Most of the villains who choose to fight Tony Stark try to match him in terms of technology. This rarely works well, for while his Iron Man armor is powerful, Tony has never limited himself to just one tool. However, he may have met his match in a new Advanced Iron Man and the Marvel villain piloting the suit.
Written by Joshua Williamson, with art by Carmen Carnero and Jan Bazaldua, Iron Man #4 finds Tony Stark in the clutches of Advanced Idea Mechanics (AIM) and Madame Masque. The current storyline found A.I.M. kidnapping scientists in an effort to find the next Tony Stark and put them to work for them. Subsequently, Tony was captured trying to rescue the scientists.
The action of the issue finds Tony planning a jailbreak from within AIM’s headquarters with their other captives. However, an old enemy is working with AIM to prove himself the stronger technocrat. This villain is revealed to have been working on his own armored suit, which he dubs the Advanced Iron Man. The issue ends with an unarmored Tony Stark staring down the new threat.
Which Marvel villain is piloting Advanced Iron Man?
The mind behind the new Advanced Iron Man is Paul Norbert Ebersol, a.k.a. The Fixer. He first appeared in 1965’s Strange Tales #141. An evil weapon designer, he originally worked with fellow villain Mentallo to take on SHIELD. He soon went out on his own, doing battle with Captain America and Tony Stark. However, he is perhaps most famous as one of the original Thunderbolts, where he posed as the hero Techno.
The issue ends with the promise of a battle between the original Iron Man and his AIM-built knock-off. At first glance, Tony Stark would seem to be at a disadvantage, lacking any apparent tools. He’s also dealing with the trauma of one of his allies in escaping dying violently. However, as Tony Stark himself would proudly note, his mind is his greatest weapon – not his armor.
Iron Man #4 is now available at comic shops everywhere.
