WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Iron Man #4, by Christopher Cantwell, Cafu, Frank D'Armata and VC's Joe Caramagna, on sale now.
Iron Man is a flawed hero who always makes the most of his second chances. Those traits have made Tony Stark one of Marvel's most beloved heroes both in comics and on the big screen, but they ensure that his life is never an easy one. After dealing with a crisis that was familial, existential and potentially apocalyptic in the recent Iron Man 2020 event, Stark had a new lease on life and was thrust into a brand new series of challenges by dealing with the trauma he's endured and getting ensnared in the machinations of the reborn cosmic conqueror, Korvac.
Those events are currently unfolding in the opening arc of the recently launched brand new volume of Iron Man by writer Christopher Cantwell and artist Cafu. That arc is the first chapter in an Iron Man vs. Korvac saga that will run well into the new year. CBR spoke with Cantwell about his plans for the Stark/Korvac conflict and the allies and enemies, both old and new, that will become embroiled in their clash in Iron Man #5 and beyond.
On top of that, we have an exclusive look at the solicit text and cover for March's Iron Man #7
IRON MAN #7
- CHRISTOPHER CANTWELL (W) • CAFU (A/C)
- COVER BY ALEX ROSS
- Iron Man and his small band of allies go interstellar as they pursue Korvac to the farthest reaches of the galaxy, even as the villainous android intellect tries to telepathically lure Hellcat and Tony toward his bizarre utopian visions. But after an unexpected left turn leaves Iron Man on a remote and uncharted planet, Korvac might take the opportunity to blow Shellhead’s vulnerable friends out of the stars once and for all.
CBR: In your first four issues, Tony Stark has dealt with the aftermath of some of the traumas he's endured in recent years. So, what was your sense of Tony's psyche when you first started writing him? Why has he been so concerned with how others view him?
Christopher Cantwell: Well, quite literally, Tony’s psyche was placed into a new body. So in a sense, he’s walking around as this brand new man. But he’s also himself and has all that baggage. I think part of this identity crisis stems from the events at the end of Iron Man 2020. But I think this unique reboot he’s had has him seeing this as a second chance. So he wants to try something new. He wants to keep his head down and be a hero. The trouble is, people still see him as the same cocky millionaire playboy, one that’s recklessly caused a lot of havoc no less. So here’s Tony trying to be humble, and here are people throwing it in his face.
It doesn’t take long for some of Tony’s old characteristics to reappear, and as we’ll see in later issues, perhaps get even worse than before. But I think the real flaw in Tony’s plan was that he was not truly starting from square one. The whole Korvac arc is going to put him through the wringer and actually allow him to find his humanity again. But it’s going to be a rough ride.
Helping Tony on his new journey is a character you brought in, Patsy Walker/Hellcat. What made you want to bring her into the book? And in the aftermath of issue #4 how do Tony and Patsy view their relationship? Are they friends or something more?
I brought Patsy in because she has already been through a real wringer herself but seems to have emerged from the other side. She has wisdom to share with Tony. She can point out when he’s making a false step even when he claims he’s being sincere. Patsy’s biggest superpower is being human. That’s what Tony needs right now, a direct and visceral access to his gut. He's been in his head too much.
Patsy is also shorthand for a character that “has been around the block a few times” since she actually debuted in 1945. She’s seen a lot of iterations of herself. If Tony is the kite, Patsy is holding the string. The trouble is, Patsy may not have her feet as firmly on the ground as she thought. Old problems are going to bubble up. Her mind is fragile.
I love her recent stories for their depiction of mental health, which means a lot to me as a theme. I thought there was a real reckoning story to tell there, with someone who finally has to face their fears and embrace who they are. I think we have some pretty clever superhero allegories planned for her that speak to a new kind of “awakening” within her. And even as things grow more complex between them, I don’t know if Tony or Patsy are either in a spot to assign any labels to what they’re going through together at the moment.
The major antagonist of your first arc has been a new version of the cosmic being known as Korvac. He's been reborn as a cybernetic life form who wants to become a god, which makes him an interesting foil for Tony whose arc as a hero has been about striving to become something better. What inspired you to reinvent Korvac like this and pit him against Tony?
At times, Tony has been accused of having a God complex. Well, here’s a guy who actually has one. Korvac is someone who immediately has zero humility. He’s also someone who once killed the Avengers while trying his hand at this whole utopia thing before. But -- and I think for the first time -- we’re going to sew the two Korvacs as they’ve existed into one.
There once was a Korvac who was a man from the future who cooperated with the Badoon empire in their conquest of Earth. At some point, the top of his body was grafted to a machine. So Korvac’s real origin was that of a traitor to his own kind for selfish reasons. To me, it’s interesting to have a character be that selfish, petty, and emasculated suddenly want to save the entire universe. What’s motivating that, deep down? It was only after he accessed the power cosmic… on Taa II… that he became the powerful entity that followed. Well, we’ve planned to portray some of that transformation in order to show what’s underneath all of Korvac’s grandiose schemes. What is he actually afraid of being seen as?
Additionally, it’s always fun to match a master intellect against Tony. He and Korvac will engage in quite a few pissing matches. Korvac may be smarter than Tony, but Tony has an inordinate amount of cleverness that others don’t.
Your first arc is “The Books of Korvac: Act One," which suggests you have grand plans for Tony and Korvac's enmity. What can you tell us about the scope and scale of your planned Korvac saga? How far into 2021 will it go?
Well, my first answer is as long as Marvel lets me. I hope I do get to conclude the tale. This may sound insane to some readers but I think there will be four “Books of Korvac,” meaning 20 issues. I bit off a big chunk and was ambitious. But I do think there is a real odyssey here for Tony. Issue #4 ups the ante, and #5 is really about Tony deciding he needs to get some help and truly go after Korvac once he learns of his true desires. Iron Man #5 is Tony and Korvac’s first big one-on-one face-off. We'll also meet Tony’s team of allies in #5, and it won’t really be who you expect. “Act Two” takes place in an entirely different locale and has some mini-arcs within for Hellcat, Korvac, and Tony separately. “Act Three” is yet another location and is a little like our Helm’s Deep. And the final act, “Four,” plays out across the entire universe itself. I hope we get to do it. I hope we pull it off.
If I’m still on the book after all that, readers can definitely expect a few light one-shots or two to three-issue arcs before we launch into any bigger story (for which of course I already have an idea… a much different one than Korvac).
But again, I really feel just lucky to be here.
Act One of your Korvac tale has seen the reemergence of four of Tony's classic foes: The Controller, Unicorn, Blizzard, and the Melter. What do you like most about writing Iron Man's established rogues gallery?
I love the lack of self-awareness of the Bronze Age. I am really not into meta kinds of stories with characters referencing themselves (unless it’s really funny). Bronze Age folks also have very concrete goals and abilities: Freezing, mind control, laser beams, melting stuff; it’s crystal clear. But when you take people like that and put them into a contemporary, nuanced, emotional story, it’s unexpected. Also, these characters might find themselves at sea amidst the plot. A major thing happens in #4 and afterward one looks over at another and literally says “What now?”
What I like about putting these kinds of small universe people—good and bad—into this story is that they’re truly going to go on a cosmic adventure. Unicorn is not Silver Surfer. He’s way out of his league when a lot of this stuff happens. The same will be true when some other good guys show up. It’s like taking street-level Marvel and cosmic Marvel and making it one story.
We saw another familiar face in Iron Man #4 with the return of James Rhodes, who made a brief appearance. What can you tell us about Rhodey's role in the book moving forward?
I’ve said this before, but I think my hot take on Rhodey is that secretly he is the Iron Man Tony wishes he was. Rhodey is noble and honorable and rather selfless in his actions. But he can also be stubborn. Still, his friendship with Tony is unshakable. That can often get him into trouble, and it will this time too.
Rhodey may seem like a small plot device in #4, but trust me, he’s going to become part of the book in a major way in the next few issues. Let’s just say Alex Ross has some involvement in how he’s going to look. I will also say, that even though Rhodey has no superpowers of his own, these next few issues show the sheer force of will this man has. Even under control of the Controller, Rhodey can fight back with his will. It almost makes him superhuman. That just feels right for a guy with as much conviction as he has.
Your art team of Cafu and colorist Frank Martin have done amazing things with character acting, action, and mood in these first few issues. What's it like writing for them?
Cafu is a gift. So is Frank. What they bring to the table blows me away. I feel so lucky to work with Cafu. He has such a real-world approach, but one that contains grit and flare and heightened emotion. He can thread any needle, big or small, that I ask him to draw. Every idea I had comes back better and with new ones I wish I’d thought of. He sends us his pages one at a time, and they always manage to cheer me up when I see them in my inbox, no matter what.
Then, when I see Frank’s work, usually along with Joe’s, the whole thing just jumps to life. I wanted to harken back to old muscle cars and oily machines with this book and somehow Frank does that. The colors are so rich and perfectly toned. Frank’s blacks look like they are infinitely deep.
Finally, Iron Man #4 hinted that some allies are about to join Tony in the battle against Korvac. We know one of them is the street racer Halcyon who we first saw in issue #1, but what can you tell us about the others?
Halcyon is the first hero character I invented for Marvel. He’s deaf but it was important to me to not have his power stem from that at all. That felt fresher than a disability that also leads to a power, like Daredevil or someone. I wanted Halcyon’s Deafness to be a fact of his life but not the defining one. His mutant power is unique, and I’m actually quite proud of it. Maybe it’s a little too clever, but it will come in handy later. He’s also a master mechanic, mathematician, and natural pilot, cool under pressure no matter the situation.
In Iron Man #4, Patsy cobbles together a list of lesser-known people so as not to alert Korvac that every hero on Earth knows he’s back. Tony’s concerned about the list. In Iron Man #5 we’ll see who they could scrounge up on short notice. It’s a smattering that makes me giddy and it's kind of totally random. There are some loose connections to Patsy and Tony, but not much. I wanted to have characters who have very little experience with Tony, let alone being led by him into a major conflict. It’s like, they’ve heard of this guy, but now here he is. It’s not that they’re starstruck; it’s that they’re all completely on their back foot with him. I also tried to give some newer takes on some golden oldies.
Ultimately, this book is meant to be a romp and an adventure across all of 616 in a way. Yes, we’re digging into the man’s psyche and soul but that’s not the only purpose here. I’m not interested in coldly and cruelly dismantling and being contrarian to Tony’s core qualities. I’m interested in affirming them, forging them. But in order to truly affirm one’s unshakable goodness, there must be a Quest. Well, this a grand Quest. This is Marvel. There are going to be laser battles and giant robots. A two-issue fight between two super teams loaded to the gills with powers, zealousness and heroic self-sacrifice. And we’re bringing back some old-school things from Tony’s suit. Get ready for the uni-beam. Get ready… for the roller skates.
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