Iron Man Just Turned One Of His Greatest Weaknesses Into A Huge Power
Contains spoilers for "Invincible Iron Man" #4
Iron Man is one of Marvel's most innovative and inventive heroes, but even Tony Stark is vulnerable to specific attacks. One that has plagued him no matter how advanced his armor has been over the years is EMPs, with many villains using them to shut down his suit and send him spiraling to the ground. However, in his ongoing series from Marvel Comics, Iron Man just turned one of his weaknesses into a huge power, using his version of an EMP to disable the technology around him during a fight against a man who purchased his entire empire.
In "Invincible Iron Man" #4, Iron Man uses a powerful ball of energy to shut down electronic devices within a certain radius, thus ensuring that the potentially otherwise much-recorded and televised fight between the hero and the villain Feilong can ensue without everyone watching. The new power gives the longtime Avenger another unique ability that might come in handy for a character who often faces off against armored villains, such as Iron Monger, Stilt-Man, or the Crimson Dynamo. At the very least, Stark has a new power-cutting tactic when needed.
Iron Man is taking on a villain determined to ruin his life
In "Invincible Iron Man" #4, Iron Man deals with the fallout of spending his entire fortune to take some of the deadliest weapons in the Marvel Universe off of the black market. A man named Feilong has emerged as Tony Stark's replacement in the public eye, with the villain buying up Stark Industries and watching Iron Man become essentially helpless as he takes over his tech and empire.
Feilong is a new Marvel villain with specific hatred for mutants after they beat him in a space race to colonize Mars. Believing that mutants stole everything he has worked for, Feilong is forced to de-fuel his rocketships and end his endeavor to survive on the planet, now known as Arakko. Previously, Feilong had experimented on himself, giving him cosmic energy projection powers and making him a formidable threat in a one-on-one fight against Iron Man.
However, in the latest confrontation between Iron Man and Feilong, Stark reveals one of his armor's newest abilities. Creating a giant ball of energy, Stark shares that after years of development and a fortune spent on testing, he has become capable of making a blast that would reset every electronic device that is hit in its path. With no cameras around, he then grabs Feilong and tells him he knows his heart was broken by the mutants beating him to mars but won't let him use his technology to hurt anyone else.
Iron Man makes his intentions clear with Feilong
Feilong offers him the chance to join him at Stark Industries, but Iron Man declines before threatening him and breaking his hand, telling him he knows he's responsible for the death of his neighbor and his friend Zhong Wei. Then, in a psychotic response, Feilong grabs his bloody hand and tells Tony that he's who he's been waiting for while laughing and yelling that he finally has a worthy nemesis.
With future issues of "Invincible Iron Man" showcasing Iron Man getting a new suit to take on Stark Sentinels, Tony Stark was correct not to trust the villain, since he's clearly lost control of himself in his attempt to destroy the X-Men. Still, seeing Iron Man unleash the new EMP attack and give Feilong a much-deserved talking down to shows that, even without his vast fortune and usual resources, Tony still has a few tricks up his sleeve. Readers can see Iron Man's new attack in "Invincible Iron Man" #4 by Gerry Duggan and Juan Frigeri from Marvel Comics, in comic book stores now.