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Iron Man remains one of the most surprising success stories within the Marvel Comics pantheon. The fact that an Iron Man film starring a middle-aged Robert Downey, Jr. in 2008 birthed a billion-dollar franchise is still mindboggling, if you stop to think about it. That said, it isn't difficult to understand why audiences found Downey's version of Tony Stark and Iron Man so intoxicating - as much as the flying and combat sequences in Iron Man are exhilarating to watch, it's Downey's charisma and psychological depth that he brought to Tony Stark that sealed the film's impact on audiences everywhere. 

It's only natural, then, that a comic book writer like Joshua Williamson (Superman, G.I. Joe) would delve into the power of Tony Stark as a person within Marvel Comics' forthcoming Iron Man relaunch. Speaking to IGN, Williamson explained the vision for his Iron Man series with artist Carmen Carnero. "I wanted the story to not be about the Iron Man armor but about Tony. Before Tony became Iron Man he was a selfish and ego driven person who used his genius for destructive gains. I’ve always wonder what role would someone like Tony have played if he never had his near-death experience in the bunker?"

"When he thought he was going to die, it changed him. It was never the armor that Tony built in that cave. It was Tony. Tony is the creator. And I honed in on the idea of focusing on Tony as the creator who made a weapon…but TONY is the true weapon. We’ve seen him use his genius before in questionable ways, so yeah, Tony is the dangerous piece there. The armor has been stolen a million times now, and it always made me think…why don’t they kidnap Tony? Have him make new armors? And then it led me down a path of thinking about…what if instead of making new armors, someone made a new Tony?"

I like where Williamson's mind is going here. To quote Tommy Wiseau, the Iron Man armor "does not come from sky," it doesn't come out of nowhere. It takes a ridiculously smart and motivated person to conceive and put it all together. I'd also go as far as to say that this line of thinking applies to other geniuses within the Marvel Universe. I've got beef with Hank Pym that I won't get into here, but to make a long story short, I've never feared his Yellowjacket or Ant-Man suits. Instead, it's Hank's mind that's always been scary to me - the brain that invented Ultron. All of this is to say that Marvel Comics, if you're reading this, maybe give Williamson a shot at writing a Hank Pym book sometime. 

Iron Man #1 will be released in comic shops on January 28, 2026. 

Get ready for what's next with our guide to upcoming comics, how to buy comics at a comic shop, and our guide to Free Comic Book Day 2025.