The Mad Plan to Create a New Tony Stark Continues
Cover for “Iron Man #3” (published March 25th, 2026) written by Joshua Williamson with art by Carmen Carnero and colors by Nolan Woodard
Cover art by Ryan Stegman and Frank Martin
When we last left off in Iron Man, our hero arrived just in time to save M.O.D.O.K of all people from being killed by his former A.I.M compatriots. If that wasn’t enough to deal with, Tony is also looking into the schemes of Madame Masque, who had kidnapped young and promising scientists in the twisted goal of creating the next Tony Stark. Oh, and there’s also the matter of him seeing someone new. Needless to say, after only two issues, the Armored Avenger has his hands full. Writer Joshua Williamson isn’t going to let up anytime soon, though, and this issue certainly adds more to the pile. Join me as I break down this issue of Iron Man and give you my thoughts after the fact. Rev up those repulsors, gang!
Warning: The following article contains spoilers for “Iron Man #3”.
Forged in Fire
A fate worse than death. Though, to be honest, I am pretty sure this guy is dead.
A gruesome sight awaits us in the opening pages of the latest issue of Iron Man. A figure stands before Madame Masque and the Fixer within the confines of an unknown A.I.M. base. Well, “stands” isn’t quite the right word. Perhaps stuck? See, this poor soul, identified as Doctor Doeger, is one of the many best and brightest scientific minds that A.I.M. kidnapped in the hopes of creating the newest Tony Stark. Doeger developed a multiversal vibration jumper, an innovative device that allowed him to shift his body to the closest parallel world. Using said device, Doeger made a run for it but unfortunately didn’t take into account the wall that didn’t exist in the parallel world, effectively fusing his body with the wall itself in a grim sight.
One of the prized young scientists that A.I.M. kidnapped, Adam Ware.
Masque is absolutely unbothered by the development, actually framing it as “progress” as she asks for a status report on the rest of the kidnapped geniuses. One such genius captures her attention as she views the monitor screen. Adam Ware, winner of the Tony Stark award, is seen thinking in a meditative state. Masque demands to know what the tech next to him was used for as Fixer explains he used it to briefly hack A.I.M.’s communication systems. Curiously enough, Ware didn’t use it to attempt to escape but rather to check in on his fellow scientists, more concerned with their well being than his own. Masque then cruelly decides that he needs more motivation as A.I.M. guards quickly phase into his holding cell and begin beating him.
Iron Man coming to M.O.D.O.K’s rescue.
We shift gears to return to our titular hero as he finds himself in a bizarre situation: protecting M.O.D.O.K from being assassinated by A.I.M. soldiers! Iron Man repels the soldiers as he demands to know why is it that A.I.M. is trying to kill M.O.D.O.K, historically A.I.M.’s “scientist supreme”. The supervillain with the gigantic head explains that A.I.M. was jealous of his genius and felt threatened by his vision for A.I.M.’s future. As Iron Man takes to the air to clean up the remaining soldiers, M.O.D.O.K - to no one’s surprise, I’m sure - decides to blast Iron Man from behind…only for him to be stopped by Citizen V. Wait, what?
Citizen V comes to Iron Man’s rescue…but isn’t he supposed to be dead?
Citizen V begins taking out more A.I.M. beekeepers as he chastizes Tony for being sloppy and for trusting M.O.D.O.K in the first place (now nursing a broken nose for his trouble). The Armored Avenger is quick to point out V can’t be Zemo (who outside of wearing awful cologne as a tell is very much dead thanks to Dr. Doom). Nevertheless, regardless of who this Citizen V might be, they fight off A.I.M. before leaving, giving Iron Man an ominous warning that “they” are watching him. The crisis abated, at least for now, Iron Man grills M.O.D.O.K as to why exactly A.I.M. wants him dead. The latter explains to the former that there is effectively a civil war brewing within A.I.M and that it is the heroes of the world who will be caught in the crossfire. M.O.D.O.K slyly tries to take his leave but Iron Man ain’t having it. He grabs the supervillain and takes as he asks Melinda to dig deeper into what’s going on with A.I.M. Comically, Iron Man realizes he actually has a date scheduled and activates his hypersonic boosters as poor M.O.D.O.K is dragged along for his own good.
Tony meets up with his current romantic interest, Luna.
Tony arrives somewhat fashionably late to his date with Luna but she cuts him slack given she was late as well given a restaurant emergency. Tony expresses surprise that their date is taking place among food trucks instead of a famous restaurant, but Luna explains that what they do is amazing, bringing food to the people. They have a riveting and deep conservation as Luna explains that they both create things, Luna in the form of food and Tony in the form of his various armors and tech. Whereas Luna creates as a form of love and comfort, Tony creates for survival. She gets to the heart of the matter as she asks Tony pointedly when was the last time he created something for himself, not to save the world or the universe. There’s a great moment here where Tony fondly recalls building something with his father, prompting a rare and genuine smile of happiness from him. Tony, possessing a wry sense of self awareness, quickly starts to joke and brush off the fact he did, in fact, have a moment. Luna isn’t one to let it go so fast as she calls him out on it, but Tony lays on the charm in addition to his deflecting with humor. They’re about to share a kiss when things suddenly get awkward. Pepper arrives, surprised to see Tony here as she explains she was just grabbing something easy for dinner. Tony introduces the two women, but Pepper mentions that they know each other as Luna reminds Tony that Pepper actually hired her to cater his awards. There is a terribly too long silence between the three until Tony’s phone rings, a godsend for the billionaire philanthropist.
Melinda May aka The Calvary remains a trusted ally to Iron Man.
Melinda May is on the other line as she’s in the middle of fighting a group of A.I.M goons. She politely turns down Tony’s offer of back up as she reveals that the civil war between the forces within A.I.M has left the organization in disarray. That said, she does confirm Madame Masque in building something big. Tony cuts his date short, apologizing to Luna who takes it in stride as Pepper acknowledges that Tony at least said goodbye to her (ouch).
A.I.M. has repurposed Tony’s golden hellicarrier from back when he acted as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
We find out through Tony that he’s figured out where Masque’s base of operations is and how she’s always on the move. She acquired Tony’s own helicarrier from waaaay back when he was running S.H.I.E.L.D., repairing and refitting the vessel for her own ends through a shell company. Tony arrives at said repurposed helicarrier, donning a stealth variant of his Iron Man armor. He’s still talking to Melinda as he explains why and how it’s a bad idea to steal from him as he’s able to track down the helicarrier and break into it. He did build it, after all. Melinda starts to cut out as Iron Man points out the signal is fading as he advances further within his former base of operations. He gains access to the cameras as he finds the kidnapped scientists…only for Madame Masque to get the drop on him.
Iron Man is trapped within his former base of operations thanks to Madame Masque.
Before she can finish her sentence, Iron Man unleashes a repulsor ray…which harmlessly passes through Masque as she’s actually just a hologram, not the real deal. Unbothered, Iron Man reveals he knows what she’s up to and that she doesn’t need to create the next Tony Stark when he’s right there. He offers to surrender himself over to her in exchange for the release of the prisoners. Our comic then rapidly arrives at its conclusion as Masque gives him a counteroffer: they all stay. In a mind bending sequence, Iron Man plummets further into the depths of his former helicarrier as Masque reiterates that she does want to make a new Stark. She reveals she found all his deleted files and discarded plans, the things that should never see the light of day as Iron Man finds himself trapped. When he first thought he was going to die, he developed the Iron Man armor, a technological marvel in every sense of the word. As our comic ends, Masque ominously asks him what he will create now.
An A List Comic for an A List Superhero
“Mad” seems to be an understatement.
In a way, Iron Man is a unique character in Marvel in the sense he’s now a household name and arguably the most well known Avenger thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and his once in a lifetime portrayal courtesy of Robert Downey, Jr. while also simultaneously being, in this reviewer’s humble opinion, slept on in the actual comics. While I’ve always been fond of Shellhead and have argued quite passionately that the character has always been an A-lister within the context of the Marvel Universe itself (not talking about his popularity, but his status within the narrative), his rogues gallery has largely been seen as “outdated and offensive stereotype Fu Manchu type villain” and “guys with armor”. Joshua Williamson is cooking up something fresh and unique with the series that looks to revitalize not just Tony’s enemies but Tony himself, which is something I’m all for.
The concept of a supervillain civil war is something that interests me, especially given the overused trope of heroes fighting one another. Advanced Idea Mechanics is a great villainous faction in the Marvel Universe just because their goals are less mustache twirling and overtly evil such as with Hydra. These guys aren’t Nazis or Nazi adjacent but just tech bros who want to weaponize science and profit in the meantime. Having various branches of A.I.M. at each other's throats gives us a looming and legitimate threat that isn’t something that Iron Man can just punch or blast (though those things will help!). Masque’s grand plan is revealed as she finally captures Tony himself and presumably wants to recreate conditions even more dire than the fateful day Tony was captured and had to develop his first suit of armor to survive and escape. And with plenty of the world's best and brightest imprisoned, it stands to reason there’s a ton of resources for her and A.I.M to exploit in addition to Tony himself. This arc looks to reposition Masque as a dangerous foe beyond just being able to seduce Tony.
Who is Citizen V if it isn’t Baron Zemo?
Outside of A.I.M.’s machinations laid bare, this issue also introduces a mystery to mull over in the form of Citizen V. The alter ego of Baron Zemo made (in)famous all the way back to the original Thunderbolt days, we know that this V couldn’t possibly be Zemo himself, who was killed by Doom. We didn’t get a whole lot of clues outside of V knowing Tony pretty well and revealing that he’s a part of a larger group keeping tabs on him. Perhaps this imposter is one of the Illuminati, who we discovered back in the first issue of this series is concerned to say the least as it pertains to Tony. Also interesting to note that the Fixer is a major player in this story, working alongside Madame Masque. Long time fans will know that the Fixer was also a member of the Thunderbolts, the team that Citizen V is most associated with. Hard to believe it’s a coincidence. And M.O.D.O.K was an absolute delight, the freak.
Awkward….
The budding romance between Luna and Tony was well written but if I’m being perfectly honest, I can’t say I’m terribly invested in them as a couple. I feel Pepper is - rightfully so - Tony’s greatest romantic interest and it feels as if it will be only a matter of time before they get back together. Hopefully. I also have to bring up how much I actually liked Tony’s marriage to Emma Frost and think they make a fantastic odd couple. All of this is to say that I don’t dislike Luna as a character, but she has a ways to go before I consider that their attraction will lead anywhere substantial.
A rare moment of the real Tony Stark. No quips, no jokes. Just a genuine fond memory.
William’s writing is joined by the talents of Carmen Carnero as our artist and Nolan Woodard as our colorer. The action in this issue is bright and vibrant, kinetic with every deliberate blast or punch delivered. It’s a good fit for Iron Man to say the least, especially with the focus on foes that aren’t just armor clad villains. Really has me pumped to see what the series will cook up next! But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. In addition to the action on full display in this issue, we also get well crafted softer and more intimate moments. The exchange between Luna and Tony was well done and the warm tones of the food truck date really captured a down to earth and quiet moment that injected a sense of realism and relatability in a book that focuses on one on the the most intelligent and wealthiest men in Marvel that, given enough time, can build a suit to fight literal gods. There’s some subtle work here, notably in body language, that really amplifies the moment between the two (there’s also a blink and you miss it Jay and Silent Bob cameo). Coupled with the heartwarming flashback with Tony and his dad, the whole scene was really well done and Carnero and Woodard absolutely enhanced Williamson’s writing. The final act of the book, which gives as a nice throwback to the post Civil War era of Iron Man, also gifted us with a great rendition of Iron Man’s stealth infiltrator armor and if you’re anything like me, any opportunity to showcase different Iron Man suits is a welcome one.
Final Thoughts and Review
Being perfectly frank with you, I have a hard time understanding what this page was conveying. Illusions? Augmented reality? In any case, it looked great!
Joshua Williamson delivers another solid entry in his ongoing Iron Man series that doesn’t waste any time ramping things up. I’m pleasantly surprised to see how fast the arc is advancing without feeling rushed and it makes the title a worthwhile read that values the reader’s time, rewarding long time readers with well crafted throwbacks and references while remaining accessible to newcomers.
Final Review: 9/10
Tony being his worst enemy unfortunately checks out.
Iron Man #3 is practically perfectly paced and offers a masterful blend of action, intrigue, and character work that feels like we’re in the midst of what hopefully will go down as a modern classic. The theme of the issue is all about creation and Joshua Williamson, Carmen Carnero, and Nolan Woodard have certainly created a super entry in one of Marvel’s most enduring and beloved heroes.