For anyone who is excited to delve into the next chapter of Marvel's gamerverse in
Marvel's Avengers next year - yesterday's prequel comic release,
Avengers Iron Man #1 is a great place to start.
Not only does the issue feature plenty of action that often goes remiss in tie-in or prequel comics such as these, but it also explores the dynamic between several of the characters in a deep way that you wouldn't expect.
We see Tony's relationship with Bruce, Natasha, and Fury all play out as he tries to figure out who he can trust. After facing a squadron of recognizable villains known as the Lethal Legion - which features Beetle, Titania, Absorbing Man, and Whirlwind - the Avengers (Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Black Widow, and Hulk) realize they nearly lose because Tony's new tech was in Beetle's suit as well.
We see the beginning of the fall of the Avengers with cracks being formed between them. Tony mistrusts them one by one - wondering how his information could have wound up in the wrong hands. After another exciting battle - with the villainous Spymaster - Tony realizes that Beetle only was able to get his hands on the technology because Nick Fury was running secret surveilance on his armor systems.
This leads to a grim face off between the two allies which foreshadows bad things to come, as Tony ends the issue by telling the S.H.I.E.L.D. director that he would be doing things on his own terms from here on out. After mistrusting two of the other Avengers to get to that point... where will this leave the team going forward? It'll be interesting to see it develop through
Avengers Thor, the next prequel comic in the line.
Avengers Iron Man #1 is a perfect starting point for this prequel series - showing that Marvel is choosing to hold nothing back when it comes to these tie in comics and setting up the next title in their Gamerverse. Delivering commentary from Iron Man that will feel like Robert Downey Jr. himself is speaking and action throughout the issue - Writer Jim Zub still finds a way to inject deep character dynamics between Earth's mightiest heroes and set up what's to come. If this is a sign of the quality going forward, fans will have a lot to look forward to. - Five out of five.
Marvel’s Avengers begins at A-Day, where Captain America, Iron Man, the Hulk, Black Widow, and Thor are unveiling a hi-tech Avengers Headquarters in San Francisco — including the reveal of their own helicarrier powered by an experimental energy source. The celebration turns deadly when a catastrophic accident results in massive devastation. Blamed for the tragedy, the Avengers disband. Five years later, with all Super Heroes outlawed and the world in peril, the only hope is to reassemble Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
Marvel's Avengers is available May 15, 2020 on PS4, XBoxOne, and PC. Preorder for beta access! Avengers Iron Man #1 is available now at your local comic retailer!