''Infamous Iron Man'' is a 12-issue
American comic book miniseries featuring the
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
character
Victor Von Doom. Written by comic veteran
Brian Michael Bendis, and drawn by
Alex Maleev
Alex Maleev ( Bulgarian: Алекс Малеев) is a Bulgarian comic book illustrator, best known for the Marvel Comics' series '' Daredevil'' (vol. 2) with frequent collaborator Brian Michael Bendis.
Career
Coming from a fine arts background, ...
, the series began publication in October 2016. ''Infamous Iron Man'' follows Von Doom as he takes on the persona of
Iron Man after "
Civil War II
"Civil War II" is a 2016 comic book crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics. Debuting in June of that year, it is the sequel to 2006's "Civil War" and consists of a nine-issue eponymous core limited series, by writer Brian Michael Bendis ...
".
Publication history
The series was created by writer
Brian Michael Bendis and artist
Alex Maleev
Alex Maleev ( Bulgarian: Алекс Малеев) is a Bulgarian comic book illustrator, best known for the Marvel Comics' series '' Daredevil'' (vol. 2) with frequent collaborator Brian Michael Bendis.
Career
Coming from a fine arts background, ...
. The first issue was released on October 19, 2016, and had reasonable success, as it sold 73,735 in its first month and was the 23rd most popular title that month. It was well received by critics and fans, with an aggregate score of 7.6 and 8.0 respectively on Comicbook Roundup.
At the end of the series, the story of Dr. Doom as Iron Man continued in ''Invincible Iron Man'' #593.
Plot
After the events of the ''
Civil War II
"Civil War II" is a 2016 comic book crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics. Debuting in June of that year, it is the sequel to 2006's "Civil War" and consists of a nine-issue eponymous core limited series, by writer Brian Michael Bendis ...
'' storyline, Victor Von Doom rescues S.H.I.E.L.D. Director
Maria Hill
Commander Maria Hill ( ) is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch (comics), David Finch, the character first appeared in ''The New Ave ...
from
Diablo and visits
Tony Stark
Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The charac ...
's lab, where he reveals to the Tony Stark A.I. that he'll assume the mantle of Iron Man. He then appears in
La Paz, Bolivia
La Paz (), officially known as Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Spanish pronunciation: ), is the seat of government of the Plurinational State of Bolivia. With an estimated 816,044 residents as of 2020, La Paz is the third-most populous city in Bol ...
, where he attempts to offer the
Mad Thinker
Mad, mad, or MAD may refer to:
Geography
* Mad (village), a village in the Dunajská Streda District of Slovakia
* Mád, a village in Hungary
* Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport, by IATA airport code
* Mad River (disambiguation), several ri ...
a chance at redemption. When the Mad Thinker refuses, Victor defeats him and destroys his lab. He then goes to visit a friend, Doctor Amara Perera, at her apartment only to be attacked by the
Thing
Thing or The Thing may refer to:
Philosophy
* An object
* Broadly, an entity
* Thing-in-itself (or ''noumenon''), the reality that underlies perceptions, a term coined by Immanuel Kant
* Thing theory, a branch of critical theory that focuse ...
, who was sent by S.H.I.E.L.D. to capture him. After a brief battle, Victor transports himself and Amara to
Switzerland where he reveals to her the reason for his change of heart and search for redemption. Thing goes to Castle Doom in
Latveria
Latveria is a fictional country appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is depicted within the storylines of Marvel's comic titles as an isolated European country ruled by the fictional Supreme Lord Doctor Doom, suppo ...
only to be confronted by Cynthia Von Doom, Victor's mother. While talking to Maria Hill, Victor discovers that the Thing is in Latveria. Arriving at his destroyed castle, Victor finds the Thing being affected by a spell and salutes his mother. During a confrontation, Cynthia reveals her reasons for showing up and releases the Thing from her spell, after Doom asks her to.
Victor then battles the
Wizard, who manages to outsmart him. During the battle, Victor becomes distracted by a vision of the future only to be confronted by
Sharon Carter
Sharon Carter (also known as Agent 13) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is usually depicted as a secret agent, an ex-field agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. under Nick Fury, and a love interest of St ...
, who attempted to arrest him, and escapes. The Wizard then meets up with a large group of super criminals, including the Hood and Jigsaw, who have congregated in the same hideout to discuss what to do about Doom. The villains are terrified, reasoning Doom was bad enough as an ally, but as a hero they would be finished. The new alliance agrees they have to kill Doom, and are encouraged by the fact there are too many of them for Doom to handle at once. Doom then crashes through the ceiling and easily dispatches the lot of them, leaving the
Wrecker to serve as a witness for S.H.I.E.L.D.
The Thing then returns to his apartment to find Doom eating at a small table he set for himself. Doom apologizes for the intrusion and for the fact he's eating, explaining his recent duties sometimes cause him to forget to eat. He apologizes for their earlier altercations and even confesses he admires Ben Grimm and Reed Richards when they were at school together. Doom again tries to convince Grimm that he's changed, then leaves. The Thing is later shocked when he sees Reed Richards in front of him. After a confusing conversation, Reed tells him that Victor Von Doom can't be trusted and that Thing must kill him. Meanwhile, Victor encounters
Ironheart in his destroyed castle and has a vision of the future where he meets an elderly Tony Stark, who has become the Sorcerer Supreme. The Thing then tells the
Human Torch
The Human Torch (Jonathan "Johnny" Storm) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member of the Fantastic Four. He is writer Stan Lee's and artist Jack Kirby's reinvention of a si ...
about his encounter with Victor until he gets a call that Ironheart has captured Victor and brought him to the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier. While in custody, some of the agents attempt to kill him out of revenge, only for his mother to rescue him. Victor wakes up in an alternate dimension and has an argument with his mother, who won't tell him of her true intentions and plans, until Reed appears, alarming Victor.
It is later revealed that Victor returned to Earth and turned himself over to S.H.I.E.L.D. While in custody, Victor is visited by
Doctor Strange who tries to help him solve the mystery of his mother and Reed Richards. During that time, Reed Richards suddenly appears, attempting to enter the base, only to be confronted by Sharon Carter, Thing and several agents. Victor and Strange exit the cell and discover that Reed is actually
Mephisto
Mephisto or Mephistopheles is one of the chief demons of German literary tradition.
Mephisto or Mephistopheles may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''Méphisto'', a 1931 French film
* Mephisto (1981 film), ''Mephisto'' (1981 film), a German- ...
in disguise. In the middle of the fight, Mephisto, breaking the fourth wall, reveals that Cynthia and Reed's appearances have been orchestrated by him in an attempt to defeat Victor, his motivation being to keep Victor from redeeming himself and avoiding the fate Mephisto had planned for him. Doom and Doctor Strange manage to defeat Mephisto. After that, Doom takes his leave and is later seen invading a secret Hydra base on an island, after teleporting the Thing to a fancy hotel in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
. Meanwhile, Amara is seen at a hospital, when the doctor tells her that she's pregnant.
Collected editions
References
{{Iron Man
Doctor Doom
Iron Man