First Look: Iron Man #17

Kieron Gillen’s storyline dubbed “The Secret Origin of Tony Stark” has intimated that a rogue cosmic robot named Recorder 451 came to Howard and Marie Stark while Tony was in utero and in danger of dying before he was born, worked some high-tech mojo on him and not only saved his life, but genetically engineered that life to become what he is today – a technological genius prone to piloting suits of armor and advancing Earth’s weaponization in order to save the planet. In the last few issues, we’ve seen that 451’s plan involved Tony being the pilot of The Godkiller Armor, a massive dreadnought capable of killing Celestials.

That doesn’t seem to have worked out the way 451 planned. Why not? We’ll likely find out in Iron Man #17, the conclusion of the arc that promises a shocking ending. As if the “space baby” thing wasn’t enough – but it’s possible that Howard headed all that off at the pass.

“Building this has been an incredible experience on many levels”, said series editor Mark Paniccia. “I asked Kieron to come up with something big for Iron Man’s 50th Anniversary and he came back with an idea that was big and extremely bold. I didn’t think it would fly with the higher-ups. But they saw the potential to expand Tony’s character and knew what Kieron had was not just great but an important story…a story that embraced the kind of realism that Marvel is known for. Tony’s world will change…hell, anybody’s would.”

 

“We’ve got a character coming into Tony’s life that no one will expect—but fans will love”, adds Paniccia. “There’s a sense of destiny here, and the stories that will follow are leading to more intense moments and some really cool new villains.”

Check out this first look at Iron Man #17, due out next week, featuring art from Carlo Pagulayan and Scott Hanna.