'Iron Man' #1 Preview Launches the Arms Race for the Next Tony Stark

“A.I.M. doesn’t need another armor. We need another Tony Stark.”

Announced last month at NYCC's Next Big Thing Panel, IRON MAN (2026) by Joshua Williamson and Carmen Carnero is an arms race to shape the legacy of Tony Stark. The new ongoing series will see the return of familiar faces, as well as the rise of a new arch-nemesis.

When billionaire genius Tony Stark was trapped in a cave, he emerged from captivity as Iron Man. But the suit of armor he built was never the most dangerous weapon in the world... he was. Now, in IRON MAN #1, Madame Masque has tasked Advanced Idea Mechanics with creating, not the next Iron Man armor, but rather the next Tony Stark.

The lettered preview for IRON MAN #1 opens with a man building a suit of armor in a cave with nothing but his wits and a box of scraps. As he makes his blazing escape, he confronts his captors with the arc reactor-powered weapon he assembled. But this is not the story you know, and this man is no Tony Stark — much to Madame Masque’s chagrin. Meanwhile, the actual Tony Stark tinkers away, not yet aware of A.I.M.’s search for his intellectual successor.

IRON MAN #1
Written by JOSHUA WILLIAMSON
Art by CARMEN CARNERO
Wraparound Cover by RYAN STEGMAN
Foreshadow Variant Cover by ANNIE WU
On Sale 1/28

But Madame Masque is not the only elusive figure resurfacing on Iron Man’s radar. Melinda May also believes the Armored Avenger to be dangerous and decides she’d rather keep him in her sights.

"Melinda May has made her presence known in the Iron Man world for a bit now, and I didn't want to change that. She's an awesome Marvel character, a great new addition to Tony's supporting cast, and fun to write,” shared series writer Joshua Williamson.

“I love how she is not impressed with Tony. She doesn't care how smart he is, or clever, or how many times he's saved the world. She sees right through all of that,” he added. “She sees what a lot of other people see... that Tony is dangerous and she needs to keep an eye on him. And that might just result in her suiting up in her own kind of armor..."

In addition to the preview pages below, the all-new Foreshadow Variant Cover by Annie Wu teases Melinda May’s return wearing an armor worthy of calling in the cavalry!

Check out the preview for IRON MAN #1 below, as well as the main cover and variant cover for the second issue by Ryan Stegman. IRON MAN #1 lands on shelves January 28!

Grab these comics and more at your local comic book shop! Or redeem then read your digital copy on the Marvel Unlimited app by using the code found in your print comic. Find and support your local comic book shop at ComicShopLocator.com.

To read your Marvel comics digitally, download the Marvel Unlimited app for iOS and Android devices. Gain an expansive catalog of 30,000+ comics spanning Marvel Comics history, plus access your entire digital library including comics redeemed from print.