Invincible Iron Man #521 *Spoilers*

**Expletive Deleted** · 07-18-2012, 04:12 PM

Invincible Iron Man #521 by Fraction and Larroca, out today . . .

SPOILERS

This is the start of Fraction's finale storyline, "The Future," bringing years of storylines to a head. Tony Stark is under the Mandarin's thumb and being forced to build him titanic war machines, Rhodey is filling in as Iron Man in his new armor, General Babbage is dead, Zeke Stane is brain damaged, the Hammers are falling apart, and Stark Resilient is rolling out a new project that will change the world.

I'm a bit burned out on the Larroca/D'Armata combo, but the art is perfectly adequate. They do a nice job on the the pair of action scenes, with Rhodey taking on Vibro in a prison break and Tony's much smaller scuffle with Melter (and then his struggle to save Melter from the Mandarin) in the Mandarin's barracks.

Granted, it took too long to get to this point, but now that everything's rolling downhill, there's a nice momentum to it. I don't know if it's worth picking up if you haven't been following the series, but if you have I think there's a lot to like here.

**sullenclown** · 07-18-2012, 07:19 PM

At the end, Tony mentions he would like to FIX Stane. It might be a call-back to Ho Yinsen fixing Stark with the chest magnet when they were held prisoners.

Will Stane be another Iron Man?

**sullenclown** · 07-18-2012, 07:20 PM

At the end, Tony mentions he would like to FIX Stane. It might be a call-back to Ho Yinsen fixing Stark with the chest magnet when they were held prisoners.

Will Stane be another Iron Man?

**TonyStark1012** · 07-18-2012, 11:25 PM

Fraction has been on a roll lately and this issue is no different. I liked the fight between Melter and Tony and how Tony saved him after. Looks like Stane got bit in the ass working with the Mandarin. LOL. It's good that Rhodey didn't say much so Rescue didn't get a chance to see who the knew Iron Man is. The next issue shows a chess board as the cover and I can't wait to see the next moves. Also Babbage was a piece of garbage and knew his time was coming to a close. So he chose to take himself out instead of facing what he had done.

**HeroxMatt2.0** · 07-18-2012, 11:43 PM

Holy cats, this was a great start! Fraction really knows how to open well with his stories, and this time was no different.

Originally Posted by sullenclown

At the end, Tony mentions he would like to FIX Stane. It might be a call-back to Ho Yinsen fixing Stark with the chest magnet when they were held prisoners.

Will Stane be another Iron Man?

Couldn't help but think the same thing as I was reading it. On top of that, I think the list Tony asked Mandarin to get for him was equipment to fix Stane, or build a new kind of armour. He even says later with his conversation with Zeke "He'll either figure it out or he won't." Maybe that'll be Tony's endgame? Bringing Mandarin down from within his own city? After all, the best checkmate is the one your opponent doesn't see coming.

ALSO - who else loves the prospect of "The Swarm"?

**Bookem Danno** · 07-19-2012, 10:53 AM

Quick question after the {disliked} issue: Where is Mongolia, China? There is a country north of China by that name, so there is a province named it too? Somewhat confused. Isn't Mandarin's canon history tied to the barbarian of the country Mongolia?

Also with the title page change - I guess we can assume Tony has been sober for 24 days + 6 months now with the passing over of that novelty factoid{apparently no longer importan} pasted in readers face every issue last arc.

**Rob London** · 07-19-2012, 12:27 PM

Originally Posted by Bookem Danno

Quick question after the {disliked} issue: Where is Mongolia, China? There is a country north of China by that name, so there is a province named it too? Somewhat confused. Isn't Mandarin's canon history tied to the barbarian of the country Mongolia?

There is indeed a northern province of China called Inner Mongolia.

**Nitz the Bloody** · 07-19-2012, 02:07 PM

Originally Posted by sullenclown

At the end, Tony mentions he would like to FIX Stane. It might be a call-back to Ho Yinsen fixing Stark with the chest magnet when they were held prisoners.

Will Stane be another Iron Man?

Doubtful, because Ezekiel has way too much blood on his hands to ever have a chance at heroism, or even redemption. Tony's kindness towards him is due to A.) wanting him as a temporary ally to take down Mandarin from the inside, and B.) realizing that nobody deserves the kind of torture the Mandarin's inflicted upon Stane, by clamping down his skull and eradicating all but the most basic motor functions.

**HeroxMatt2.0** · 07-19-2012, 04:37 PM

Originally Posted by Nitz the Bloody

Doubtful, because Ezekiel has way too much blood on his hands to ever have a chance at heroism, or even redemption. Tony's kindness towards him is due to A.) wanting him as a temporary ally to take down Mandarin from the inside, and B.) realizing that nobody deserves the kind of torture the Mandarin's inflicted upon Stane, by clamping down his skull and eradicating all but the most basic motor functions.

Yeah, that's a good point. I think this is a bit of Tony realising that Stane is being pushed in a direction with Mandarin that nobody deserves, but like you said, he's becoming a temporary ally. Like I said, Tony's list is a list of things needed to build some new armour, or alternate weapons.

**JessieMidnight** · 07-19-2012, 05:06 PM

Has Tony started using the other armor on the later covers from the solicits yet or is that going to be in the up coming issues?

**HeroxMatt2.0** · 07-19-2012, 06:12 PM

Tony hasn't started using the armour, no. The only people in Iron Man armours in this issue, and lately, are Rhodey and Pepper.

**Monty_Cristo** · 07-19-2012, 06:14 PM

why are rhodey and pepper acting like they don't know one another? are they under mandarin control?

**Monty_Cristo** · 07-19-2012, 06:17 PM

Originally Posted by Nitz the Bloody

Doubtful, because Ezekiel has way too much blood on his hands to ever have a chance at heroism, or even redemption.

double post

**Monty_Cristo** · 07-19-2012, 06:18 PM

Originally Posted by Nitz the Bloody

Doubtful, because Ezekiel has way too much blood on his hands to ever have a chance at heroism, or even redemption.

can we prove that it wasn't that gem in his head behind the wheel? Obadiah was petty enough to use his son as a long-term attack strategy.

**HeroxMatt2.0** · 07-19-2012, 06:28 PM

Originally Posted by Monty_Cristo

why are rhodey and pepper acting like they don't know one another? are they under mandarin control?

I'm guessing it is because Pepper doesn't know Rhodey is Iron Man? Or maybe wants to pretend, in front of audiences, that she doesn't so as to throw suspicion off Rhodey. He's still meant to be dead to the world at large, right?