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Iron Man #2: Review

Oct 2020
Christopher Cantwell, Cafu

Story Name:

Gods and complexes

Review & Comments

Rating:
4 stars

Iron Man #2 Review by (October 23, 2020)
Carlo Zota was 1st seen as 1 of the Enclave scientists in Fantastic Four #66-67 creating the being who will be called Adam Warlock.
Marvel Comics #1000 gave the Enclave scientists a lot more history including being the Scientists Guild in Marvel Comics #1 and the 3 Xs in Mystic Comics #1. Zota helped Phineas Horton create the Adam II android which killed William Naslund, 1 of the people who became Captain America (as revealed in What If #4) while Steve Rogers was in suspended animation.
And now he's built Adam IV.

I'd guess that Adam I was Horton's 1st creation the WWII Human Torch. Adam II did return and call himself Adam III (Cap & Bucky #626). But I prefer to think that Adam Warlock was Adam III.

Korvac was born in the alternate future of the original Guardians Of The Galaxy, but he was 1st seen as a cyborg in Giant-Size Defenders #3. He stole cosmic status from Galactus and tried to take over Earth-616 for its own good in the Korvac Saga (Avengers #167-177).
Now somehow Zota's cybernetic amalgamation Adam IV is, or thinks he is, Korvac.

Arcade 1st appeared at the end of Marvel Team-Up #65 where he captured Captain Britain and Spider-Man and took them next issue to his Murderworld, just because he likes putting heroes in amusing but deadly traps. Chris Claremont and John Byrne invented him which is why he got in the habit of attacking X-Men, but he diversified later. He was last seen in Black Widow (2020) #1-2.

Absorbing Man was originally a Thor foe (Journey Into Mystery #114-115). He continued like that for a while but again diversified. He married Titania in Av Unplugged #4 and they're still together. They were both last seen in Immortal Hulk #36-37.

Cardiac débuted in Amazing Spider-Man #342-345, seeking revenge on the medical industry for hiding a drug that could have saved his brother's life. He was last in Valkyrie: Jane Foster #6-7 helping her save Death.





 

Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Iron Man #2 Synopsis by Rob Johnson
Tony Stark was reborn/rebuilt/restored in the Iron Man 2020 mini-series. Last issue he disengaged from Stark Unlimited, created a simpler, old-fashioned Iron Man armour and partnered-up with Hellcat (Patsy Walker) (continuing his penchant for redheads). They fought Unicorn who seemed to be a puppet of someone else.

But this issue begins with a flashback to 1 year ago (to the end of Marvel Comics #1000) where we see Carlo Zota completing the 'cybernetic amalgamation' Adam IV to serve the Enclave in creating a better Earth. But the android says his name is Korvac and he has a greater vision of a better universe with himself as its god. Watching in the background appears to be the Masked Raider.

Now we enter the current time in media res with Iron Man having been somehow trapped in Arcade's Murderworld in a boxing ring with Absorbing Man/Carl 'Crusher' Creel for a pay-per-view audience with gambling. Apologetic Creel says he's equally confused but killing IM is the only way to get home to his wife Titania. He absorbs the strength and power of Shellhead's armour and slams Stark to the floor. IM fights back but somehow knows that all the big bets are against him. Then he rips the referee's 'face' off revealing Arcade underneath.

We now find that bandaged Tony is telling the story to Patsy Walker. He finishes it by saying that he then quit the fight before Creel got a chance to beat him. Patsy asks why it matters, and Tony's protest that it doesn't rings false. She's teaching him Zen meditation to clear his mind of thoughts, but he can't stop thinking that *he* could've won the bout. But Patsy says he was losing. And she also accuses him of *letting* Arcade capture him, and figures he wanted the punishment of being beaten up on live TV. He says he wanted to prove that he was still a hero, but she asks him who he was trying to prove it to?

As usual with such conversations he's saved by a call to arms. Cardiac the medical vigilante has kidnapped some SU pharmaceutical scientists because of Tony's investments in Big Pharma. As he heads out Stark does his usual these days introspection about the result of Iron Man 2020 event. He died, his consciousness was stored in VR, and a new body was grown for him. Is he still really Tony Stark? The destination is a large metal ball with the scientists trapped inside, running out of oxygen. Cardiac wants them to die to represent what US private medicine is doing to people.

Shellhead's repulsor blasts don't make a dent in the adamantium/vibranium metal. Hellcat has been following on her claw-line and now distracts the villain with a kick in the spine. IM retreats to get a run-up for a high speed collision with the ball. His AI BOSS tells him he's far enough to attain maximum velocity, but also warns him of the likely damage to his body. Tony ignores that and achieves a high-speed punch through the wall of the ball restoring oxygen to the prisoners.

Later the scientists are freed, Cardiac is under arrest and Hellcat is visiting Stark in traction in hospital. It seems no-one will give him health insurance, but his fortune can afford the costs. Patsy points out that's part of his privileged life. Even becoming the hero Iron Man just gave him more power than he already had. He's just a white guy with a god complex. And now he's trying to die a hero to erase all his past mistakes. And Tony can't deny it.

Then it's interruption time again. Unicorn is in the same hospital after losing last issue's fight. Now his puppet master sends him to have another go at killing Stark.



Cafu
Cafu
Frank D'Armata
Alex Ross (Cover Penciler)
Alex Ross (Cover Inker)
Alex Ross (Cover Colorist)
Letterer: Joe Caramagna.
Editor: Tom Brevoort. Editor-in-chief: C. B. Cebulski.

Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Absorbing Man
Absorbing Man

(Crusher Creel)
Hellcat
Hellcat

(Patsy Walker)
Iron Man
Iron Man

(Tony Stark)

Plus: Arcade, Cardiac (Elias Wirtham), Carlo Zota, Korvac, Masked Raider, Unicorn.

> Iron Man: Book info and issue index

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