Iron Man Reveals His Contingency Plan to Kill an X-Men Icon

Summary

• In
  Invincible Iron Man
  #15, Tony Stark’s strategy for taking down his own wife Emma Frost – from before they were married – is revealed, highlighting his calculated and forward-thinking nature.
• Iron Man recognizes Emma’s villainous past, as powerful abilities, leading to him implementing a contingency plan to take her out in her ultra-powerful diamond form, which Orchis’ is nearly able to exploit before Tony intervenes.
• Unity between Iron Man and the X-Men is essential for victory against Orchis – and what’s more, Tony and Emma’s marriage has only continued to grow more legitimate, as the two develop real feelings for each other, something the truth of his anti-Emma contingency plan could complicate.

Warning: SPOILERS ahead for The Invincible Iron Man #15As Iron Man, Tony Stark needs to be prepared for any threats coming his way – including his own wife, the X-Men icon and powerful telepath Emma Frost. While the Armored Avenger’s suit is often seen as his greatest asset, it’s truly Stark’s mind that helps him win the day; though in this case, it may also cause some marital discomfort.

The Invincible Iron Man #15 – by Gerry Duggan, Creees Lee, Walden Wong, Bryan Valenza, and Joe Caramagna – finds Tony and Emma battling one of Orchis’ Wolverine-Sentinels. In diamond form, Frost gives Tony the chance to armor up, before realizing the Sentinel knows how to kill her.

As the Sentinel produces Emma’s inhibitor ring to weaken her, Tony narrates: “It’s exactly how I planned to kill Emma Frost if I had to.” And with Stark noting how Feilong must’ve acquired all his secrets and plans to take down any enemy, it’s understandable why Emma’s weakness would be in his files.

In
Invincible Iron Man
#15, Tony notes that his anti-Emma contingency plan was a recent development, after a less-than-cordial encounter between the two before the
Fall of X
, but given Frost’s history and Tony’s own forward-thinking disposition, it would be a bigger shock had he no plans to kill her.

Emma Frost’s Villainous Past Warrants A Contingency Plan

While this strategy is unsuccessful thanks to the intervention of Iron Man, it’s still a pretty surefire way to take down someone as deadly as the Hellfire Club’s White Queen. Not only does Frost’s diamond form render her invulnerable in most confrontations, but she’s also one of the world’s most accomplished and ruthless telepaths. That sort of power isn’t much use against an unthinking machine like a Sentinel, but seeing as how Iron Man made this plan to take down Emma himself should he ever need to, it’s no surprise he’d take the full extent of her abilities into account.

In Invincible Iron Man #15, Tony notes that his anti-Emma contingency plan was a recent development, after a less-than-cordial encounter between the two before the Fall of X, but given Frost’s history and Tony’s own forward-thinking disposition, it would be a bigger shock had he no plans to kill her. Before her time with the X-Men, Emma Frost was a world-class supervillain, and it took her years to gain the trust of her fellow X-Men and the superhero community at large. Likewise, Iron Man’s mind is more powerful than any of his armors, and out-thinking his opponents is often the only way Tony manages to emerge victorious.

Iron Man And The X-Men Have No Time For Infighting

Now that Iron Man and Emma Frost are married – at least for the time being – the odds of Tony implementing his plans for the White Queen are very low. Further, with the Armored Avenger’s future directly linked to whatever comes next for the mutants in their battle against Orchis, their resistance needs unity on all fronts to win the day. However, should things take a turn for the worse between Iron Man and the X-Men, Tony Stark knows just who to take out first.

The Invincible Iron Man
#15
is on sale now from Marvel Comics.