MCU Phase 4 Can’t Stop Iron Man’s Curse, Even After His Death

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Ms. Marvel episode 2.

As seen in Ms. Marvel, the MCU is proving that the Iron Man curse can’t be stopped, even after his death. Large elements of the legacy Tony Stark left behind are continuing to be warped beyond his original intentions. While it was first seen in the MCU with the creation of Ultron, Tony Stark’s work with the Department of Damage Control has now become something much worse following his death and the events of Avengers: Endgame and Ms. Marvel continues that trend.

As seen in Ms. Marvel episode 2, Kamala Khan has been experimenting with her newfound powers. By the episode’s end, Kamala saves a young boy who is in danger of falling to his death. Combined with the social media coverage from the incident at AvengerCon where her powers first manifested, the young Captain Marvel fan has unknowingly fallen into the sights of the Department of Damage Control. Originally a venture funded by Tony Stark to help clean up the aftermath of superhero battles and recover alien technologies, the DODC has since expanded its responsibilities with the government where they’re now tracking enhanced individuals. Led by Agent Cleary, who was first seen in Spider-Man: No Way Home interrogating Spider-Man after his battle with Mysterio, the DODC has transformed into something very different.

What’s happening with the DODC in the MCU’s Phase 4 and in Ms. Marvel is exactly what happened with Ultron. Created by Iron Man as a peacekeeping program, Ultron grew beyond the scope of Iron Man’s intentions, believing that the world would only be safe via the elimination of the Avengers and humanity at large. In comparison, Tony saw the DODC as a means to clean up the Avengers’ messes and mitigate their impact in the aftermath. The DODC has likewise become an extreme perversion now that they’re hunting down enhanced individuals (while also carrying some racist undertones). It also doesn’t help that they’re using the same Stark Industries combat drones they seized in No Way Home to track Kamala in Ms. Marvel.

MCU Phase 4 Can’t Stop Iron Man’s Curse, Even After His Death

Whether it’s Ultron or any of the other villains who felt disenfranchised by Iron Man’s actions, this new evolution of the DODC continues the curse behind Iron Man’s legacy in the MCU. Along with the plethora of instances where he kept people safe as an Avenger, Iron Man’s still one of the world’s greatest heroes who gave his life in Endgame to defeat Thanos. However, the dark chapters of Tony Stark’s legacy still persist and are clearly being felt in the present MCU even after his death.

It will be interesting to see how the young and inexperienced Kamala Khan will handle the Department of Damage Control in the episodes to come. Despite the best intentions of Iron Man, the DODC has become something much different and more ominous in the MCU’s Phase 4. While it’s unclear if the DODC is the main antagonist of this new series or not, it certainly seems as though they’re not going to stop tracking Kamala as Ms. Marvel continues.

Ms. Marvel releases new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.

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