Tony Stark: The Invincible Iron Man Appreciation 2022

[Tony Stark]

post deleted.

[Tony Stark]

Thanks for the reminder. I'd even take the Hammer Girls --- Justine and Sasha Hammer --- coming back at some point.

Actually Justine Hammer is dead. Sasha and Stane killed her at the very end of Fraction and Larroca's run.

[Huntsman Spider]

Actually Justine Hammer is dead. Sasha and Stane killed her at the very end of Fraction and Larroca's run.

Thanks for the memory refresher. Sasha coming back could be interesting, still, with or without Zeke Stane.

[Tony Stark]

Thanks for the memory refresher. Sasha coming back could be interesting, still, with or without Zeke Stane.

Your welcome. Glad I could be of help.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

So, after the first issue of the new book, Tony loses his wealth (or most of it) after some disaster, falls off the wagon from despair and winds up on the rocks. Now, where have Iron Man fans seen THAT scenario play out before? Christ on a crutch! Couldn't have Duggan come up with something more original? I mean, would it have killed him to start things off with Tony in, oh, I don't know, a freaking happy place for a change instead of regurgitating the oldest meme that's been around for the character since the 120th or so issue of the FIRST volume of the title? Jesus! Talk about a bloody mess!

Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now.

[Huntsman Spider]

Your welcome. Glad I could be of help.

Certainly.

So, after the first issue of the new book, Tony loses his wealth (or most of it) after some disaster, falls off the wagon from despair and winds up on the rocks. Now, where have Iron Man fans seen THAT scenario play out before? Christ on a crutch! Couldn't have Duggan come up with something more original? I mean, would it have killed him to start things off with Tony in, oh, I don't know, a freaking happy place for a change instead of regurgitating the oldest meme that's been around for the character since the 120th or so issue of the FIRST volume of the title? Jesus! Talk about a bloody mess!

Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now.

If he still had to do this story, he could have begun like you said, have him in a good, if not happy, place for once, then have the place come crashing down on him later in the arc or run. Build up to everything falling apart instead of starting with that (again).

[MichaelC]

Stark was actually broke before this new run started. He sold his company, used the money to buy a bunch of broad-market stocks, then sold all of that to have the money to buy all of those weapons.

If anything, it's a bit of a retcon that he still had money to lose at the start of this story. Where did the money come from to pay off all those lawsuits when he was broke just last issue?

[Frontier]

Comic writers just don't seem interested in writing comic billionaires who run companies any more.

[Dermie]

Actually Justine Hammer is dead. Sasha and Stane killed her at the very end of Fraction and Larroca's run.

Has that death ever actually been verified? All we really saw was them about to kill her and then a flash of light. Given that as the Crimson Cowl she was known to teleport in a flash of light, its possible she might have escaped them.

I hope she's not actually dead -- I enjoyed her as the Crimson Cowl.

[K7P5V]

Thanks for the reminder. I'd even take the Hammer Girls --- Justine and Sasha Hammer --- coming back at some point.

For what it's worth, I always thought Justine's Crimson Cowl had potential...

[Tony Stark]

Has that death ever actually been verified? All we really saw was them about to kill her and then a flash of light. Given that as the Crimson Cowl she was known to teleport in a flash of light, its possible she might have escaped them.

I hope she's not actually dead -- I enjoyed her as the Crimson Cowl.

That's all that was shown and she hasn't been seen since, but some writer can come along and change it.

[Tony Stark]

Stark was actually broke before this new run started. He sold his company, used the money to buy a bunch of broad-market stocks, then sold all of that to have the money to buy all of those weapons.

If anything, it's a bit of a retcon that he still had money to lose at the start of this story. Where did the money come from to pay off all those lawsuits when he was broke just last issue?

Yeah this is one of my problems with it so far. Also to me I think Tony was forced to drink some how as he wasn't shown actually doing it.

[MichaelC]

My theory on why Feilong wants Stark's inventions:
Irrc, about a decade ago, Stark invented a gizmo that depowered all the non-mystical powers of an Avengers team. I don't remember the issue number. Some issue of New Avengers, I think. Could Feilong be after that because he wants to depower the X-Men?

[Huntsman Spider]

My theory on why Feilong wants Stark's inventions:
Irrc, about a decade ago, Stark invented a gizmo that depowered all the non-mystical powers of an Avengers team. I don't remember the issue number. Some issue of New Avengers, I think. Could Feilong be after that because he wants to depower the X-Men?

Maybe. Would technically follow in the path established by Jonathan Hickman where one of Tony's bigger inventions from his Avengers run --- a Dyson Sphere, if I'm not mistaken --- was later appropriated by the anti-mutant organization Orchis (which Feilong joined) during one of the more recent periods where Tony was out of commission.

Comic writers just don't seem interested in writing comic billionaires who run companies any more.

Probably because in real life, thanks to relatively recent unfortunate events and ongoing issues concerning the concentration of wealth in the hands of an elite few and how those few use (or abuse) that wealth, the shine has somewhat faded off the "billionaire hero" or "heroic billionaire" archetype. Granted, this may be in the same boat as assuming superheroes are little more than fascist power fantasies because the people who have power in real life are more likely than not to exert that power to dominate rather than protect and uplift others, but even so, the ideal that power can be used for good instead of ill is one worth preserving, whether in fiction or reality. Giving into cynicism and assuming the only thing power (of various kinds, economic/financial included) is good for is being abused to lord over others, in a way, is exactly what those people who do lord their power and wealth over others want. They want those who would otherwise oppose them to be incapable of imagining that there could be other, better ways of utilizing power, so even if they do get toppled at some point down the line, their probable successors will just pick up where they left off because they know no other way to use power than taking what they want at everyone else's expense. As a society, we shouldn't let that happen.

[MichaelC]

Maybe. Would technically follow in the path established by Jonathan Hickman where one of Tony's bigger inventions from his Avengers run --- a Dyson Sphere, if I'm not mistaken --- was later appropriated by the anti-mutant organization Orchis (which Feilong joined) during one of the more recent periods where Tony was out of commission.



Probably because in real life, thanks to relatively recent unfortunate events and ongoing issues concerning the concentration of wealth in the hands of an elite few and how those few use (or abuse) that wealth, the shine has somewhat faded off the "billionaire hero" or "heroic billionaire" archetype. Granted, this may be in the same boat as assuming superheroes are little more than fascist power fantasies because the people who have power in real life are more likely than not to exert that power to dominate rather than protect and uplift others, but even so, the ideal that power can be used for good instead of ill is one worth preserving, whether in fiction or reality. Giving into cynicism and assuming the only thing power (of various kinds, economic/financial included) is good for is being abused to lord over others, in a way, is exactly what those people who do lord their power and wealth over others want. They want those who would otherwise oppose them to be incapable of imagining that there could be other, better ways of utilizing power, so even if they do get toppled at some point down the line, their probable successors will just pick up where they left off because they know no other way to use power than taking what they want at everyone else's expense. As a society, we shouldn't let that happen.

Which reminds me of something else I've thought about this story: it could be treated as a fight against the evils of monopolies. The main reason corporations are able to keep wages so low is that the market is so dominated by a few oligopolies that workers have nowhere to go except other businesses owned by those few oligopolies. The employers-market needs competition just like any other market.

When Feilong tries to take over Stark Unlimited, Walters could fill against him using antitrust laws. If that fails, then show the results of antitrust law failure: wages being driven into the ground.