A major X-Men villain just became Marvel’s new evil Iron Man, thanks to the reveal of his own “Hellfire Armor.” The reveal comes as the Fall of X sees the X-Men near extinction, with some dead, others exiled off-world, and a twisted handful of former allies now working alongside the human-supremacist group Orchis.
Coming from Kieron Gillen, Lucas Werneck, David Curiel, and Clayton Cowles, Immortal X-Men #16 sees mutant villains Sebastian Shaw and Selene continue their efforts to ransack the living island of Krakoa for its natural resources. The one thing standing in their way is Professor Charles Xavier, who – blaming himself for the seeming death of 250,000 mutants during Orchis’ Mutant Massacre – has given up his vow against killing and has resolved to protect the former mutant nation to his last breath. In an exclusive preview shared by CBR, Shaw intends to hasten that moment, as he suits up in his own Iron Man armor.
X-Men’s Sebastian Shaw Reveals His Iron Man Armor
First appearing in 1980, Sebastian Shaw is a mutant with the power to absorb energy and then redirect it as kinetic force – essentially getting stronger the more punishment he takes. Shaw has never truly identified as a member of mutantkind, and instead sees himself as the ultimate businessman, most famously operating as the Black King of the diabolical Hellfire Club. When Orchis’ plans began to unfold and the tide turned against the X-Men’s mutant nation, Shaw – who had up until then been a member of the ruling Quiet Council – happily sided with Orchis, and was given the sole rights to pillage Krakoa’s natural resources as a reward. But to do that, he’ll need to get past the X-Men’s former leader, who is wielding his telepathy and telekinesis in deadly new ways.
Can an Evil Iron Man Beat a Murderous Professor X?
It’s surprising to see that Shaw is hiding his own Hellfire Armor, but he and Tony have a lot in common. Indeed, Tony is the Hellfire Club’s current Black King, helping the X-Men fight back against Orchis by using the underground group’s resources and connections. It’s therefore only fair that Shaw take Tony’s place in return, becoming a villainous Iron Man with his own suit of baroque, silver and purple armor. Shaw is also packing a smaller secret weapon fans only see teased here, as well as his inherent mutant powers.
Recently, Orchis’ leader Feilong pillaged Tony Stark’s company, using his designs to build gigantic Sentinels with Iron Man-level weaponry. It’s possible that Shaw had the suit built with Tony’s own blueprints, but also that he used his connections and billions to forge a totally new weapon of mass destruction in armor form. Whatever the case, Charles Xavier is about to face an evil Iron Man with all the firepower that implies, with the fate of the X-Men‘s stolen nation on the line.
Immortal X-Men #16 is available from Marvel October 4.
