Iron Man Writer Promises Showdown With “the Greatest Villain in the History of the Marvel Universe”

Marvel’s new Iron Man series will pit the Armored Avenger against a formidable villain. Iron Man isn’t particuarly known for his rogues gallery, not when you compare him to someone like Spider-Man. But Iron Man does rival the rest of Marvel’s heroes in popularity, especially when you factor in Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal of Tony Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But as for the comics, Iron Man has fought foes indidivually and as a member of the Avengers, but his next writer claims Iron Man will face a villain that holds the title of Marvel’s Greatest Villain.

ComicBook spoke to Spencer Ackerman about his upcoming run on Iron Man. We closed out the interview asking what threats and obstacles readers can expect in Iron Man, with Ackerman teasing this mystery villain.

“In the World Outside Our Window, economics creates violence at scale. Now it’s going to create ultraviolence at superhero scale,” Ackerman said. “There are also going to be muscle monsters, dungeons, dimensional dangers, inner demons, demon-demons, AI slop, blowback from the best laid plans, jobber villains, familiar Iron Man villains, unfamiliar Iron Man villains, villainous Iron Man allies, and the greatest villain in the history of the Marvel Universe.”

Who is Marvel’s greatest villain?

The first villain that comes to mind when you think of “the greatest villain in the history of the Marvel Universe” is Doctor Doom. Coincidentally, Marvel Studios announced that Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the MCU to play Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. While the MCU has big plans for Doctor Doom, the comics are also raising Doom’s profile after the conclusion of Blood Hunt.

The summer blockbuster event ended with Doctor Doom taking the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme from Doctor Strange. 2025 will then feature “One World Under Doom,” as the Marvel Universe must content with this new status quo for Doctor Doom. It’s unknown if this will be a company-wide event or just a publishing initiative, but fans should get used to seeing a lot of Doctor Doom going forward.

What is Iron Man #1 about?

A NEW, BRUTAL ERA BEGINS! Roxxon and AIM team up to take on Stark Unlimited! But they’re ready for the old Tony Stark. This one? He’s a lot angrier than he used to be. Iron Man is going to war! New armor, old enemies, and unbelievable twists abound in this fresh take on a fury-powered Iron Man from Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Spencer Ackerman and groundbreaking artist Julius Ohta!

Iron Man #1 goes on sale October 23rd.