter Parker. Otto is a socially awkward nerd who wants recognition and lacks empathy. He's pre-Uncle-Ben-death Peter Parker taken to a villainous level.

[Montressor]

Like many of us I've been awaiting this since I was a kid, and I like the set up. I'm just coming in on issue #1 so I need to go back and look into this stuff with Howard and Maria, but so far I love it. I didn't really dig some of the robot stuff--the idea of common, everyday robotics having 'personalities' is a bit...corny to me (will the soda machines riot, also?), but the ending brought it home for me. I was NOT expecting to see Tony, assuming that's who that was.

This all feels like a big set up, like Tony is somehow being manipulated into thinking the way he's thinking, and even Arno himself is just a pawn. I look forward to seeing how this plays out (and for some reason I love when comics invoke actual, realtime dates into a universe with a 'sliding timescale').

[Tony Stark]

Iron Man art50527340_142244030027895_1016449541546704896_n.jpg

[Michael Watkins]

so the question becomes...is this

a) the Mandarin with A.I. Tony stark's mind?

b) the Mandarin somehow amnesic and simply believing himself to be A.I. Tony Stark?

c) strangely drawn Tony Stark?

d) something/one entirely different?

and who was that guy coming out of the liquor store?

[Snoop Dogg]

Woods' art is angular and he grew his hair out because he hasn't been taking the helmet off. C'mon, guys.

I want to read this issue a hundred times. I want the pages tattooed on my back. I want to make my middle name legally "Tony Mark Stark." I want Aaron to choke me out. I want Arno to step on me. I want to summon the Extinction Entity myself. This is the best book ever.

[Hybrid]

So what do you think will be the aftermath of this?

[Celgress]

Happy New Year to my Fourteenth Favorite Comic Book Character and my Thrid Favorite Marvel Hero. May 2020 bring Ol' Shell Head great things.

[Michael Watkins]

So what do you think will be the aftermath of this?

Tony will have wasted an obscene amount of water after waking up in the shower.

[Snoop Dogg]

So what do you think will be the aftermath of this?

I have no idea, and that's why it's exciting.

[MichaelC]

Woods' art is angular and he grew his hair out because he hasn't been taking the helmet off. C'mon, guys.

I want to read this issue a hundred times. I want the pages tattooed on my back. I want to make my middle name legally "Tony Mark Stark." I want Aaron to choke me out. I want Arno to step on me. I want to summon the Extinction Entity myself. This is the best book ever.

So Tony okayed an attack that involved a bomb near children? I don't buy that. That's either the Mandarin or some other villain, like Ultron.

[Snoop Dogg]

So Tony okayed an attack that involved a bomb near children? I don't buy that. That's either the Mandarin or some other villain, like Ultron.

They were bluffing (that's why there's the panel of Aaron saying "You blinked," as he threw a fake punch but Arno flinched) because the first issue is designed to portray the AI side as sinister and evil and Arno as the noble good guy even though he's efficiently killing AI just like his namesake kills humans. It was a stunt, and if they were actually after babies they could easily send M-11 to Death Ray them or something.

[Marvell2100]

So what do you think will be the aftermath of this?

Tony's parents die. Again.

Amanda returns.

Tony finally realizes he's the real McCoy.

New Suit of Armor.

Brand new company.