Warning! Spoilers ahead for Iron Man #18

Thanks to the latest issue of Marvel's Iron Man, it's revealed that the Incredible Hulk isn't the only hero who struggles with a monstrous duality. Comparing his life to The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Tony Stark reveals just how accurate the tale truly is to his own experiences and actions (including his various mistakes). Sadly, Iron Man's comparison rings with dark truth seeing as how his most recent transformation and incredibly high power levels have indeed created a darker other half.

In the original novella from Robert Louis Stevenson, Dr. Jekyll is a scientist who creates a powerful serum that allows his darkness to be kept separate in another form and personality. Transforming into the darker Mr. Hyde, the bad half eventually takes over where Hyde is all that remains, the darkness completely taking over the good that was once Jekyll. Exploring the duality of man and the concepts of good and evil, it seems as though Iron Man identifies with the story of Jekyll on a deep level in the new Iron Man #18 from Christopher Cantwell and Lan Medina, especially after the darkness he's wrought in recent issues by gaining the Power Cosmic.

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Iron Man explains to Hellcat he's just like Jekyll, wanting to rid himself of his lesser qualities that he ultimately can't stand. In this case, Tony's Hyde is his creation of Iron Man which allows him to be seen as a hero, someone better than who he actually is underneath the armor. Essentially, Tony is like the reverse of Jekyll where the other half he creates was meant to bring out the best parts of himself rather than the worst with Hyde. However, Stark still falls into the same ruin as Jekyll where his attempts to erase the lesser parts of himself lead to disaster (like using the Power Cosmic to fix the world which ultimately resulted in him killing his friends).

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It's quite the compelling analogy in this new issue while also being incredibly tragic for the Armored Avenger. Sadly, this is the lens by which Tony Stark views his own life and achievements as Iron Man. While he's certainly spiraled and gone way too far by becoming the Iron God, it's good that Tony at least knows that he's stuck in this aforementioned cycle. It means there's still hope for him to find a way out. Case in point, the issue does end with Stark reviving his friends and giving up the Power Cosmic.

Iron Man's Jekyll and Hyde comparison proves just how similar he is to the Hulk (even though Bruce Banner's struggle with duality is much more literal with physical transformations). That being said, the struggle Stark faces with his better and lesser halves is accurate and evident, a battle many other superheroes likely deal with as well thanks to their alter egos and secret identities. Here's hoping Iron Man can reconcile his whole being in the issues to come from Marvel Comics.

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