Ultimate Iron Man
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| Ultimate Iron Man | |
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| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
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| Schedule | bi-monthly |
| Format | mini-series |
| Publication date | March 2005 to February 2006 , December 2007 to March 2008 |
| Number of issues | 9 |
| Main character(s) | Howard Stark, Tony Stark, Jim Rhodes, Obidiah Stane, Dolores |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | Orson Scott Card |
| Penciller(s) | Andy Kubert |
| Inker(s) | Danny Miki |
| Colorist(s) | Richard Isanove |
Ultimate Iron Man is the name of two comic book miniseries written by Orson Scott Card and published by Marvel Comics. The stories tell the origins of the Ultimate Marvel version of Iron Man, who appears in Ultimates.
Contents |
[edit] Publication history
The first volume, which published between 2005 and 2006, was a five-part miniseries depicting the early life and origins of Tony Stark, and was drawn by Andy Kubert.
The second volume is also a five-part miniseries and had its first issue released on December 12, 2007. This volume follows directly on from the first series and depicts the early uses of the Iron Man armor, art by Pasqual Ferry.
[edit] Volume one
Ultimate Iron Man #1 reveals that Tony Stark's genius is caused by an accident his mother suffered while she was carrying him in her womb. He has neural tissue throughout his body, as if his entire body is a brain, giving him tremendous mental capacity but at the cost of chronic pain akin to severe burns due to the over stimulation of neural cells in his skin. His father uses a newly invented biological armor to ease Tony's pain. Despite the pain, he is endowed with regenerative capabilities due to the same mutation that caused the neural cells to differentiate all over his body. The biotechnology armor is constructed out of genetically modified bacteria that is able to group together to dissipate kinetic energy when impacted upon, and is able to dissolve any metal that can be oxidized. The disadvantage of this biotech armor, however, is that it will dissolve the wearer's skin after a few hours and will need to be washed off with water and soap.
In Ultimate Iron Man #2, young Tony Stark is shown covered in the blue skin-armor developed by his father in issue #1. Attempting to learn how to manufacture the bio-armor, Zebediah Stane kidnaps and tortures Tony.
In issue #3, Tony's father arrives with a SWAT team and arrests Zebediah. After the incident, a transparent version of the armor is developed, and Tony begins attending a prep school. The story then fast forwards to an older Stark who develops a prototype power-armor and befriends fellow student James Rhodes.
Ultimate Iron Man #4 follows Tony Stark, shortly after befriending Rhodes, getting in a scuffle with bullies that nearly leaves him dead. Discovering that the bullies were following orders from an unknown individual, Stark's father decides to enroll Stark, Rhodes, and Nifara, who witnessed the attack, into the Baxter Building. Also enrolled in the school is Obadiah Stane, his father's ex wife's son. Shortly after their arrival, Stark witnesses Obadiah murder a pair of students and make it look like an accident. This incident hardens Stark's resolve to improve his armor and punish Obadiah. At this point, he has already begun to build a suit that closely resembles a traditional Iron Man suit.
Ultimate Iron Man #5 shows that shortly after his father's arrest based on planted evidence (by Obadiah) at the gruesome murder of his enemy Zebediah Stane, Tony gets a taste of champagne at a party held by his father. The alcohol affects his brain more than a normal human due to his decentralized brain tissue. He later says that while he was intoxicated, it was the first time in his life he was not in chronic pain. Then two prototype variations of the suit are shown. One is roughly 6 feet tall, designed for more practical testings, while the second is a large suit at least 20 feet tall, for designing any additions to the traditional suit before including them to the more restricted design. The suit doesn't fly, but hovers or bounces and is not completely stable. Stark is forced to use the 20 foot prototype to foil a terrorist plot to destroy his building. Though Tony is successful, the terrorists manage to detonate the bomb prematurely and completely destroy the suit.
[edit] Volume two
Tony Stark survives being blown up inside his prototype suit of armor. Unfortunately for him, the attempted murder is only the least of his problems. Tony's father is still wrongly imprisoned for the murder of rival Zebediah Stane, and teenage Tony is forced to run Stark Enterprises in his stead. After seeing the prototype armor in use, the military wish to use the armor themselves. Convincing the military that the armors are in fact robots, both Tony and Jim Rhodes (Ultimate War Machine) suit up and go on the mission masquerading as robots.
[edit] Other Media
Iron Man has been featured in Ultimate Avengers and Ultimate Avengers 2 (2006), an animated direct-to-video adaptation of the Ultimates. Although based on Ultimate Iron Man, this version's identity is not a matter of public record, and, as in main Marvel Universe continuity, he is inflicted with a heart condition rather than a brain tumor. Marc Worden provides the voice.
In The Invincible Iron Man (which is unrelated to the Ultimate Avengers adaptions), Tony Stark has been working on multiple armours in secret for some time using his company's resources. One of the armours that are seen resemble the "Ultimate Iron Man" suit.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- The official Orson Scott Card website
- Sample artwork, and credits
- Bio of Ultimate Iron Man at Marvel Universe
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