Iron Man Is Getting A New Suit To Take On 'Stark Sentinels'
Tony Stark is going back to the lab to create a new suit, and below are all the (spoiler-heavy) details for the comics.
The beloved hero will be making the new Iron Man suit to deal with a rising threat in the Marvel Universe. A brand-new preview for "Invincible Iron Man" #8 and #9 shows that Stark will turn his technology against Stark Industries as he tries to take down the new owner of his once innovative business. With Iron Man using his money to take some of the deadliest weapons on Earth into hiding, his company became vulnerable to takeover; the villain Feilong acquired the business Stark had worked so hard to create.
Unfortunately for Tony and the X-Men, Feilong has big plans for the technology he acquired in taking over Stark Industries. The first look at upcoming "Invincible Iron Man" issues depicts the rise of Stark Sentinels, as the mutant-hunting machines get a new upgrade courtesy of Iron Man's own tech. To combat the threat to the X-Men and the Marvel Universe, Stark will craft a brand-new suit of armor, seemingly using his last remaining funds to try and help his fellow heroes against the robots he inadvertently created.
How did Iron Man lose his fortune?
While Iron Man, one of the richest character in comics, has run into money problems before (despite typically being depicted as a multi-billionaire), the hero has completely lost his fortune in the current Marvel Comics continuity. In Christopher Cantwell and Angel Unuzeta's recently concluded run on the Avenger, after becoming a literal god with the Power Cosmic, battling the villain Korvac, and losing control and killing (and later resurrecting) his friends, Tony Stark sought redemption. Stark would use his money to make the world safer, purchasing some of the deadliest weapons available on the black market to ensure they didn't fall into the wrong hands. Stark decided to leave the Ten Rings, the most powerful weapon from his purchased arsenal, with Riri Williams.
Stark has adjusted to this new normal, no longer reliant on the resources he once had — and the dangerous weapons have been put in storage, far away from villains and criminals. However, without his vast fortune, Stark has had to deal with losing his business; Stark Industries has been acquired by Feilong, who has made it his personal mission to make Tony's life a living hell.
Creating a Life-Model Decoy of Stark in Iron Man armor and using it to kill one of Stark's friends — scientist Zhong Whei — Feilong has turned the hero's tech against him. But Feilong's plans are much darker than even Iron Man could predict, as the evildoer is using Stark's technology to create new Stark Sentinels, who will try to wipe out Marvel's mutants — leading Tony to go on the offensive to stop them before it's too late and there's blood on his hands.
Who is the threat to Iron Man and the X-Men?
Iron Man has dealt with several recurring threats in his Marvel Comics history — the Mandarin, Obadiah Stane, and the Iron Monger among them — but Feilong represents a new threat.
The industrialist first debuted in "X-Men" #1 (2021) as a brilliant man, accomplished in both the academic and scientific fields. Originally named Kelvin Hang, Feilong was the son of a Nobel Prize winner from Serbia and a descendant of Nikola Tesla. Despite the future villain being a wunderkind, his parents didn't believe in him and cut him off from their fortune. Years later, he would reinvent himself as Feilong and attempt to colonize Mars. But he was beaten in doing so by the X-Men, who established Arakko on the planet before he could, creating a rift between them. Now, filled with hatred towards Marvel's mutants, Feilong has aligned himself with the mutant-hating organization called Orchis. He has also further transformed himself, experimenting on his body in space with cosmic rays to attain superhuman abilities and several powers, including dangerous energy blasts.
In the current "Invincible Iron Man" run (by Gerry Duggan, Juan Frigeri, Bryan Valenza, and VC's Joe Caramagna from Marvel Comics), Feilong is now leading Stark Industries, using the technology he acquired to continue his evil plans against Marvel's mutants. Feilong's plans are deadlier than anyone could have imagined, as he's turning Iron Man's tech into Stark Sentinels — leading Iron Man to create a new suit of armor to counter the imminent attacks.
Iron Man's new armor is to combat the new Stark's Sentinels
Marvel has shared previews for "Invincible Iron Man" #7 and #8, as well as "X-Men" #23, with all the issues showcasing Feilong's devious plans with Tony Stark's advanced technology. In the preview for "X-Men" by Gerry Duggan and Joshua Cassara, the X-Men and Stark will be forced to team up against their common threat, as Feilong will use Iron Man's armor to create Sentinels with an Iron Man twist. Juan Frigeri previously revealed the Stark's Sentinel's design, which are essentially a giant-size version of Iron Man's armor with the capabilities of taking out some of the most powerful mutants in the Marvel Universe. Feilong's Stark Sentinels will first appear in "Free Comic Book Day 2023: Avengers/X-Men" #1, which will be released on Free Comic Book Day on May 6.
"Invincible Iron Man" from Duggan, Kael Ngu, and Juan Frigeri focuses on Stark's desperation for a victory, as the hero is set to build a suit with the primary objective of sneaking into and destroying Stark Industries. But, from there, things won't get any easier for Iron Man. "Invincible Iron Man" #8 will coincide with the X-Men's "Hellfire Gala," with Stark using his newly-built armor to take on the Stark Sentinels and try to fight them off before they can get to Krakoa and cause significant death and destruction at the mutant paradise. Cover imagery for the issue (from Frigeri and Cassara) showcase the rise of the Stark Sentinels, Iron Man building his new suit, and the hero in action against them.
The Stark Sentinels aren't Iron Man's only problem
While dealing with Feilong/Stark Industries is a challenge big enough in its own right, Stark has been grappling with his own personal demons as well; his battles with alcoholism surface again in the new "Invincible Iron Man" run, landing him in the news.
Stark went viral after being filmed passed out in a pile of garbage after a night out of drinking — with Riri Williams finding him and helping him get back into shape. While Iron Man has a history of drinking problems, following the loss of his fortune, former girlfriend Hellcat moving back to the West Coast, and watching Feilong turn his innovations into weapons of hate, Stark is in a bad place.
Sadly, things won't get easier for the hero. He will have no choice but to suit up again (in his newly built armor) and figure out a way to stop the Stark Sentinels as they attempt to wipe out the X-Men, all because of Feilong's jealousy and hatred for mutants.
Readers can see Iron Man fight against the Stark Sentinels alongside the X-Men in "X-Men" #23, which arrives in comic book stores on June 7. Tony will build his new suit of armor in "Invincible Iron Man" #7, which will release on the same day. Then, Stark's ultimate battle against the Stark Sentinel's unfolds in "Invincible Iron Man" #8, with the issue coming out on July 26.