How Marvel Is Reinventing Iron Man for 2026

It's been a unsmooth fewer years for Tony Stark, but things are looking up arsenic 2026 dawns. Marvel is gearing up for the motorboat of a caller monthly Iron Man series, arsenic Superman and Dark Crisis writer Joshua Williamson hops implicit to the Marvel Universe to found a bold caller presumption quo. Williamson volition beryllium joined by Exceptional X-Men creator Carmen Carnero, arsenic the satellite is reminded of 1 captious information - Iron Man isn't the existent threat; Tony Stark's large encephalon is.

To larn much astir Tony's caller presumption quo and caller armor, IGN chatted with Williamson via email. Check retired an exclusive preview of Iron Man #1 successful the slideshow assemblage below, and work connected to larn much astir the caller series:

On Making the Jump From DC to Marvel

Williamson is 1 of the biggest names astatine DC these days, wherever helium presently writes the flagship Superman bid and has a large manus successful the DC K.O. crossover event. That's wherefore it was astonishing to spot Marvel denote a caller Iron Man comic with Williamson's sanction attached. Williamson makes it wide that portion helium isn't leaving DC anytime soon, helium did spot an entreaty successful crossing implicit to the Marvel Universe for a change.

DC is my home, and I person a batch of emotion for that universe, its characters and the steadfast arsenic a whole," Williamson tells IGN. "But astatine the extremity of the day, I emotion each of comics, and determination are a batch of Marvel characters that I love. And I would regret ne'er moving connected them. I had to research the opportunity. I’m not leaving DC, oregon Superman oregon GI Joe, but I knew I needed to instrumentality a plaything astatine Marvel. I emotion that beingness excessively overmuch not to.

Williamson reveals that this bid has been successful the readying stages for the past year, saying, "A spot implicit a twelvemonth agone I started to speech with Marvel editors present and determination and that led to my awesome Iron Man editors offering maine the caller series. Iron Man is 1 of my favourite characters successful each of comics, truthful it was intolerable to crook down. I had to bash it for the nerd successful me, BUT I besides had this thought for years that I wanted to do. I had a batch of thoughts connected Tony and his satellite that I wanted to get down connected paper. And luckily that communicative thought is the 1 we’re telling successful the caller series."

Williamson continues, "I besides saw it arsenic a challenge. It’s bully to premix things up each erstwhile and portion and astonishment radical by moving connected projects that are unexpected. And I deliberation for a batch of people…me doing thing astatine Marvel was a surprise. But I’ve been having a batch of amusive with the bid and moving with Carmen and my editors. That was besides a large portion of the entreaty of moving connected a Marvel series, a accidental to enactment with artists I’ve ne'er worked with before."

Tony Stark's Dangerous Mind

As soon arsenic Marvel announced the caller measurement of Iron Man, it became wide that 1 of the cardinal themes of the publication is going to beryllium the conception that Tony Stark's mind, not the Iron Man armor, is the genuinely unsafe weapon. Williamson reveals that 1 of the goals is to research what mightiness person transpired if Tony ne'er had that life-altering acquisition wherever Iron Man was forged successful a cave. What different unspeakable weapons mightiness person been created by idiosyncratic truthful dangerous?

"I wanted the communicative to not beryllium astir the Iron Man armor but astir Tony," Williamson says. Before Tony became Iron Man helium was a selfish and ego driven idiosyncratic who utilized his genius for destructive gains. I’ve ever wonderment what relation would idiosyncratic similar Tony person played if helium ne'er had his near-death acquisition successful the bunker?"

Williamson continues, "When helium thought helium was going to die, it changed him. It was ne'er the armor that Tony built successful that cave. It was Tony. Tony is the creator. And I honed successful connected the thought of focusing connected Tony arsenic the creator who made a weapon…but TONY is the existent weapon. We’ve seen him usage his genius earlier successful questionable ways, truthful yeah, Tony is the unsafe portion there. The armor has been stolen a cardinal times now, and it ever made maine think…why don’t they kidnap Tony? Have him marque caller armors? And past it led maine down a way of reasoning about…what if alternatively of making caller armors, idiosyncratic made a caller Tony?"

Despite that ominous premise, Williamson is besides adamant that the caller bid is meant to beryllium a amusive superhero romp. As mentioned before, the past fewer years haven't precisely been benignant to Tony Stark, and successful immoderate ways Williamson wants to get backmost to basics successful presumption of portraying Tony Stark arsenic the suave, overconfident billionaire.

"I didn’t privation Tony to work similar a bummer," Williamson says. "I wanted the cocky mentation of Tony. The 1 who puts his ft successful his mouth. The 1 who knows helium is the smartest idiosyncratic successful the country and doesn’t recognize wherefore that is simply a atrocious thing. I didn’t privation to absorption connected the boardroom, oregon his money. I wanted to absorption connected Tony and axenic ace leader escapism. I privation to spot Tony’s relation successful the Marvel Universe successful a antithetic way. He is feeling a spot of 'is this each I’ve done with my life…build armor?' but helium isn’t letting that get him down. He’s excessively distracted by Madame Masque and A.I.M. The events of the archetypal 5 issues volition marque Tony face a portion of himself and past instrumentality him down a caller path."

Williamson adds, "This leans a spot much classical with Tony arsenic a suave Avenger. But helium inactive feels a dense work to usage his genius to assistance people. At the extremity of the day, I wanted to constitute a Tony that was amusive to constitute and to read."

Iron Man's Enemies and Allies

Ryan Stegman and Adam Kubert's respective covers for Iron Man #1 hint astatine a ample formed of some supporting characters and villains successful the caller series. Williamson confirms that Madame Masque volition beryllium a large absorption of the bid close retired of the gate, with the villain doing thing little than helping A.I.M. to physique a caller Tony Stark.

"Madame Masque knows Tony," Williamson says. "They erstwhile had a relationship. Maybe they inactive do? But Madame Masque knows immoderate of Tony’s nightmares. She knows what helium loses slumber over. And tin usage that against him. And she enlists A.I.M. to bash it. Together they effort to physique a caller Tony. And that makes Tony question his past, contiguous and future."

But A.I.M. isn't the lone menace here. It besides appears that the bid volition beryllium reviving the classical Thunderbolts roster, though Williamson confirms there's a caller idiosyncratic wearing the mantle of Citizen V. But are they person oregon foe?

"I’m a large instrumentality of the archetypal Thunderbolts and its cast. I had to find places for them," Williamson says. "Fixer has a relation successful the archetypal 5 issues and the individuality of the caller Citizen V is simply a enigma that volition beryllium dispersed retired crossed a fewer issues. It’s idiosyncratic who sees Tony arsenic unsafe and is keeping an oculus connected him. There volition beryllium a fewer mysteries and caller pieces added to Tony’s ongoing mythology."

Most astonishing of all, it appears that Norman Osborn volition beryllium portion of Tony's supporting cast. Osborn himself is successful the midst of a redemptive arc, adjacent moonlighting arsenic Spider-Man successful the pages of Joe Kelly's The Amazing Spider-Man series. This bid volition excavation deeper into their shared past and the existent ties they share.

"I deliberation determination volition beryllium immoderate concerns astir Tony and what helium is readying successful effect to what A.I.M. is doing from each kinds of corners of the Marvel Universe," Williamson teases. "But I besides similar the dynamic betwixt the 2 of them. Two billionaires who person made…questionable choices and often question redemption. I emotion penning the struggle betwixt the 2 of them. They knew each different earlier they became Iron Man and Green Goblin, and I wanted to research that relationship. Also erstwhile you person Norman…Spider-Man isn’t excessively acold behind."

Designing the Mark 75 Armor

A caller Iron antheral comic usually means a caller suit of armor, and this bid is nary exception. Carnero has designed the Mark 75 armor, a suit that looks to beryllium among the astir almighty weapons successful Tony's immense arsenal. But arsenic for what specifically sets this caller armor isolated from its 74 predecessors, fans volition conscionable person to work the bid to find out.

"Carmen did an astonishing occupation connected the caller armor," Williamson says. "We wanted thing that felt iconic. To start, we looked backmost astatine our favourite armors. My faves are Marks 4, 9, 12, 13, 15, 51 and 70. There are much but those were the ones that deed the vibe of we were going. How this armor is antithetic for Tony volition beryllium played retired crossed the archetypal year. I don’t privation to springiness it distant yet. It’s a communicative portion that we’ll explore. Why Tony built this armor and now."

Williamson contineus, "Carmen took each the pieces that we’d talked astir and created an awesome caller look for Iron Man and Tony. She’s been a blast to enactment with and I anticipation radical cheque retired Iron Man #1 to spot the beauteous enactment she’s done with Nolan Woodard!"

Iron Man #1 volition beryllium released connected January 28, 2026. You tin preorder a transcript astatine your section comic shop.

In different comic publication news, find retired who dies successful Marvel's One World Under Doom finale, and larn astir Dark Horse's caller ongoing He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series.

Jesse is simply a mild-mannered unit writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intelligence thicket by following @jschedeen connected BlueSky.