When it comes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, my favorite character has always been Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal of Tony Stark/Iron Man.
I’ve already covered a graphic novel in the Marvel comic-verse – albeit an unconventional insertion in an alternate universe – with Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe.
However, I felt that it was appropriate to create an article surrounding a solo story centered on my favorite Marvel character.
Enter Iron Man: Extremis.
An expansion on the plot elements that inspired Iron Man 3 (2013), Iron Man: Extremis illustrates how massive technological-medicinal advances in society can, depending on who wields it, serve to benefit mankind, or obliterate it.
Iron Man 3 came out nearly five years ago, and this graphic novel came out earlier still.
However, I just wanted to insert the obligatory disclaimer here:
This article will contain spoilers not only for Iron Man 3, but also for this graphic novel, Iron Man: Extremis.
You’ve been warned!
The first thing that I notice about these comic books is the presentation and artwork.
Contrary to DC Rebirth’s Wonder Woman, Marvel’s Iron Man: Extremis illustrations are not popping off the pages, though that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
The artwork’s coloring was more unsaturated than I was currently used to, and it gave me a nostalgic vibe, reminding me of older television shows that aired in the early to mid-2000’s.
It also captured a more realistic depiction of its characters, from the lighting and shading pronouncing physical traits, to unrepentant wrinkles and scowls in facial expressions.
Adi Granou, the illustrator for Iron Man: Extremis, created beautiful work, but certainly did not hold back on letting the ugly side of humanity show as well.
Tony Stark’s character was more subdued and less erratic in this graphic novel than his MCU counterpart, but identical in where it mattered.
Iron Man: Extremis displays Stark as tired man struggling to repent for his past mistakes.
His introduction has him staring into a bathroom mirror and hating who is staring back at him.
The theme of self-loathing around Tony Stark is consistent in all Marvel universes; he has made a name for himself with the destruction his weaponry has caused.
But despite becoming an Avenger, shutting down the weapons division, and creating Iron Man, he feels he could never do enough to fix his past wrongs.
It doesn’t help every person he talks to seems to hold him accountable for his past actions rather than his present actions.
It’s kind of heartbreaking, really.
In the story, Maya Hansen, a scientist and friend of Stark, has created attempted to create a virus derived from the super-soldier serum that was injected in Captain America.
What makes this virus different, however, it that Extremis works to completely rewrite the center of the brain that heals the body, and it can prove to be deadly and guaranteed to be traumatic; the body needs to be destroyed before becoming reprogrammed with Extremis’ healing properties.
After a sample of the virus was given to domestic terrorists by Hansen’s colleague Aldrich Killian, Stark takes it upon himself to help.
Only, true to Stark fashion, his help is not limited to attempting to fight the individual man who is hopped up on the virus.
When it becomes apparent that Stark and Iron Man cannot take on this enhanced man alone, Stark turns to Hansen.
He does this while he is bleeding and near-death, and still offers himself to the Extremis virus in an attempt to make himself strong enough to fight this enhanced man.
Stark’s insistence to put himself on the line to save others really attracts me to him as a character.
Be it MCU or comic-verse, I feel that Tony Stark is an underrated Marvel superhero.
Iron Man: Extremis really showcases this, along with Stark’s inner and outer struggles to become a better man than those he fights, even though he can relate to them more than he would like.
Gisselle Lopez
Features Editor