Last issue, in Iron & Frost #1, Emma Frost was stabbed by the mutant named Marow, who, in this timeline, is working with Doug Ramsey aka Revelation as one of his Seraphim. Emma managed to survive her seemingly inevitable death by changing into her diamond form. While in this form, Emma is unable to use her telepathy; however, she will succumb to her injuries and die if she were to revert to her default flesh and blood form.
The end of the first issue also gave us the shocking reveal that Tony Stark has undergone a dramatic transformation of his own. In Iron & Frost #2, we get the following explanation behind Tony’s current status: “There was a failure in the Mark 74’s filtration system. Contamination from the X-Virus. Tony Stark evolved”. Whereas Emma must remain in her diamond form in order to preserve her life, Tony is permanently encased in an iron body and is completely devoid of emotion, driven by pure logic. This is very distressing to Emma, and brings some repressed thoughts, as series writer Cavan Scott told AIPT in last week’s X-Men Monday,: “seeing Tony like this proves to Emma that maybe she feels more than she thought — in just about every way possible”.
After exposure to the X-Virus Tony Stark mutated into a man made of literal iron. Credit: Marvel Comics
In the first issue, Emma tried to save a young girl named Eris who was being pursued along with her mother by Revelation’s Seraphim. Eris’ mother was killed upon accidental exposure to the X-Virus. The trauma of losing her mother caused Eris’ latent geokinetic powers to activate. Eris fled the scene after Emma saved her from being fatally wounded by Marrow. Eris later reemerged as “Landslide,” working as an agent for the Hellfire Club. We also learn that James Rhodes, aka War Machine, took in Eris as his adoptive daughter following the tragic death of her mother four years ago. When Rhodes is infected with the X-Virus, Eris uses a new strain of Extremis developed by Tony as a stopgap to try to contain the infection and prevent the mutagenic levels from reaching catastrophic levels. Could this Extremis strain be a possible cure for the X-Virus?
The emotional crux of the issue is the relationship and dynamic between Emma and Tony. The unlikely duo recently became very close during the “Fall of X” event following the devastating attack on the third annual Hellfire Gala by the terrorist group Orchis that left many mutants dead and even more displaced from the mutant island nation Krakoa. With their backs against the wall and cut off from their friends, allies, and vast resources, Emma and Tony were forced to team up in order to regroup before taking the fight directly to Orchis. Part of this strategy involved a marriage of convenience between Emma and Tony as part of an effort to create a unified front against Feilong and Orchis.
While the wedding of Emma Frost and Tony Stark may have been strictly for economic and financial reasons, the pair did show affection for one another, and some genuine intimacy developed between this odd couple. Iron & Frost #2 suggests that there may still be some lingering fondness for one another, as both Emma and Tony show some concern for each other. Through Emma’s narration, we also learn that Emma has been thinking fondly about Tony and what it would be like to reunite with her former husband. With only one issue remaining before the “Age of Revelation” event concludes, it will be interesting to see what Emma and Tony’s fate will be at the end of the series, and what that will mean for their relationship moving forward.
Overall, Iron & Frost #2 is an effective issue for how it continues the Emma and Tony relationship that began in Gerry Duggan’s Invincible Iron Man run. I hope that this book will manage to explore the Emma and Tony relationship in a deeper and meaningful way that will leave some kind of impact before the conclusion of the series. While this particular issue may not have been as exciting or as surprising as the first issue, I do believe there are some nuances to Emma and Tony’s characterization that fans of both characters can appreciate as this book goes into its concluding issue.
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