WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Tony Stark: Iron Man #5 by Dan Slott, Gang Hyuk Lim and Alexander Lozano, on sale Wednesday, Oct. 31.
Writer Kieron Gillen and artists Dale Eaglesham and Carlo Pagulayan run on Iron Man during the original Marvel Now initiative revealed that Howard and Maria Stark adopted Tony Stark as a replacement for their biological son, Arno Stark. Arno has intermittently played an important role in Tony's adventures since his introduction, and now writer Dan Slott and artists Max Dunbar, Gang Hyuk Lim, Dono Sánchez-Almara and VC's Joe Caramagna are bringing the character back once again.
The opening page for Tony Stark: Iron Man #5 features narration from Arno, who introduces The Maria Stark Foundation, explaining that it's independent from Tony Stark and Stark Unlimited. This means that he can still do charitable work even when Tony's mercurial personal finances take a downturn.
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Subsequent pages show Arno using cutting-edge science to repair the arm of a world-class violinist, releasing bacteria that consume man-made garbage in the ocean and growing wheat in the desert to feed the hungry. The preview ends with Arno taking on a mission to help a rancher specializing in "meat that's ethically fine ta eat." Arno's philanthropic actions stand in stark contrast to Tony's current focus on entertainment apps and software. A common critique of Tony throughout the years has been that, with his genius and fortune, he could fix many of the world's problems that don't require the use of a suit of armor. Although he's definitely made some effort to better the world through philanthropy, his pursuit of other goals often gets in the way. Now it appears to be Arno who is finally putting his own intelligence and money to good use.
The preview pages don't feature Tony himself or connect to the ongoing sabotage attempts at Stark Unlimited. They also don't contain any reference to the events of Tony Stark: Iron Man #4, which saw a budding relationship forming between Tony and Janet Van Dyne/Wasp. There's no telling from these pages how, or if, Arno's new focus on philanthropy will lead him into conflict with his adopted brother.
Created by Gillen, Eaglesham and Pagulayan, Arno first appeared in 2013's Iron Man #12 and is the biological son of Howard and Maria Stark. Arno fell ill shortly after being born and, in order to protect their biological son from an alien robot called Rigellian Recorder 451, the Starks adopted young Tony. A genius like his adoptive brother, Arno worked with Tony to help change the world for the better. However, the two later had a falling out over Arno's attempts to use the Extremis virus to cure himself. Arno reappeared earlier this year during Brian Michael Bendis' run on Invincible Iron Man.
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Tony Stark: Iron Man #5 goes on sale Oct. 31 from Marvel Comics.