Writer Christopher Cantwell has put Iron Man and Hellcat's blossoming romance through the wringer in the pages of his Iron Man run, and this June, he'll team up with artist Ruairí Coleman to deliver a major turning point for them in a story that also dives deep into Hellcat’s fascinating history.
In Iron Man/Hellcat Annual #1, we pick up after Tony's shocking marriage proposal in Iron Man #20, Hellcat travels to San Francisco to get her house in order...only this house is an ageing Victorian manor left to her by her mother Dorothy. The house and its secrets will reunite Patsy with old friends like Hedy Wolfe - as well as others she’d hoped to leave dead and buried. When a supernatural crisis arises, will Hellcat and Iron Man combined be enough to beat back the flames of Hell itself?
"Hellcat has one of the most unique - and at times inscrutable - origin stories in Marvel Comics, but also one of my favorites," Cantwell says. "I love that Patsy got her start in teen romance comics in the 40s and yet was still somehow able to ride the wave into the rise of superheroes, becoming Hellcat. With an epic and circuitous backstory that now spans more than 75 years, I’ve had a blast exploring the rich tapestry that is Patsy - first in IRON MAN, and now with even more depth in this annual."
"We focus on Hellcat’s peculiar relationship with Hell itself...she’s spent some time there, and she once suffered a tumultuous marriage to Daimon Hellstrom, the Son of Satan. Patsy began as one of America’s first sweethearts, then became a hero, but she’s felt a darkness pull at her for years," he continued. "It’s deep and twisted and personal and ugly...and maybe...a little alluring? Her relationship with Iron Man has been a counterweight to that - a light that’s dissipated some of the shadows in her. This story explores Patsy’s connection to a scarier realm. She can be charming and bubbly and sweet, but is there a power in those fires of Hell that might illuminate a deeper truth?"
We're certainly intrigued by how this story is going to play out and what it means for Iron Man and Hellcat moving forward, especially with a wedding no doubt on the way for the two heroes.
You can check out three stunning covers before Iron Man/Hellcat Annual #1 arrives in stores this June.