Iron Man's new green and black armor is getting an extreme workout, as Marvel's tease for the new Avengers era sees him facing-off against the Ashen Combine - a team of villains like nothing Earth's Mightiest Heroes have ever tangled with before.
In a new release of the cover art for Avengers #4 by Jed MacKay and C.F. Villa, Iron Man is shown battling the Citysmith, who Marvel has described as "an insane artist that twists cities like clay." The art by Stuart Immonen shows Tony being wrapped in pipes and cement as the villain looms over him. Marvel has teased that the Ashen Combine will be like nothing the Avengers have faced before, with each member possessing a power which could itself push the team to their limits - a living dungeon, a false god, and a city-eater are among their number. Worth noting is that Iron Man is wearing new armor in the art - this seems to be his new stealth suit, which fans saw on cover art for the upcoming Invincible Iron Man #9
The new cover is accompanied by the dark promise that "Earth's Mightiest Heroes crumble under the city-ravaging powers of the Ashen Combine!"
Avengers vs the Ashen Combine Is Going to be BIG
The Ashen Combine are Lord Ennui, Idol Alabaster, Citysmith, the Dead, and Meridian Diadem, and will clash with the Avengers over a location called the Impossible City - potentially a construct of the Citysmith. The Avengers' new era will see them face down a series of disasters known as Tribulation Events, as Kang attempts to manipulate them into accessing a locked-off period of time called the Missing Moment. To this end, each of the new Avengers team have been chosen to fulfill a specific archetype - archetypes which the Ashen Combine seem like they might be purposefully designed to defeat. This is bad news for Tony - the new team's 'Engineer' archetype - especially since he has fewer resources to draw on than ever.
Iron Man's New Suit Is a Mystery
Recently, Iron Man spent all his money acquiring a cache of world-destroying weapons, hoping to keep them from the wrong hands. Sadly, Tony didn't realize that his new nemesis Feilong was targeting his company, using his newly diminished status to seize all his remaining assets. This has left Tony all but without resources, and wearing a single, increasingly damaged suit. It was unclear how he was going to fight alongside one of the most powerful Avengers rosters ever assembled - Captain Marvel, Captain America, Thor, Scarlet Witch, Black Panther, and Vision - without an upgrade. Now, it's clear his new black and green suit will be that upgrade, though how he acquires it is still a mystery. If Tony is going to stand a chance against Citysmith, hopefully the new armor is packing some of his newly purchased armory.
The Avengers will return later this month with a new roster, a new mission, and terrifying new enemies, as the Ashen Combine take on Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Thankfully, Iron Man will meet this challenge with an awesome new suit of armor, though the Avengers will need a lot more than that to survive villains unlike any they've faced before.
Avengers #1 begins the team's new era May 17, with Avengers #4 coming from Marvel August 9.