Warning: Spoilers ahead for I Am Iron Man #5!The supposedly indestructible Iron Man secretly has his own Kryptonite that was created by none other than Tony Stark. The Invincible Iron Man's solid suit protects him from any serious blows that would otherwise destroy his exposed mortal body. He has come across some near-death moments in the past when supervillains like Doctor Octopus and Doctor Doom actually found ways to defeat him. However, the most surprising adversary Iron Man could ever face with a way to ultimately destroy him...is himself.
In I Am Iron Man #5 by Murewa Ayodele and Dotun Akande, Iron Man is ambushed by S.H.I.E.L.D. and She-Hulk as he attempts to break out an unlikely ally to assist him with designing a huge weapon. In a last ditch effort to fight fire with fire, the organization launches its secret weapon: another Iron Man suit. However, as soon as it gets close enough, it instantly collapses on the ground. It turns out that Tony's suit supposedly holding his consciousness is emitting a series of data packets that other suits pick up on. The closer they get, the more they build up until they unleash a virus that disables their life support systems.
Tony's Virus Makes Attacks Against Him With His Tech Impossible
What's shocking about this new defense mechanism in Tony's arsenal is that it makes him completely immune to any attacks made by people who utilize his technology. If he knows that his enemy's strongest weapon is made of the very same material as his suit, he's entirely capable of disposing of it without throwing a punch. It could have huge ramifications for villains that steal his tech as well. Modern depictions of Whiplash, for example, utilize a variation of Stark's technology for their abilities, so he could easily defeat them by just getting near them. It's even activated on command instead of passively working to protect his friends like War Machine from succumbing to the data packets' virus. However, like most of Stark's creations, there are downsides to what seem like decent ideas.
Tony's Iron Man Kryptonite Could Backfire On Him
I Am Iron Man #5 makes it clear to the reader that Tony created this weakness for Stark suits as a precaution due to his Consciousness Backup Program. He evaluates that since he puts himself in dangerous situations all the time, he has a system where his consciousness can be transferred to a clone in the event of his death. However, these supposedly dead Tonys sometimes survive and gain a desire to kill all Tony Starks when they are no longer deemed as the main Stark. These data packets may protect Iron Man from incoming attacks by these clones, but that won't stop them from finding a way to harness this weakness for themselves. If they find a way to acquire and utilize this technology, they could easily fire the virus back at Tony, killing him in the process. This would lead to a never-ending chain of Tony's consciousness rebooting in another body, but it's a serious oversight to this program that he overlooked.
Regardless of the ramifications though, the fact that the Iron Man suit has a way to be defeated is pretty incredible. It's not surprising though that Tony himself is the one who created it. He knows just how dangerous these suits can be if they fall into the wrong hands, so having a way to deflect Stark suit attacks is a credible way of keeping himself from entering an intense brawl where he may not come out on top. This Iron Man Kryptonite could change the way Tony Stark strategizes going forward since he will have to decide when is the best time to deploy this powerful counterattack.
I Am Iron Man #5 is available now from Marvel Comics!