Warning: contains spoilers for Avengers Tech-On #5!
Marvel's Iron Man is one of the Marvel Comics Universe's brightest geniuses, but that doesn't mean he's without mistakes or weaknesses. One of his more notable failures is his instinct to maintain a veil of secrecy around everything he does - even to his fellow Avengers' detriment. Thus in Avengers Tech-On #5 from Jim Zub, Jeffrey "Chamba" Cruz, and Travis Lanham, Tony Stark receives a much-needed intervention, but is it too late to save the Iron Avenger from himself?
In Avengers Tech-On, the Red Skull has used the detritus of the destroyed Infinity Stones to seize power around the world. Calling the collected dust of the Stones Infinity Mirror Shards (or IMS for short), the Red Skull snaps his fingers and magically removes every superpower from all superheroes across the world. Storm can no longer control the weather, Ms. Marvel can no longer stretch her limbs, and even Captain America regresses to his pre-serum skinny self. To combat this new threat, Iron Man creates brand-new powerful suits for the entire team...but there's a small catch.
The suits are powered using the same IMS energy used by the Red Skull. The suits can replicate the powers of each wearer (Wolverine's suit can stop his body from dying due to adamantium poisoning, for example). But they can also injure the wearer if they don't exit their super-modes after 10 minutes. In addition, Carol Danvers has proved that Iron Man spies on his own teammates without their knowledge. In Avengers Tech-On #5, Captain Marvel, Captain America and Spider-Man stage an intervention...and it's revealed that Peter Parker can't even operate his suit without Tony's approval.
"Last time my technology got out," counters Iron Man "a dozen super villains used it to start a war!" Tony is referring to Armor Wars in this instance and has every right to keep his suits to himself, but the Tech-On suits are specifically designed for one wearer. Spider-Man is essentially powerless without the suit...and without his suit, Wolverine will die. Tony's inability to trust others seriously hampers the Avengers' ability to fight threats as a team (and to even survive said threats as a team).
The intervention is interrupted by another attack from the Red Skull, and the Avengers suit up without solving the major problem. But as is the case with Batman - another famously paranoid superhero who rarely shares his plans with others - Tony Stark is oftentimes his own worst enemy. Iron Man would do well to listen to his friends if he has any hope of becoming a better person and a team player.