I posted something a bit like this on cap_ironman not too long ago, but I wanted to start a discussion more towards the future of the Iron Man storyline.
So, if for some reason you haven't heard, the Iron Man movie comes out on DVD today. Marvel's website has been promoting it for about two weeks now, releasing articles and exclusive digital comics (this week, an Iron Man comic is going to be put up in the archive everyday, finishing off vol. 3). Now, I can understand the digital comics, as well as the abundance of text they've put up, but I have to say releasing a psychological profile telling us how crazy the main character is or a fake news story detailing that his company might be going under is a very odd way to promote a movie.
It is, however, a very good way to promote the next big story arc, World's Most Wanted, in the Invincible Iron Man title. Matt Fraction's been saying for a while now that he's going to bring Tony to his knees. General fan reaction seems to be "About damn time!"
So, let's take a look at some of the more unsubtle foreshadowing these two pieces have to offer. Personally, the more interesting one is the Psych Ward article:
...What has not been formerly diagnosed on Axis I, but in the opinion of the writer should be, is major depressive disorder.
Well no sh*t.
As such, it is the recommendation of staff that the client be closely monitored, with weekly physical exams, until such time as conclusive data on the health benefits of Extremis can be generated....
...While he has not had a drink in some time, he also has not attended any meetings because, he claims, he's "too busy." The writer has informed the client that this is the claim of many who lose touch with the program and thus relapse...Now, it's been said that Tony won't have use of the Extremis after Secret Invasion (which is disappointing), so we can check one of those off the list. Now for the falling the wagon bit...
...Recommendations that he take a leave have not been accepted.
As a side note, I kind of wanted Doc Samson to turn out to be the Red Hulk only so Tony could say that his last therapist went on a rampage and killed Abomination. That would have been awesome.
But in the wake of a troubled economy and coupled with the recent death of Happy Hogan and the further injury of executive Pepper Potts and the global malfunction of their technology, Stark Enterprises is facing a series of misfortunes that, if continued, could result in a total financial collapse – one that even the Invincible Iron Man can not save them from.
So this one pretty much has a big red arrow one it saying "LOOK FOR ME IN ISSUE #8!!!" Not only does it have the title of the freakin comic in it, but it's also a well worn path that Tony (or rather, his writers) have taken many times before. I'll admit, if the big thing that ends up crushing Tony is another problem with his company, I'll be disappointed. I'd much rather see Tony's break down be ramifications from all the crap that's happened since Civil War than his company imploding again.
Also, I totally just realized: right now in Tony's life there is a Stane that may or may not lead to the collapse of Stark Industries, causing Tony to go back to the bottle. Good lord.
Now, in celebration of...movie release? New site? Having Readers? Tony's inevitable break down? Let's have a little discussion of where we all think the future of the IIM series is going. How will it happen? What will happen? And, an odd question, what do you hope will happen?
Personally? I think Tony's going to be blamed for the Starktech Network failure that happened during Secret Invasion, leading to Stark Industries/Enterprises/International/Circuits Maximus crashing.
What I would like to see?
Big, public breakdown. Proof Tony Stark has a heart.
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Sadly what I'd really like to see if a bit of a universe re-set. Get Tony among other characters back to there roots.
ReplyDelete616 almost has too much canon, and Tony has been beaten down and made into the villain too much. The movie as helped I think, and hopefully shits like Quesada will think twice about making him the fall guy just because its convenient or because they dislike the character. (I don't even want to touch them fucking with Warren Ellis' character development of Tony. They should have kept the man on the goddamn book. He might be slow as hell but he's fucking good.)
If they'd just stuck to Tony siding with SHRA because someone with some power had too or it was going to so much worse for all the supers, things would have been better off. But they didn't control how he was used in other books so he came off differently depending on that writers pov -- and there didn't seem to be any editor telling them that 'hey that's not in line with what Stark is doing in the overall arc'. So we get Stark doing shit like cloning Thor (and why the hell doesn't Reed get more shit for that?)
But I'm one of those that thinks the 616 universe might just need to either be 'closed' or have a new universe open that isn't the bastardized versions of our favorite characters like the Ultimate universe. Something closer to the MA universe but not so sanitized.
Hell I wouldn't be adverse to them running with a movie!universe comic universe if you know what I mean.
And I might have gone off on a tangent. Sorry about that.
I do hope Stark doesn't go back to the bottle again. Too easy, much too easy. Marvel needs to stop recycling plots.
ReplyDeleteTo kijikun: Sounds like what you need is the Ultimate brand of Marvel comics. ;-)
ReplyDeleteAs for this post -- I didn't like Extremis, never did, and I'm very glad that it's gone. My biggest problems with it: 1) it gave Tony superpowers. That is inappropriate to the character. His only actual "Power" is his intelligence. Well, that and his motherf***ing awesomeness. 2) He didn't CREATE Extremis! Booo. Tony is the Self-Made Man; for such alien (conceptually, scientifically, and patent-wise) tech to become integral to Tony... it was just wrong. Glad it's gone. Glad glad glad.