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In Iron Man #16, one of Marvel’s most powerful supervillains is tasked with stepping up to save the entire world from the Armored Avenger.
WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Iron Man #16, available now from Marvel Comics.
In order to save the universe from the impending threat of Korvac, Tony Stark was imbued with the Power Cosmic, transforming him into Marvel’s newest god. Unfortunately, the new and improved Cosmic Iron Man has yet to learn about the responsibility generally associated with possessing great power. Even if he isn’t a direct threat to the world at the moment, the people closest to Stark fear what he has become, leading one of his allies to call on the help of one of Marvel’s most powerful villains in Iron Man #16 (by Christopher Cantwell, Julius Ohta, Frank D’Armata, and VC’s Joe Caramagna).
After returning to Earth from his trek through the stars, Tony Stark proved to be a benevolent god by sharing his gifts with the rest of the world. He began by bestowing his genius-level intellect to all the residents of New York…to tragic effect. By the time the dust has settled, it is clear that Stark has no idea what he’s doing, and his closest confidant Patsy Walker (aka Hellcat) realizes that she needs to take action to keep him from doing more damage. To this end, she reaches out to the brilliant and resourceful villain Doctor Doom for help.
Doom nearly jumps at the chance to help strip the god-like power from his frequent nemesis. The villain refuses to promise that no harm will come to Marvel’s Armored Avenger, although he doesn’t seem interested in destroying his old foe, possibly due to the mutual respect the two men have for each another. Although they don’t often fight on the same side, the two still don’t appear to hold any grudges against one another. On the contrary, Stark and Doom seem to have gained an understanding of each other, although their lives and origin stories are very different.
Some of this understanding and shared history could stem back to 1981’s Iron Man #150 (by David Michelinie, Bob Layton, and John Romita Jr.) when the two were famously transported to Camelot. While stranded in the Arthurian age, Tony dashed Doctor Doom’s attempts to ally himself with the malevolent sorceress Morgana Le Fay, kicking off the deep seated rivalry between them. What began for Doom as a seething hatred, however, eventually cemented itself as a sort of unspoken reverence for his ironclad counterpart.
This respect born out of the medieval era ran so deeply that Doom cited it as one of his fondest memories upon declaring himself an ally to Iron Man years later. Stark was understandably skeptical of Doom, who took up Tony’s mantle in Infamous Iron Man #3 (by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev). Although his tenure in Tony’s place didn’t last long, the impact the Latverian dictator made in his attempt to at least temporarily become a hero cannot be understated.
It should also be stated that Doctor Doom fully comprehends the Power Cosmic that Tony currently wields, and his desire for power could also play a big role in his desire to “help” his rival. Doom is known for stealing cosmic power, previously attempting to commandeer the god-like abilities of both the Silver Surfer and Galactus. Additionally, Doom was once actually successful in becoming a God, and there is no doubt that he still covets the power he once commanded, a recipe that could spell disaster for Iron Man in the long run.
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