Contains a preview of The Invincible Iron Man #5!Iron Man's new nemesis - the human-supremacist business mogul Feilong - has officially given himself the powers of X-Men's Cyclops, but amped up to such an extreme that he can kill with a single blast. While fans have seen this ability in action in the past, Tony Stark just learned its origin, and it combines the powers of several Marvel heroes into something far deadlier.
In a preview of The Invincible Iron Man #5 from Gerry Duggan, Juan Frigeri and Bryan Valenza, Iron Man meets up with Emma Frost and discusses Feilong's capabilities. Sunfire - who fought Feilong in the recent X-Men #6 - reveals that Feilong used ruby quartz lenses to bathe in cosmic rays. Cosmic rays are the energy that gave the Fantastic Four their powers, while ruby quartz is the material Scott Summers uses to control his optic blasts as Cyclops. Sunfire says this has given him an ability similar to Cyclops' blasts, but through his mouth - a lethal burst of energy that justifies his codename, which translates as 'flying dragon.'
Feilong recently named Iron Man his one true nemesis, believing he's finally found a worthy enemy, but the bulk of his operations so far have been anti-mutant. Feilong is a member of Orchis - an organization which plans to ensure humans remain the dominant lifeform on Earth by bonding them to advanced robotics and AI. Feilong particularly hates mutants because they colonized Mars before his own planned efforts to do so could begin. Currently, he's camped out on Mars' moon Phobos, but Emma notes that he used the journey there to enhance his body, comparing this to Tony's own time creating the Iron Man armor while held captive in a cave.
Feilong's New Powers Echo Iron Man's Origin
The similarity to Scott Summers is no accident - Feilong considers mutant achievement to be a personal insult to his own potential, so it's clear why he'd target Cyclops - Krakoa's 'mutant royalty' and the X-Men's leader - to one-up with his own self-made powers. Indeed, while Cyclops' abilities have always been incredibly powerful, it's clear Feilong's are even more lethal. A blast of cosmic fire from his mouth incinerated one of Arakko's most capable warriors in an instant.
This is especially dangerous for Tony, who recently lost his fortune due to Feilong's machinations, and so is reduced to using a single, beat-up Iron Man suit. Orchis has since acquired Tony Stark's company and technology, and seem poised to use his inventions to launch a new generation of Stark Sentinels against mutantkind. In many ways, Feilong is the evil Tony Stark, but instead of the Extremis Virus, he's altered his body to superhuman levels with a version of Cyclops' powers.
Iron Man Will Need the X-Men's Help to Beat Feilong
One ray of hope is that Marvel recently introduced a new anti-heat weapon into Iron Man's arsenal, which may allow him to survive Feilong's attack better than most. It's also in the X-Men's interests to help Tony against his new nemesis, which means he may be able to count on their financial, technological or even military might. However, Feilong is a genius with almost unlimited resources, so if he picked a unique combination of cosmic rays and Cyclops' powers, it's because he thought that was the exact power set he'd need in attacking Tony Stark and the X-Men. Iron Man is facing a version of himself without morals or restraint - one who just gave himself a lethal version of Cyclops' powers while locked in his own personal cave.
The Invincible Iron Man #5 is available from Marvel Comics April 26.