Marvel Comics is reigniting a forbidden Avengers romance in Tony Stark: Iron Man #4, which will see Tony Stark begin a relationship with Janet Van Dyne, the original Wasp. It's an interesting pairing, as the two heroes have known each other for a long time. Both Iron Man and Wasp are founding members of the Avengers.

After waking up from a coma, Tony Stark has finally resumed his role as "Iron Man". On top of being on the new team of Avengers with Captain America and Thor, Stark is finally headlining his own comic book series following his return in Invincible Iron Man #600. The character's solo title will be relaunched as a part of Marvel's "Fresh Start" initiative with Tony Stark: Iron Man #1 from writer Dan Slott, who just finished a historic run on The Amazing Spider-Man.

Marvel has released a cover and synopsis for the fourth issue of Tony Stark: Iron Man, which teases a romance between the Armored Avenger and the Wasp.

Tony Stark is kicking off an all-new adventure this summer with the superstar creative team of Dan Slott and Valerio Schiti – but this fall, it’s an old relationship that takes the stage, as Tony rekindles his relationship with the one, the only…Janet Van Dyne!

This is the first sign of Janet's role in the series, though it was already known that another Iron Man love interest, Bethany Cabe, would be making a comeback after a six-year absence. Janet's presence could be connected to Jocasta, who will also be making an appearance in the comic. Jocasta is a robot created by Ultron for the purpose of becoming his bride. As Ultron shares the brain patterns of his creator, Hank Pym, he thought it would be fitting to design Jocasta with the brain patterns of Hank's then-wife, the Wasp.

Despite Tony Stark's reputation as a playboy, the Iron Man movies have helped set up Pepper Potts as the character's primary love interest. However, based on this cover, the comics will be breaking away from that. Though a relationship between Stark and the Wasp may be new to some readers, this isn't the first time Marvel has explored a relationship between the two founding Avengers.

After Hank Pym was framed, disgraced, and put in prison, he learned that his wife, the Wasp, filed for divorce. Pym's troubles worsened when he learned from the newspapers that his longtime friend and teammate, Stark, was involved in a relationship with his ex-wife. Captain America discovered the affair and pressured Stark into breaking up with her.

Stark's guilt wasn't the only reason a romance with the Wasp was a bad idea: Janet was unaware that Stark and Iron Man were the same person. Upon finding out the truth, Janet was devastated that she had been involved with one of Pym's oldest friends and allies. Since so much time has passed and the obstacles that kept them apart no longer exist, it will be interesting to see how Marvel handles a romance that was once forbidden.

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Tony Stark: Iron Man #4 goes on sale in September.

Source: Marvel