Please take note that most of the information here does not relate to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The Secret Origin of Tony Stark, is a special comic storyline, as well as the 5th Volume in the Iron Man Comics series, published by Marvel Comics featuring the character Tony Stark / Iron Man in his quest to learn about his secret past.
Plot Summary[]
Equipped with a new suit of armor, Iron Man has ventured into space on a hero's journey throughout the stars. While there, he encounters an enigmatic alien with a shocking link to an untold chapter of his past.
Detailed Synopsis[]
After an adventure in space with the Guardians of the Galaxy, Iron Man celebrates his birthday at a bar on the Voldi Tear. While flirting with a purple-skinned alien woman named Veritina, Iron Man recounts a recent encounter with space pirates, while also mentioning that Star Trek was the only TV series that his father allowed him to watch as a kid that was NOT a documentary. He is about to "seal the deal" with Veritina when they are interrupted by a floating robot waiter who asks Iron Man if he would like a drink, as it is his birthday. When Iron Man asks how the waiter knew about his birthday, he is told that the suit's AI, P.E.P.P.E.R. told him. P.E.P.P.E.R. reminds Tony that her human template would have done the same thing. Iron Man wonders how the drink is able to stay in the glass in zero gravity, and Veritina tells him that it's Voldi technology, a localized gravity well. Iron Man notices a large, menacing alien watching them from a dark corner and asks who it is. Veritina tells him that it is Death's Head. He is a relatively recent arrival into Voldi Space, but has already gained a reputation as one of the best bounty hunters in the quadrant. But he does not like being called a bounty hunter. Iron Man has little interest in picking a fight with a thirty-foot robot, so he asks Veritina if they could go someplace more private. She suggests her palace.
Death's Head
Arriving in Veritina's palace, Iron Man marvels at a giant sculpture in the foyer, musing that this is a nice way to spend a birthday. He asks Veritina if she is a princess. She acknowledges she is, but the Voldi race are "a people of princes and princesses". They are a long-lived species who have weathered threats such as Galactus, the Celestials, and the Kree, and their influence can be felt in numerous alien civilizations. As the two of them make their way to the ornate bedchamber, Iron Man muses on how far he has come, and hopes his father would be proud. Veritina assures him he would be - Tony is standing in armor of his own making in the budoir of an alien princess. However, things go south when Tony unmasks - it seems that Voldi women do not find facial hair attractive. He is promptly asked to leave.
As Iron Man leaves the palace, P.E.P.P.E.R. warns him that numerous android stormtroopers called Mechanoplites have target locks on him. He quickly activates his shields as the Mechanoplites open fire on him, calling him a "blasphemer". After dispatching the assailants, he interrogates the still active head of one of them. The Mechanoplite tells Iron Man that he is wanted for deicide, a penalty punishable by death, which is why they opened fire without warning. Eager to clear things up, Tony surrenders. After his armor is impounded and he is placed in a cell, he is visited by the Voldi Justicar. The Justicar tells Tony that he is responsible for the murder of their god, the Void Falcon. On Earth, it is known as the Phoenix, who was killed during a conflict with the Avengers and the X-Men.
451 in robot mode
As Tony ponders his next move, he receives a surprise visitor: The robot waiter from the bar. It transforms into an android and says he is here to help. Identifying himself as 451, he reveals that he is a Rigellian Recorder. Ordinarily, his model are probes, dispatched by the Rigellians to record data discreetly, then return home. After their information is downloaded, their memories are wiped. But due to a bug, 451 remembered everything he observed. Growing beyond his programming, he broke his non-interference clause, altering his appearance and fleeing the Rigellian Empire. He now travels the galaxy helping those in need. Tony asks 451 if he could bust him out. 451 says that he is not much of a fighter, and that Tony is at a disadvantage without his armor. 451 contacted the Guardians, but they are a good distance away - they will not reach Voldi Citadel Station before Tony's execution. However, 451 is well-versed in legal customs, and he has discovered a loophole that may give Tony a chance - albeit a slim one.
Tony is brought before the Voldi Justicar to plead his case. He insists that the Avengers and the X-Men killed the Phoenix Entity in self-defense, in order to protect the Earth. The Justicar is unmoved, so Tony invokes 451's loophole: He demands a chance to defend himself in Trial by Combat, as legal tradition states it is his right. The Justicar is shocked that Tony is familiar with the custom, but she nevertheless allows it.
"One shall stand, one shall fall"
Tony is brought out to an arena decked out like a Roman gladiator. There, he fights defeats opponents of mostly amateur skill, while 451 works to recover the Model 45 armor out of impound. As Tony defeats one amateur opponent after another, 451 sabotages the Citadel's power source, the Heart of the Voldi, to create the distraction he needs to infiltrate the impound vault. As Tony prepares to face his final opponent, he discovers that the Justicar has found a loophole of her own: She has hired Death's Head to infiltrate the arena to assassinate him. At a considerable disadvantage due to the mechanoid's size, Tony accuses the Justicar of cheating. Death's Head insists that he is not violating the clause forbidding enhanced combatants, as he is not using any of his weapons or upgrades. Death's Head starts pulling statues out of the arena and throws the debris at Tony, who attempts to dodge, but with the cumulative effect of his previous fights, he is beginning to tire. As Death's Head prepares to deal the killing blow, Tony is rescued by 451 and the Model 45 armor, which stuns Death's Head with repulsor blasts before equipping itself onto Tony. Once properly accoutered as Iron Man, he promptly flies to 451's ship. Flying Mechanoplites fly toward the ship to intercept it, but Iron Man promptly dispatches them before grabbing the ship's docking hoist. As the ship leaves, the Celestials converge upon the Voldi Tear and begin attacking it. The Justicar notes that the Voldi Heart is supposed to conceal them from the Celestials, but it has been stolen. The Justicar orders all Voldi to evacuate. As the Celestials methodically destroy the planet, the Mechanoplites deactivate. Iron Man asks P.E.P.P.E.R. to do a scan for survivors, but she finds none. Iron Man accuses 451 of using him to acquire the Heart, which 451 admits is true, but he insists that with the Heart, he will save far more lives than he has sacrificed. As 451 teleports away, Iron Man vows to make him pay for his crimes.
This section is under development. Information will be placed here soon.
Quotes[]
- "In a universe of Romes, you're Greece circa 50 B.C."
- ―Tony Stark flirting with Princess Veritina
- "In the name of extreme profit, you are under arrest!"
- ―Death's Head, Freelance Peacekeeping Agent, uttering his signature line
- "Do you really think I'm going to help you achieve whatever plan your glorified Commodore 64 of a brain has dreamed up? If I let them kill us, you fail."
"I think you're arrogant enough to believe you'll actually outwit me before all this is over. Why throw your life away? If my plan is so insane, and so obviously based on false ideas, why worry about it? And Commodore 64? Harsh." - ―Iron Man discovers that Recorder 451 is as well-versed in pop culture as he is
- "Do you ever wonder what a leech would think. Sitting on your skin, drinking your blood? How would it see you? Eventually, it may come to see you as some kind of great provider. Because from the leech's perspective that's exactly what you are. You are the sun on its little world. That's what the leech would think. But what the parasite thinks doesn't really matter. It's still a parasite. It's just a parasite that the host hasn't noticed. And pity the parasite when it does."
- ―451 describing how the Celestials see the Voldi
Notes[]
- Chronologically, this is Death's Head's first time in the Earth-616 reality, as he is still in his "Transformer-sized" body. All of his subsequent adventures in Earth-616 and Earth-8410 occur after he travelled to Earth-5516 and got shrunk down to near-human size.
Trivia[]
- This storyline has many nods to the work of Simon Furman, as Kieron Gillen has admitted to be fan of his. In addition to featuring Death's Head, one of Furman's original creations, he also peppered the script with plenty of "Furmanisms."
- "Stark's Seven" is a nod to Ocean's Eleven.
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