Iron Manhas faced no shortage of heavy hitters, but a writer has just teased thatTony Stark will soon be going up against Marvel’s greatest villain everin his upcoming new series. This mysterious foe could be a classic supervillain, it could be a despicable lickspittle, or it could even be a system. Whoever or whatever this villain turns out to be, Tony Stark will soon have his work cut out for him.
In a recent interview withComicbook.com, Spencer Ackerman, writer of the upcomingIron Man (2024)series, teased that his run will feature “the greatest villain in the history of the Marvel Universe.”
The series will debut this October and be drawn by Julius Ohta. In his interview, Ackerman provided readers with a laundry list of what they can expect:
“- muscle monsters, dungeons, dimensional dangers, inner demons, demon-demons, AI slop, blowback from the best laid plans, jobber villains, familiar Iron Man villains, unfamiliar Iron Man villains, villainous Iron Man allies, andthe greatest villain in the history of the Marvel Universe.”
Ackerman’s phrasing makes it sound like this mystery foeisn’tatypical Iron Man villain. But that begs the question of who it could be. Calling this villain the “greatest” is a personal statement, not an objective power ranking, which makes it all the harder to guess.
Who Is The “Greatest Villain” That Iron Man Is About To Face?
There are a number of different candidates for Marvel’s greatest villain. One obvious pull is Doctor Doom. The upcoming"One World Under Doom" status quo shiftwill explore Doom’s time as the new Sorcerer Supreme after the events ofBlood Hunt, andDoom appearing in Iron Man would make sense considering their shared history. Other obvious candidates include Galactus (an exception to the great ≠ strong paradigm), Thanos, Ultron, or a villain from the X-Men, of which Ackerman is a massive fan. That said, if it’s not Doom, it’s more likely to be a villain no-one expects, rather than a “major” one.
It’s also entirely possible that this foe is a new characterdesignedto be a villain. If that’s the case, then Ackerman might be speaking ironically, knowing that he’s about to introduce someone that audiences are bound to hate. Tony Stark is set to lose his fortune in a hostile acquisition in this new series' first arc, so maybe this villain is some smirking businessman, a dark mirror to Tony Stark who’s all the more annoying for being so much like him. Sometimes, the greatest villains are the ones we can recognize from real life.
Some “Villains” Can’t Be Punched By Superheroes
Ackerman may also not be speaking in literal superhero terms with his definition of “villain.“Ackerman’s history as a national security journalist has seen him report on the darker side of real-world politics, and this “villain” might come from that side of his background. Ackerman could be referring obliquely to anything as broad as the surveillance state, the NSA, or the very system of capitalism itself. Some of the most interesting superhero stories come when the herocan’tliterally punch their problems, and these theoretical “villains” aren’t exactly easy to defeat.
Iron Man is a tech mogul, and as such, he is the perfect hero to come up against those problems. Tony might be better than the average billionaire, but he’s still ingrained in the systems that foster strife and pain. He’sno longer a weapons manufacturer, but part of his “superpower” still comes from his vast wealth. He might fight for freedom as an Avenger, but he benefits more than most from the technological innovations that have led to mass surveillance. IfIron Mandoes come against systemic problems, how much can he do without actively hurting himself?
Sources:Comicbook.com
Iron Man
Anthony “Tony” Edward Stark, AKA Iron Man, is a Marvel Comics superhero who has enjoyed several years of the spotlight and has become a mainstay in several Marvel media franchises. After suffering a critical injury, Tony creates a specialized armored suit powered by an arc reactor, which keeps him alive. Egotistical but good-hearted, Tony utilizes his super intellect and inventions to fight to protect humanity from various threats, eventually becoming a founding member of the Avengers. In 2008, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was kicked off with the film Iron Man, which starred Robert Downey Jr. as the superhero.
