I Am Iron Man Teases a Tragic Future for Tony Stark (Exclusive)

There's a dark future in store for Tony Stark in an exclusive preview of his new Iron Man series. While writer Gerry Duggan and artist Juan Frigeri are collaborating on the relaunched Invincible Iron Man title, Marvel is also looking back at the Armored Avenger's past in I Am Iron Man by the creative team of writer Murewa Ayodele and artist Dotun Akande. I Am Iron Man celebrates the hero's 60th anniversary by taking readers on a tour of his 60-year history. A preview of I Am Iron Man #1 features one of those untold adventures, but also takes a quick glimpse at Tony Stark's "tragic future."

ComicBook.com has the exclusive preview of I Am Iron Man #1 by Murewa Ayodele, Dotun Akande, and VC's Joe Caramagna. We see Iron Man's past, present and future, with the past featuring Tony Stark putting on his Mark I armor. Naturally, the panel for "The Present" has Iron Man in his current-day armor as a crowd of people take cellphone pictures of him hovering over the city street. Finally, "The Future" puts a twisted spin on that same scene, with Tony Stark looking on at a ravaged city and a monument built to him in a red, overcast sky.

Next, we see what appears to be the giant Ultimo charging at Tony Stark in the Mark I Iron Man armor and it attempts to kick him. Unfortunately, Iron Man withstands the kick and Ultimo loses a leg in the process. A woman then appears with the ability to control the Ultimos with music, sending them once again charging at Iron Man.

What To Expect in Marvel's I Am Iron Man Series

"Iron Man has been my favorite character in all of fiction for years now," Ayodele said. "I've loved the character for so long that I had written a proposal for this series even before Dotun and I broke into comics. So, we are super grateful that Marvel made our wildest dreams come true by giving us this opportunity to tell stories that celebrate 60 years of the awesome existence of Tony Stark."

"Every issue of I AM IRON MAN is set in an iconic era of Iron Man, explores some deep emotional wounds of Tony Stark, is adrenaline-pumping with exciting set pieces, and is rendered in beautiful illustrations by Dotun Akande (my favorite comic book artist and best friend)," Ayodele continued. "It's the series for Iron Man fans and anyone that has ever wanted to get into Iron Man comics."

"Working on an Iron Man title—and an anniversary series for that matter—is a dream come true," Akande added. "That dream is a little over a decade now. Every single line of artwork is a decade-long itch scratched and a very personal love letter to Tony Stark (Iron Man), his creators, other inspiring and amazing storytellers that have worked on his comics, and his very passionate fans. Luckily for me, I found an equally enthusiastic fan of the character in my best friend, Murewa. We have a series of exhilarating, heroic tales we're sure will be enjoyed by both Iron Man stans and new readers. It's going to be a thrilling ride. Steel yourself."

The exclusive preview of I Am Iron Man #1 is below. The issue goes on sale Wednesday, March 1st.