Warning: spoilers ahead for Iron Man #18!
Tony Stark, aka the Invincible Iron Man, can usually be found between a rock and a hard place, as the beleaguered superhero faces his own inner demons alongside the usual cavalcade of supervillains. In his most recent adventures, currently caught up in the intoxicating thrall of his newly-acquired godlike powers, Iron Man is once again reliving his most reprehensible acts, but this time one seems to loom above the rest.
Examining the complex psychology of the Armored Avenger, writer Christopher Cantwell delivered perhaps his finest stroke yet in Iron Man #17, when, in an egotistical struggle with his own godlike powers, Iron Man coldly murdered a cadre of his friends planning to strip him of his new abilities. Standing over the broken bodies of his close allies, including James “Rhodey” Rhodes (aka War Machine), Tony was induced into a dreamlike state by his last surviving friend and recent romantic partner, Patsy “Hellcat” Walker, in order to demonstrate the error of his ways.
In the most recent issue of the series, Iron Man #18 (with art by Lan Medina and Colors by Frank D’Armata), Tony is seen reliving his most biting failures as he explains the thematic narrative of Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 story Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde while making pointed comparisons to his own life. While taking this somewhat depressing trip down memory lane - already having committed monstrous acts of dictatorial violence - Tony recalls a specific incident during the seminal 1992 Avengers crossover Operation: Galactic Storm. The event occurs in Avengers vol. 1 #347, at the climax of the cross-title event, in which Iron Man leads a dissenting group of Avengers in executing the Kree Supreme Intelligence, an act he justifies as being a fitting end to a war criminal.
While the Supreme Intelligence would return, as comic book villains often do, the recalling of the killing throws a sharp juxtaposition against Tony’s current plight, in which he's used his newfound powers to raise the intelligence of every single person in New York City to that of a genius. This consequently has thrown the entire city into chaos as hyper-intelligent police officers turn their cars into rocket ships and genius criminals engage in world takeover schemes multiple times a day. Both moments see Tony making a unilateral choice he believes will improve the world, but lead to unexpected consequences that afflict people who weren't given a choice in his actions.
Given that the memory takes visual precedence over some of Tony’s most tragic moments, including the death of Captain America following the famed 2006-07 Civil War crossover, it’s clear this is a failure he keeps close to his heart, and one that both Iron Man and Avengers has never truly resolved. While Tony may still have to pay for this pattern of enforcing his will on others, Hellcat's efforts are enough to convince him to abandon his new powers... right as the cosmically powerful Michael Korvac arrives to settle their latest disagreement. Hopefully, Iron Man can find a way to defeat the villain, if only to give him a chance to truly reckon with the sins of his past.