Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Bishop: War College #4As far as Marvel Comics heroes go, Iron Man has always been a man of dubious ethics, and the latest victims of his dark potential are the X-Men and the other mutants. From Tony Stark’s days as a weapons dealer to his time as a staunch supporter of the Superhuman Registration Act, the Armored Avenger often finds himself on the wrong side of history despite his altruistic intentions. That key character trait isn’t limited to the Iron Man of Earth-616.
There are many Iron Men in the Marvel Multiverse, and not all of them are as ultimately noble as the Tony Stark fans know and love. Bishop: War College #4 by J. Holtham, Sean Hill, Alberto Foche, Victor Nava, and Espen Grundetjern introduces readers to yet another dark Tony Stark – an Invincible Iron Man fighting alongside the Human Liberation Front against the X-Men of this alternate timeline while wearing Sentinel-inspired armor. And seeing as how this version of Iron Man shamelessly fights alongside characters that are undeniably evil in primary continuity, it’s hard not to acknowledge just how easily the Iron Man of Earth-616 could be swayed into the wrong course of action under the right circumstances.
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Iron Man Vs The X-Men Shows Tony Stark’s Full Dark Potential
Bishop: War College #4 finds the titular X-Man defending the Tucker Institute from none other than the Human Liberation Front – an anti-mutant terrorist organization consisting of this world’s Tony Stark alongside some of the biggest mutant-haters in the Multiverse. Alongside this world’s Moira MacTaggert, Feilong, and Simon Trask (wearing a Sentinel/Iron Man hybrid armor), this Tony relentlessly attacks Bishop and his allies while espousing anti-mutant bigotry. But while his inclusion in this sinister lineup is far from the focus of the issue, it says a lot more about the character’s potential than many fans may realize.
Tony Stark Is A Man of Iron Will And Questionable Convictions
Iron Man is undoubtedly a hero, but he’s made more than his fair share of mistakes in his past. After all, before his days as an Avenger, Tony Stark was arguably one of the world’s most notable weapons profiteers. Since his atonement, he’s spent practically every day of his life trying to make amends for the darkness in his past. Unfortunately, the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and Iron Man has frequently found himself at odds with other heroes over ethical and moral disagreements. Tony will always do whatever he believes is the right course of action even if he’s the only one believing that. The fact that an alternate version of him followed a path that put him alongside a litany of characters who are unequivocally evil within mainstream continuity sheds a chilling light on just how far Iron Man will go to defend his principles.
Luckily, Iron Man of Earth-616 is far from an enemy of the X-Men and will soon be joining forces with his Homo Superior allies in the upcoming Fall of X event. But just because Tony Stark is on the side of the mutants for now, doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s without faults. Recently, Tony left his company be acquired by anti-mutant billionaire Feilong, which led to the development of Stark-tech Sentinels. This is yet another example of how Iron Man‘s mistakes and his obsession for weapons make him one of the most potentially dangerous heroes in the Marvel Universe.
Bishop: War College #4 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.
