Warning: contains spoilers for Iron Man #14 and Hulk #1!
Over the past few months, Iron Man has showcased two new suits, both capable of taking on Galactus-level threats. The first, seen in Hulk #1, was a giant suit built on Celestial technology; the second, seen in Iron Man #14, was transformed by the Power Cosmic into a towering form. These suits allow Iron Man to work on a scale like never before, but where does he go after this? Both Hulk #1 and Iron Man #14 are on sale now in print and digital.
Iron Man’s armored suits have changed over time. These changes reflect advances in technology, such as the Extremis armor, which uses nano-technology. Other armors are built with specific purposes in mind, such as the self-explanatory Hulkbuster armors. However, Iron Man has also created some truly awe-inspiring armor suits, such as the Godbuster. Recent events in the Marvel Universe, such as the attack on Earth by the King in Black, have forced Iron Man to think even bigger, creating the Celestial-based armor from Hulk #1 (by Donny Cates, Ryan Ottley, Frank Martin, and Cory Petit), but in Iron Man #14, he takes it even a step further, creating an armor suit fueled by the Power Cosmic, the same source of energy Galactus and the Silver Surfer draw from. The issue is written by Christopher Cantwell, with art by Cafu and Angel Unzueta, colors by Frank D’Armata and letters by Joe Caramagna.
Korvac, in his quest to remake the universe, has boarded Galactus’ ship Taa II and used the transmutation chamber to harness the Power Cosmic. Iron Man follows Korvac, exposing himself to the same energy. Iron Man relives key moments of his life and gains new insights into the workings of the universe. At the end of the issue, just as Korvac is ready to make his move, he finds himself facing Iron Man – who is now wearing a silver suit forged by the Power Cosmic.
Iron Man has had hugely ambitious suits in the past, but usually with some form of caveat. The Godbuster suit was only available in Tony’s VR reality, while the Godkiller suit was built by an ancient race and required specific genetic programming to control. Tony’s control of a Celestial in King in Black relied on his Extrembiote interface and Knull’s prior manipulation of the godlike being, but Hulk #1 confirms that only a short time later, Tony is now entirely capable of harnessing Celestial energy at will. While the Power Cosmic suit is at least impermanent, it likewise allows Tony to match one of the most powerful beings in Marvel canon. There are very few characters whose power is in excess of Galactus and the Celestials, and most of them embody metaphysical concepts, like Eternity itself. Where is left for Tony to go?
Major characters will always suffer from power creep in comics, but Hulk #1 and Iron Man #14 show that – with three Celestial-class armors in 2021 alone – Tony’s is out of control. This comes at a time when even Tony’s regular tech effectively gives him whatever he needs for the story, granting him healing powers in a recent issue of Daredevil. Where Iron Man can possibly go next is a question likely to play on fans’ mind, but so is the mystery of how lesser threats can be taken seriously in the future when with a little notice, Tony Stark can construct a suit that can do pretty much anything.
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