Iron Man has been many things: an inventor, a captain of industry, an iconic superhero. Now, he takes on a new title: insurgent. That title graces the cover of Iron Man #6, and it’s an apt depiction of Tony Stark’s new role in the Marvel Universe. With Doctor Doom having unified the nations of the world, there’s pockets of resistance, including Russia, with an insurgent cell asking Tony for help. But what happens when Tony finds himself in the crosshairs of the Winter Guard?
Spencer Ackerman hasn’t been shying away from some hard truths during his run so far on Iron Man, and he delivers another one: to topple a tyrant means that some lines will have to be crossed. As one of the insurgents tells Tony, “Doom will not be overthrown innocently.” Tony’s resolve is put to the test, over and over. He attempts a secret meeting but it’s broken up by the Winter Guard. He wants to provide the insurgents with funds, but they demand he arm Doom with weapons so they can stage a coup.
How tough does it get? Tony ends up getting talked down to by Black Widow, of all people. You know your character’s in a tough spot when the super spy is a source of wisdom. To his credit, Ackerman establishes a great rapport between Natasha and Tony that is threatened by the issue’s closing moments, and I’m curious to see how this dovetails with Natasha’s appearance in Thunderbolts: Doomstrike.
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Iron Man #6 also marks the return of Julius Ohta to interiors; Ohta matches the slow burn of Ackerman’s script with pages depicting the harsh snow-covered mountains of Dagestan where Tony meets the insurgents. Tony himself looks rather dapper under Ohta’s pen, sporting a fur-lined coat, a fancy watch, and carrying a briefcase sporting the same bright red color scheme as his Iron Man armor.
Get used to the color red, as Alex Sinclair more or less makes it a prominent color throughout the back half of the issue. Three of the Winter Guard’s members are sporting red costumes (save Ursa Major, on account of the fact that he’s a massive bear) and Black Widow’s stealth suit utilizes a red and white color scheme. The other prominent color? The glowing bright blue of Iron Man’s repulsors, which he utilizes to charge his Repulsword or send his enemies flying. In what’s an unintentionally hilarious moment, Iron Man grabs Ursa Major, flies him up into the air, then pummels him with a storm of repulsor rays, sending him landing with a massive THUMP. To seal the deal, Major is in the middle of a rant about how Russia really isn’t communist anymore before he lands.
Iron Man #6 slowly eases its way into One World Under Doom, with a new jumping-on point and a new challenge that tests Tony Stark’s resolve. Ackerman and Ohta continue to prove that creators can tell compelling stories that reflect the world outside our window, and can have plenty of action, making this a tie-in readers will want to keep their eyes on.
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