As Iron Man‘s latest comic era comes to an end, longtime friend and ally War Machine just uttered four words that could destroy their friendship forever. Tony Stark and James Rhodes have been through the wringer over the last year. While Tony has been locked in the battle of his life against the corrupt billionaire Feilong, Rhodey went to prison for crimes he didn’t commit, dodging supervillains who saw it as the perfect time to pay off old grudges.

Thankfully, Rhodey survived, and a preview of The Invincible Iron Man #20 sees his charges finally thrown out thanks to She-Hulk’s legal work. Iron Man has finally defeated Feilong, breaking the villain’s hold over his company and freeing Rhodey. However, now that War Machine is out in the world again, he has one question for Tony…

As James Rhodes goes free, he asks Tony “What happened to Feilong?” It’s a far question, as Rhodey would obviously want to know the fate of the villain who stole months of his life. However, the answer is far darker than he knows. Last issue, fans saw Iron Man force Feilong into a makeshift coffin and bury him alive, seemingly murdering the man who stole his company and used his tech in an attempted genocide against mutantkind.

War Machine Suspects Iron Man of Murder

Tony Stark’s Darkest Kill Is Already Coming Back to Bite Him

It’s hard to overstate Feilong’s evil – having chosen Tony Stark as his nemesis, the villain killed several of Tony’s close friends and framed him for the crime, making it seem as if they’d died due to Tony’s recklessness. He then bought out Tony’s company from under him, using his designs to construct new Sentinels that could be used to kill the X-Men and the rest of mutantkind. During the course of this, he discovered a forgotten message left for Tony by his father, making sure to destroy it in an attempt to rob his rival of closure. Meanwhile, Feilong was also ensuring that War Machine stayed locked up and the target of numerous killers, though thankfully Tony was able to subvert this plan before Rhodey came to harm.

Feilong is a petulant, selfish villain – someone who loathes mutants because he envies them. However, no matter how evil and destructive he’s been, it was shocking to see Tony condemn him to such a horrifying fate. Iron Man has killed before, but usually with energy blasts in the heat of battle. Burying a villain alive in cold blood is truly inhuman, and it’s something that War Machine – a decorated soldier who understands the limits and principles of warfare better than any other hero – would likely never allow.

It’s still possible that there’s another shoe to drop – that Iron Man buried Feilong to scare him before digging him back up for a more humane fate. But if not, the answer to “what happened to Feilong?” could break the bonds of friendship between Tony and Rhodey, whether it happens right now or down the line, when the secret of Iron Man‘s actions comes out.

Invincible Iron Man #20 is available from Marvel Comics July 17.