Appearing in "The Autobiography of Tony Stark: Conclusion"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- White Queen (Emma Frost)
- B.O.S.S. (Voice only)
Antagonists:
- Orchis (Mentioned)
- Feilong (Kelvin Heng) (Main story and recap)
- Stark Sentinel MK II (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- X-Men (Mentioned)
- Sunfire (Shiro Yoshida) (Main story and recap)
- Cyclops (Scot Summers) (Mentioned)
- Vornak (Only in recap) (Death)
- Jean Grey (Mentioned)
- Stark Unlimited
- Stark Industries (Only on screen as a static image or video record)
- Howard Stark (Only on screen as a static image or video record)
- Maria Stark (Photo visible through microfiche record)
- Nathaniel Richards (Mentioned)
- Adam Brashear (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
Locations:
- The universe
- Earth
- Pacific Ocean
- United States of America
- Otherworld (Mentioned)
- Mars (Mentioned)
- The Garden (Mentioned)
- Phobos (Only in recap)
- Earth
- Outside the universe (Mentioned)
- Beyond (Mentioned)
Items:
- Iron Man Armor
- Iron Man Armor Model 1 (Referenced)
- Iron Man Armor Model 70
- Ruby-Quartz (Only in recap)
- Miracle Metal (Mentioned)
- Cosmic Rays (Only in recap)
- Telepathy (Mentioned)
Synopsis for "The Autobiography of Tony Stark: Conclusion"
On Krakoa, Tony Stark and Emma Frost discuss Feilong as they ride horses on the beach of Hellfire Bay. Sunfire intercepts the duo on Emma's request so that she can telepathically debrief Tony with Shiro's own memories of his encounter with Feilong on Phobos. Sunfire also reports on Jean Grey's previous finding that Feilong had used the travel time to Mars to expose himself to Cosmic Rays through Ruby-Quartz. Sunfire departs, and Tony calls his armor in order do the same, but not befor warning Emma about Feilong being a dangerous opponent, much to her patronizing attitude. As he flies away from Krakoa, Tony reviews Stark Unlimited's transportation logs and is shocked to find that Feilong had embedded himself into the company months before taking over, having funneled big quantities of metal into a factory in Texas.
At the Stark Unlimited HQ, Feilong arrives with his arm in a cast. He briefly addresses the office workers before leaving to a meeting with a scientist at the company's archives, specifically the hub where the most secure information is stored: a spherical room covered by metal panels, with a bridge connecting its door to a single computer sitting at the center. Feilong decides to review all of the company's files on Howard Stark. He learns of two dozen serial numbers being seemingly missing, which actually correspond to physical objects bequeathed from Howard to Tony, whose inheritance was absorbed by the company for tax purposes, and that they are in a hangar in Texas. Some time later, Feilong and the scientist visit the hangar, which is packed with dusty and cobwebbed machinery and crates. A half-draped painting catches Feilong's attention, and he rips it open to uncover four film reels under the frame, all marked with labels addressing them to Tony. Feilong uses a projector to watch one of the reels, a video recording of Howard talking to the camera for Tony. Feilong skims through the tapes, in which Howard apologizes for and justifies his absence from Tony's life. At the end of the tape, Howard reveals that he had discovered alongside Adam Brashear a metal that exists outside the universe; a "miracle metal" that could change humanity, and his research into it is Tony's true inheritance.
Later that night, Iron Man breaks into the hangar during a rainstorm. He holds a giant gate open and ejects from the suit, keeping it from closing. Tony stumbles into a new type of Stark Sentinel on the final steps of assembly, and is then suddenly blasted from behind by Feilong using a drone. The villain is holding a film reel in one hand, and a burning trash can in the other; his arm no longer injured. He brags about discovering Tony's true inheritance, and proceeds to beat down and berate Stark. Feilong then helps Stark up and takes him to his armor, continuing with his taunts. After Tony's armor encases him, Feilong blasts him away from the door with an energy blast from his mouth. On Feilong's orders, the Stark Sentinel comes online and overwhelms Tony, sending him flying through a wall outside the hangar with its unibeam. The Stark Sentinel bursts out of the building, and Tony fires repulsor blasts at it, to no avail. He puts all reserve power into the thrusters, and flees. In his narration, Tony admits defeat and describes the Stark Sentinel as something beyond his current technology. Feilong walks up to the Stark Sentinel, telling it to disengage. He rejoices, boasting that Tony better run and tell the world what is coming, pondering which one of the two the world will cheer.
Solicit Synopsis
Notes
- When Sunfire telepathically shares the memories of his encounter with Feilong on Phobos, an editor's note cites the issue in which it happened, X-Men (Vol. 6) #6. The warrior who Sunfire recalls Feilong killing is Vornak.
- Feilong harvested Cosmic Rays through Ruby-Quartz during his trip to Mars in X-Men (Vol. 6) #4.
- The "mutant cousins on Mars" that Sunfire mentions are the Arakki, an ancient society of mutant warriors who first appeared in X of Swords and populated Mars in Planet-Size X-Men #1.
- In the film reel meant for Tony, Howard Stark mentions spending time with Nathaniel Richards. Nathaniel is the father of Tony's colleague, Reed Richards. Their adventures together as fellow members of the Brotherhood of the Shield span S.H.I.E.L.D. and S.H.I.E.L.D. (Vol. 2) by Jonathan Hickman and Dustin Weaver.
- Howard also mentions Adam Brashear and that "the powers that be" could try to erase him. As shown in his introduction in Adam: Legend of the Blue Marvel, Brashear was an African American scientist and a super hero called the Blue Marvel who was initially active in the 60s. Preisdent John F. Kennedy asked him to retire due to a racist outcry after his full-body costume was torn in battle, revealing his skin color to the public. Howard also mentions looking for this "miracle metal" outside the universe. Brashear is the discoverer of the Neutral Zone, the space between realities.
- The "miracle metal" that Howard describes is similar to Mysterium, a mutant-mined metal established in S.W.O.R.D. (Vol. 2). This connection is confirmed in Invincible Iron Man (Vol. 5) #10.
- As he breaks into the Stark Unlimited hangar, Iron Man contemplates that he eschewed a secret identity. Tony revealed his secret identity to the public twice, first in Iron Man (Vol. 3) #55 and later in Civil War: Front Line #1 after having pretended to retire in Iron Man (Vol. 3) #89 to put the genie back in the bottle.
- Tony reacts to the construction of the Stark Sentinel as if they are a new development. Sentinels outfitted with Iron Man technology appeared prominently in Avengers & X-Men: AXIS, having been built by Stark himself while telepathically influenced by the Red Skull.
- In this issue, Feilong again berates Tony Stark for the Avengers having left behind Ex Nihilo's Garden in Mars. An editor's note cites Avengers (Vol. 5) #3, the issue in which the Avengers' confrontaton with Ex Nihilo concluded.
Trivia
- When Sunfire arrives at Hellfire Bay, Tony Stark greets him by his given name. This is a reference to the two characters' shared history, namely their encounters in Iron Man #67–70 and 98–99.
- Before leaving Krakoa, Iron Man tells Emma Frost that she reminds him of someone, and she remarks that she gets that a lot. This is likely a reference to X-Men: Hellfire Gala #1, in which Emma telepathically prods Captain America's mind and is dismayed to discover that she reminds him of his mother. This issue was also written by Invincible Iron Man (Vol. 5) writer Gerry Duggan.
- The family picture of himself with Maria and Tony that Howard Stark has hanging on the wall behind him in the film reel that Feilong watches is the same one that is featured in a panel of Invincible Iron Man (Vol. 5) #1 when Tony's narration mentions his father.