Iron Man #1
Superior Iron Man #1 marks one of the most structurally daring character studies in modern Iron Man publishing: rather than giving readers a villain wearing Tony Stark's face, writer Tom Taylor strips away Stark's moral inhibitions through the AXIS inversion spell and shows that the resulting monster is recognizably, disturbingly Tony himself. The issue established that the 'Superior' era was a genuine villain arc for the protagonist of his own title — a conceit Marvel had just pulled off with Superior Spider-Man — and it pushed that concept further by grounding Stark's villainy in capitalism and addiction rather than body-swap melodrama. It also delivered two notable debut appearances — the Endo-Sym Armor (Iron Man's first symbiote-integrated suit) and Teen Abomination — both of which have continued to resonate in Marvel continuity.
In "Believe 1 of 5: Demons and Genies," Tony Stark confronts a chilling development when he discovers that medical scientist Maya Hansen has been coerced into rebuilding her Extremis technology—and now it's being trafficked by A.I.M. on the black market. Written by Kieron Gillen and brought to life with sharp, dynamic art by Greg Land, this opening chapter of a new arc dives into the consequences of unchecked ambition and the blurred line between healing and weaponization. The cover by Greg Land captures the tension with a striking, high-contrast image of Stark in the shadows, eyes fixed on a glowing, ominous device.
In "Believe 1 of 5: Demons and Genies," Tony Stark digs into a dangerous black market trade where stolen Extremis technology is being sold—tracing the source back to medical scientist Maya Hansen, who’s been coerced into rebuilding her own revolutionary enhancements. With A.I.M. exploiting her work, Stark must confront the consequences of past choices and the blurred line between innovation and exploitation.
In "Believe 2 of 5: A Gentleman's Wager," Tony Stark finds himself drawn into a high-stakes challenge from a secretive group known as The Circle, who blend Arthurian ideals with cutting-edge Extremis technology. As the line between myth and modern warfare blurs, Tony must confront not just their power, but the very code they claim to uphold.
In "Believe 4 of 5: Fear of the Void," Tony Stark follows an Extremis signal deep into the forgotten catacombs beneath Paris, only to confront a rogue scientist whose twisted experiments have transformed twelve women into violent, mindless figures. The air is thick with danger and secrets as Stark faces a nightmare born from ambition gone too far.
ComicBooks.com Value
This exact issue on ebay
Raw / ungraded ▾ $2.95–$7.99 5 listings
More listings for this title
Where to buy
Read it digitally
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
The series was conceived as a direct outgrowth of the 2014 crossover event Avengers & X-Men: AXIS, in which a morality-inversion spell cast by Scarlet Witch and Doctor Doom affected a broad swath of heroes and villains; Stark was among the handful who took deliberate steps to avoid having the reversal spell restore his original moral alignment, making him a uniquely self-willed fallen hero. Marvel packaged the launch as part of its 'Avengers NOW!' publishing initiative and handed the book to Tom Taylor, then best known for the digital series Injustice: Gods Among Us, paired with artist Yildiray Çınar, previously of DC's Supergirl, with cover art by Mike Choi. Editor Mark Paniccia oversaw the series, and it was his directive to Taylor to write a flashback origin issue (issue #5) that prompted the Teen Abomination character — originally a throwaway joke figure Taylor had conceived as 'Teen Man-Thing' — to be developed into a full supporting player.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published November 12, 2014 (cover-dated January 2015); written by Tom Taylor, penciled by Yildiray Çınar, cover by Mike Choi.
- Spins directly out of Avengers & X-Men: AXIS; despite its narrative connection to that event, the issue was not formally solicited or listed as an AXIS tie-in.
- First full appearance of the Endo-Sym Armor (Iron Man Armor Model 50): a liquid smart-metal suit partially incorporating symbiote biology, whose boot process is fully psionic — a radical departure from all previous Iron Man armor designs.
- First appearance of Teen Abomination (Jamie Carlson), a gamma-irradiated teenager and secret son of Happy Hogan; the character was originally conceived by Taylor as a joke figure called 'Teen Man-Thing' before editor Mark Paniccia developed him into a series-long supporting player.
- First appearance of the Tony Stark A.I. — an unnamed digital backup of Stark's pre-inversion consciousness — which becomes a recurring antagonist to the Superior Iron Man throughout the nine-issue series.
- Pepper Potts and Daredevil (Matt Murdock) serve as the primary moral opposition to the inverted Stark in this issue, with Potts confronting Tony about releasing the addictive Extremis 3.0 app city-wide across San Francisco.
- The series ran nine issues total (November 2014 – June 2015) and was collected in two trade paperbacks: Superior Iron Man Vol. 1: Infamous (issues #1–5) and Vol. 2: Stark Contrast (issues #6–9, plus Iron Man #182).
- Under Marvel's Legacy renumbering system, this issue is designated Iron Man #559, reflecting the cumulative count across all Iron Man volume numbering.
Cast · 3 characters
Full credits
Reprints
↩ Reprints Iron Man #1 (2013), Iron Man #2 (2013), Iron Man #1 (2013), Iron Man #1 (2013), Iron Man #2 (2013), Iron Man #2 (2013), Iron Man #1 (2013), Iron Man #1 (2013), Iron Man #1 (2013), Iron Man #3 (2013), Iron Man #4 (2013), Iron Man #4 (2013), Iron Man #4 (2013), Iron Man #3 (2013), Iron Man #3 (2013), Iron Man #5 (2013), Iron Man #5 (2013), Iron Man #5 (2013), Iron Man #1 (2013)
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.