By Tim Stevens
As long as the Marvel Universe has been around, it has been bedeviled by terrorism.
Organizations from A.I.M. to HYDRA to Ultimatum have constantly plotted against the free world. However, despite their goals, these groups never seemed quite as serious a threat as the acts of terrorism taking place in the world beyond the comic page. Ultimatum destroyed monuments and got defeated by Solo, HYDRA yelled their catchphrase a lot and A.I.M…well, we've all seen how they dress.
Thanks to Ezekiel Stane, who keeps his terror campaign rolling in July 2's INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #3, the rules have now changed.
Writer Matt Fraction describes Stane as "a reflection of the world around us. It seems like we're only now starting to realize the bad guys have gotten a whole lot badder but the good guys remain frozen in amber."
"[Stane] has zero loyalty," explains Fraction. "No code. No ethics. No morals. And no boundaries. [He] killed the Pinoy Avengers in the blink of an eye, as a way of letting Tony know that he's coming."
Given that Tony Stark had a prior history with Stane's father, Obadiah—the villain known as Iron Monger—that ended in Obadiah's death, it makes sense that Stane would target the cool exec with a heart of steel. That said, the reasoning might not be a straightforward as revenge for the son.
"Stane was rejected by his father, challenged to prove himself worthy of the Stane family name," Fraction elaborates. "His father died before the boy could prove himself, and he grew up blaming Tony Stark for not only the murder of his father, but for being the man standing in the way of his self-actualization. Stane will never be complete until Tony Stark is driven before him."
The complexity of Stane's motives pale in comparison to his byzantine moral code. As demonstrated in his dealing with tobacco executives in INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #1, Ezekiel does possess some semblance of a conscience; however, given his actions following that moment, understanding his principles becomes increasingly difficult.
"His morality—or lack thereof—is idiosyncratic to say the least," Fraction states. "His ethical system isn't illusory, but there is a degree of scrutiny under which it does not hold up. The rule of his life is that everything and everyone are only resources for him to exploit. And when that resource is extinguished, he moves on."
And the next move of Ezekiel Stane could spell disaster not just for Iron Man, but the entire Marvel Universe.
Fraction and artist Salvador Larocca present the next stage in Ezekiel' terrifying plans in INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #3, on sale July 2. Also, head over to Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited for more Iron Man.
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