Marvel Brings Back Iron Man’s Extremis In A Crazy Way

Marvel redefined Iron Man for the modern age with the “Extremis” storyline by Warren Ellis, which ran from 2005 – 2006. Extremis became a source of fan fascination for years afterward, leading to the biotech power making its way into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now it looks like Marvel is bringing back Extremis for its next evolution – in a crazy way that few fans would’ve ever guessed. That’s because Extremis is now being put to use in Marvel’s current “King In Black” crossover series, as the pivotal factor that may be the Marvel Heroes best hope for victory – or the thing that dooms them!

Warning: Marvel’s King In Black #2 SPOILERS Follow!

The first chapter of King In Black saw Knull effortlessly smackdown the entire Avengers team, including taking Sentry – the Superman of the Marvel Universe – and tearing him in half. Worse yet, Knull tore Eddie Brock out of his Venom symbiote and let Brock fall from the height of a skyscraper to his peril. In King In Black #2, The Marvel heroes try to deal with the fact that Eddie Brock is severely injured and try to save his life, as Eddie Brock/Venom is their best chance to stop Knull. However, Eddie’s body is pretty much fatally broken after his fall, but there is one obvious cure: a symbiote. With Venom in Knull’s clutches, Iron Man has a different idea: hack their own symbiote and give him a new one!

That’s where Extremis comes back into the picture. Iron Man uses a shot of Extremis to re-write the DNA of one of Knull’s symbiote dragons, in attempt to fashion it into a new symbiote suit for Eddie Brock!

If you’re not familiar with it, Extremis marked Tony Stark’s big foray in nanotech during the early 2000s (as Marvel tried to recreate Iron Man for the21st century). The Extremis process pretty much re-writes a subject’s DNA in ways that unlocks superhuman powerpotential. It was indeed intended to be a modern super-soldier serum, until it got stolen and used by a fringe militia group to create the ultimate domestic terrorist. When Tony Stark got his hands on the serum, he modified it to use implant himself with Nanotechnology that allows him to cybernetically interface with his armor, and even store his suits within his body.

Now, Extremis is re-writing symbiotes – though the process is still in need of some refinement. Tony’s attempt ultimately results in Eddie Brock dying.

Marvel’s King In Black is now on sale.