Comic books are a great source of inspiration for blockbuster movies and video games that arrive at the entertainment of many audiences. Marvel comics in particular have a long history, with many heroes and villains being given great character development and interesting, challenging stories.
These stories that exist in comic books are worthy of recognition, for both what they can convey, and how they treat certain characters. In particular, Iron Man has had some great comics, many worthy of adaption and inspiration for EA Motive’s new Iron Man game. Or, these best Iron Man comics can be read to further appreciate the character.
8 Iron Monger Saga
In this series, Tony faces a worthy adversary for his title of both CEO and Iron Man thanks to the villainous Obadiah Stane. Stane has destroyed Stark’s life with his manipulation, and the worst is yet to come.
In this saga, Tony Stark is at his lowest, and has lost armor, and fortune, but never the nerve that makes him who he is. Tony Stark may lack his money and fame, but one thing he refuses to live without is the friendships that make him. With over thirty issues in this saga, there’s plenty of action in a slugfest of steel.
7 Iron Man: World’s Most Wanted
As a comic set after the intense conclusion of Secret Invasion, this Iron Man comic follows Tony Stark as the most wanted man in the entire world. Thanks to the Skrulls, a virus was uploaded that destroyed all Starktech. Involved in this destruction was the link between Tony and his Extremis suit.
The comic centers around Tony being hunted for his knowledge surrounding the Super-Hero Registration Act. The only copy remains deep in Stark’s brain, one that he tries to conceal and delete so that it cannot fall into the wrong hands, hands that hunt him across the globe.
6 Iron Man: Hypervelocity
Mechanized mayhem is at the frontlines of Iron Man: Hypervelocity. This comic features Tony Stark in a brand-new set of armor, which sees him caught between the crossfire of bleeding-edge technology from an insurgency and the hardware of a hero-killing paramilitary force.
The walls close in on Tony Stark, and the clock is ticking on the damage that he will be involved in next. It’s a classic superhero story where the stakes remain high, and Iron Man will have to push himself far beyond his limits of mind and body to survive and conquer this technological warfare.
5 Iron Man: Deliverance
It’s long known that Tony Stark suffers from alcohol addiction. In Iron Man: Deliverance, the peak of his alcoholism is at the front and center. Tony Stark is friendless, penniless, and living on the streets in the middle of a snowstorm. His alcoholism sees him connecting with other unfortunate homeless people, including Gretl, a woman on the verge of giving birth.
This comic is one of the many attempts to write a character study of Tony Stark, rather than Iron Man. It’s an iconic comic that sees Tony Stark make a decision, to remain an alcoholic, or to seek the help of his friend Rhodey, and beat his alcoholism into submission.
4 Iron Man: Extremis
Sometimes, it’s not just large corporations and other iron armors that seek the death of Tony Stark. In Iron Man: Extremis, it’s a technologically deadly new virus that grants enhanced abilities to those who use it. Thanks to Tony Stark’s genius, he must create a new suit or armor that can withstand and neutralize such a deadly threat.
Extremis is explored in this six-issue arc and revolves around who unleashed it, and what threat it poses to the entirety of mankind. This comic tests the mind of Tony Stark, just as much as the physical side of Iron Man.
3 Iron Man: Armor Wars
After battling with the criminal organization known as the Force, Tony Stark makes a grueling discovery that their technology and armor resemble heavily that of Iron Man’s armor tech. The comic reveals the importance of Spymaster, and how he had stolen secrets, and sold them to corporate rival Justin Hammer.
Iron Man takes it into his own hands to destroy these secrets, and the armors that have been made with them, for his technology cannot be trusted in the hands of anyone but himself. Armor Wars is also set to become an MCU Disney Plus show.
2 Demon In A Bottle
The downfall of Tony Stark can be attributed to many factors, but most lead to his devastating addiction to alcohol. In Demon in a Bottle, Tony Stark has a previously unknown adversary revealed, and his entire life sabotaged that implicates Iron Man in a murder. The biggest threat to Tony Stark is not his rogue’s gallery, but his addictions.
The comic also sees characters like Captain America, as Iron Man steps down as Chairman of the Avengers. It just goes to show how far of a broken man Tony Stark has become and begs the question of if he will recover.
1 Civil War: The Confession
Captain America is dead. Reeling from the assassination of one of Earth’s mightiest heroes, Iron Man confronts his sins and confesses his sorrows and fears to the body of Captain America. The two had come to some devastating blows after being the leaders on each side of their own Civil War.
It’s an emotional story and one that serves to respect both Steve Rogers and Tony Stark. The story focuses strongly on their brotherhood, and how they have had their friendship severed, and forever lost due to death. It shows how important a character Steve Rogers is, and how large a print he has on Tony Stark.
An Iron Man game is currently in development.