What will make Tony Stark give up being Iron Man? Writer Matt Fraction previews his next arc Long Way Down on Marvel.com. Salvador Larroca’s art sure looks like Tony will no longer be the Armored Avenger.
“As we’ll see at the end of Demon, General Babbage, [Tony’s] primary antagonist at the Pentagon, and Justine Hammer of Hammer Industries, present Tony with an ultimatum,” says Fraction. “Accepting it is the only way he can remain in control of the Iron Man without losing everything. And Tony very quickly finds that arrangement to be unacceptable. The ramifications of that are what ‘Long Way Down’ is all about.
“So basically…Tony quits.”
A mole inside Stark Resilient will be exposed. Fraction says expect dire repercussions:
“People start dying. Bethany Cabe starts earning her paycheck.”
“All the pots from the very beginning of Invincible Iron Man are coming to a boil,” he says. “Mandarin and Stane’s alliance, the revamped and upgraded rogues gallery, the Hammer girls, Spymaster’s infiltration—‘Long Way Down’ deals with all of it.”
Fraction says there will be a new Iron Man. Who will wear the armor? For Fraction’s entire interview here’s the Marvel.com link. Long Way Down begins in Invincible Iron Man #516 this May.
Fraction and Larroca have been on the title four years – sounds like they’re ramping up to a swan song on the title. How cool would it be for this team to take on the Avengers after Bendis wraps up his run on the franchise!