Tony Stark's Brother Leads Marvel's New IRON MAN 2020
When the future superhero Iron Man 2020 was introduced, the year was still considered the far-off future. But with January marking the beginning of the year, Marvel is sticking true to their word, and launching the Robot Rebellion--and the hero destined to fight it. But it won't be Tony Stark donning the suit. The role of Iron Man 2020 belongs to Arno Stark, Tony's long-lost brother.
While most fans won't know Arno, he first appeared in 1984 as an enemy of 'Machine Man' in his native time. He was originally a descendant of Tony Stark from one of Marvel's many possible futures, who had bought out his relative's company before deciding to work as a mercenary instead, wearing his own suit of armor (which should look familiar to anyone keeping up with the current story in Tony Stark: Iron Man).
As for how he ended up in the present-day Marvel Universe, Kieron Gillen revealed in a 2013 story that Tony Stark is actually adopted, and that Arno was Howard and Maria Stark's biological son. Poor Arno had been involved in wild sci-fi adventures before he was even born: when the Starks found he would not survive his delivery, the alien Recorder 451 offered to help. Unfortunately, his help involved turning their unborn son into a weapon at the price of dying when he turned thirty. Howard mixed up a "biococktail" to save Arno's life, but the baby's health quickly deteriorated and he was locked away in an iron lung for decades. In order to divert Recorder 451's suspicions, Howard adopted another child, who would grow up to become the Iron Man we know and love. When he met Recorder 451, Tony discovered Arno's existence and used his technology to let him leave the iron lung, and Arno continued to tinker with it until he developed superhuman endurance.
Now Arno is set to claim the role of Iron Man, after Tony Stark's horrifying Ultron accident has destroyed his physical body, having already been cloned and implanted with the memories of the real Tony, before his death. It's a strange place to begin, but the official plot synopsis and cover art (with a new variant from artist Ron Lim) for Iron Man 2020 confirms Marvel isn't stopping now. Readers can find both below.
In IRON MAN 2020, the future has arrived, and Artificial Intelligences present a clear and present danger to humanity and must be brought to heel! As the Robot Rebellion battles for the establishment of robot rights, someone new will don the Iron Man suit: Arno Stark, the long-lost brother of Tony Stark.
But Arno Stark won't be alone: War Machine, Rescue, Ironheart will all have roles to play in the new series. The Robot Rebellion will also feature some familiar robots from the Marvel Universe including Machine Man AKA Aaron Stack, Jocasta, the Vision, Albert (the robotic Wolverine character), Elsie-Dee, Machinesmith, Nick Fury LMDs, Death’s Head, the Mad Thinker and his Awesome Android, Quasimodo, H.E.R.B.I.E., the Dreadnaughts, Brynocki, Alkhema, and M-11.
- IRON MAN 2020 #1
- Release Date: January 2020
- Written by DAN SLOTT & CHRISTOS GAGE
- Art by: Pete Woods
- Cover by: Pete Woods
- IT’S A NEW IRON MAN FOR A NEW YEAR! The future is now! Artificial Intelligences present a clear and present danger to humanity and must be brought to heel! The Robot Rebellion battles for the establishment of robot rights! And Arno Stark IS Iron Man!
How will Tony Stark return to Marvel's Universe in the future? And how will Arno do as a superhero, and against the robot uprising? To find out, fans will need to pick up the first issue, when Iron Man 2020 #1 arrives this January.