Warning! Spoilers for Iron Man #17 by Marvel Comics below
Tony Stark has become the Iron God and has gone completely out of control with his new powers, killing several Marvel heroes, including Iron Man's closest allies. In Iron Man #17, the hero becomes corrupted by his powers and brutally murders his friends trying to help him. The deaths are some of the most shocking in recent Marvel Comics history.
Iron Man received an incredible power upgrade while trying to stop Korvac from gaining the Power Cosmic. Stark ended up reaching into the same energy source on Galactus Worldship, Taa II, as Korvac and became the Iron God as a result. With the Power Cosmic, Iron Man has powers beyond his wildest dreams, as he can manipulate reality with his god-like new abilities. However, Marvel's greatest heroes were shocked to learn Tony wanted to keep the powers to make the world a better place - which started by making everyone in New York City as smart as him. Now, the Avengers' worst fears are coming true as Iron Man is losing control and killing his closest friends.
In Iron Man #17 by Christopher Cantwell, Ibraim Roberson, Angel Unzueta, Frank D'Armata, and VC's Joe Caramagna, New York City continues to react with Iron Man gifting the city's population his genius-level intellect. While scientific and medical breakthroughs are occurring at an impossible pace, so is the number of attacks from newly minted genius-level villains. As Stark makes adjustments as the Iron God, he's confronted by his friends (and Doctor Doom) who try to strip the hero of his newfound powers - rightly worrying it's corrupting him. Iron Man doesn't take kindly to the intervention and murders his closest allies in a fit of blind, superpowered rage.
Iron Man uses the Power Cosmic to melt the Silver Surfer and turn Doctor Doom's body to dust. Stark turns Gargoyle into stone and smashes him while choking out Jim Hammond and making Halcyon's heart explode. Stark tells War Machine he was always jealous of him, and when Rhodey tells him to wake up and that he's out of control, he cracks his skull with a powerful punch and kills him. In one of the saddest moments of the series so far, Hellcat asks if she's next while telling him Stark at least she'll go out "a hero. And a friend."
In the end, Hellcat is tragically the only survivor among the group that confronts Iron Man, which consists mainly of his closest friends. Watching him kill War Machine, Doctor Doom, Silver Surfer, and the rest of his team is absolutely brutal and one of the darkest moments of Tony Stark's life. The question is, did it actually happen? And if the answer is yes, can Iron Man's new god powers bring them back? Iron Man #17 by Marvel Comics is in stores now.