Synopsis
Iron Man (2024 series) #10 synopsis by
Rob Johnson
Rating:
Tony Stark has been progressing a scheme to weaken Dr Doom's global rule (the One World Over Doom event) with the help of Melinda May and the disapproval of Black Widow. The scheme involved dissident Latverian terrorists and a Trojan Horse deal to provide Doom with missiles and smart phones. Stark also had the help of a Latverian mage Vishte Taru. Last issue he also had the reluctant aid of BW and Bucky Barnes in a Crimson Dynamo armour. But everything went pear-shaped when Vishte turned out to be more powerful than expected.
Our 4 hero(in)es are in Baku, Azerbaijan where Taru explained that he was behind the magic attack on Latveria which killed most of Doom's army (but also civilians). He now claims he did it for Tony to save him from having to do it his way - returning to arms manufacturing to supply Doom with weapons that soldiers loyal to the terrorists would use in an uprising, which would have killed many more than *his* way did. May accuses him of trying to rationalise his mass murder and throws a sword at him which he melts. He reminds her and Natasha Romanoff that as ex-SHIELD Agents they should understand such tradeoffs. He also explains why the attack didn't just kill those with the Stark phones. The phones were merely a way of getting the Iron Monger dark magic (from the 1st half of this series) into Doom's servers. From there it infected the army and killed them. But Taru's magic wasn't good enough to stop the infection passing from soldiers to others. He will bear the guilt of that, and when they have killed Doom he will submit to trial, but only after he rules briefly until Latveria recovers. But he will have solved the Doom problem as Stark solved the Ultron problem (in the current West Coast Avengers).
But the 4 want to hold him to account now. Barnes in the CD armour attacks Taru in his Doom-like Iron Monger armour, but the mage melts the metal off him. Iron Man in his makeshift armour shields Bucky with his giant sword. Vishte protests that if they don't stand with him now Doom will win. Tony realises that Vishte did what he thought he wanted, and so he accepts some of the blame. He also knows from 1st-hand experience how the magic in the Iron Monger armour corrupts the wearer. But he now thinks he can talk Taru down.
But now someone else joins the party. It's the demon mage Belasco with his thrall Dr Druid in tow and he takes all 5 chars to Limbo. Taru is forced to admit that he went to the demon (last issue) to get more magic power. Belasco reminds Stark about the Dark Consortium he brokers for. (Stark met them when they were backing the Stark-Roxxon merger earlier in this series.) B now explains that they gave VT power and in exchange he promised to allow import of their soul drug when he became king of Latveria. Tony now realises that the purpose of the drug is to make its users explode. And Belasco admits that the Consortium want Latveria, not its people. But Taru is willing to accept this to kill the Dr Doom he hates.
Iron Man blasts Taru with his Repulsword. Taru falls through a portal to another part of Limbo and IM follows him. They fight through different areas of Limbo, all the while spouting their philosophies. Vishte says that when he kills Doom he will replace him as Sorcerer Supreme. And that power combined with what he got via Belasco will enable him to defeat the Dark Consortium and keep them away from Earth. After that he will allow the country to become a democracy. Tony counters that if the plan doesn't work he'll doom Latveria and the world. And even Dormammu couldn't kill Doom (OWUD#5) so why should *he* do any better? As Taru blasts bits off Stark's improvised armour he asks him why he didn't upgrade it to something better. Stark replies that he concentrated all his upgrades into the sword. And with that he finally defeats his foe.
Belasco is angry that this is the 2nd time that Stark has frustrated the will of the Consortium. They exchange threats but Druid hands B an orb to get a message from the Consortium. He tells Stark that they *will* do business with him eventually. But for now he intends to keep Vishte and his Iron Monger armour in Limbo as a bargaining chip. Tony promises to find a way to free the Latverian (and Dr Druid), but V swears to escape on his own to kill Doom and *him*. B sends the 4 heroes back to Earth.
Later in Stark Tower Tony and Melinda discuss a plan to get the magic malware out of Stark servers which is stopping him using (most of) his old Iron Man armours, which is why he had to quickly build a new armour at the beginning of this series. And they're going to put that malware into Doom's servers when he agrees to the contracts for weapons and such that Tony suggested to Doom's lieutenant Victorious. Melinda also apologises for the heavy-handed STRIKE BREAKERS team she sent to deal with his workers. But Dr Doom attends a meeting by hologram to repudiate Stark's offer of a deal, and warns him that his patience is wearing thin. After he's gone Tony bemoans that their plan has come to nothing. He also admits that Vishte was right that his original plan of provoking a Latverian insurrection would have killed more people than Taru did. He should never have contemplated weapons manufacture again. Just then union leader Ramon Vincente pops in to agree, and proposes a deal with the International Association Of Machinists And Aerospace Workers for carbon-neutral manufacturing. Tony leaps on the idea. Vincente proposes a truce with May and they agree to work together. Lastly Tony has a rooftop meet with Natasha. Doom has suppressed all news of the deaths in Latveria caused by Taru. Tony agrees to follow a plan that Maria Hill has come up with (that we'll learn about in next month's OWUD#6). Tony's 'junkyard' armour is now scrap, but he still has the Silver Centurion armour (that he's been using in WCA) and Melinda's plan will at least get his other armours back. But he thinks he'll keep the big sword.
CharactersGood (or All)Plus: Melinda May, Vishte Taru.
EnemiesPlus: Belasco (
Lord Belasco).