Iron Man Reveals the Drastic (& Realistic) Way Being an Avenger Has Changed His Body Forever

Summary Iron Man's heroism throughout his fabled Marvel Comics history has come at a high cost, leaving him with considerable head trauma, which manifests alarming symptoms in Invincible Iron Man #17, during the pivotal battle against anti-mutant organization Orchis.

In Invincible Iron Man #17, Tony Stark reveals his struggles with old injuries, which cause him to have hallucinations, leaving questioning reality at a particularly bad time, as he fights off an army of Orchis Sentinels.

The battle against Orchis has proven to be one of Iron Man's most challenging, with this final confrontation exacerbating the physical and mental tolls that his career as a superhero have taken on him.

Warning: Contains spoilers for Invincible Iron Man #17!!

Iron Man has participated in some of Marvel’s most epic battles, endangering himself to save the world time and time again. His heroism comes at a high cost, and not even his highly-specialized armor can protect him from injury completely. As Tony recently revealed, all his years of fighting have left him with considerable head trauma, which manifests some alarming symptoms.

Invincible Iron Man #17 – by Gerry Duggan, Patrick Zircher Bryan Valenza, and Joe Caramagna – finds Tony waking up following his taxing battle against Orchis' Stark Sentinels and Feilong. Although he endured some punishing hits during that fight, his delirium and confusion is attributed to old, pervasive injuries instead.

Tony admits that he he's "accustomed to waking up in a confusing fog" after enduring repeated head trauma as Iron Man. Coupled with his infamous heavy drinking, he's left in a difficult spot, physically speaking, suffering from very detailed, prolonged hallucinations that he'll never be able to fully shake off.

Tony Stark is undeniably a genius, and one of the greatest inventors and engineers in Marvel history, but he wears every injury he sustains.

Iron Man Suffers From Extensive Psychological and Physical Issues

Related Iron Man's Most Powerful Armor Is a Secret Metaphor for His Rivalry with [SPOILER] In Tony Stark's latest battle, his enemy Feilong attacks him with stolen technology, proving he's nothing more than a weak imitation of Iron Man.

The Past is Catching Up Quickly

Tony is unable to wake from his hallucinations and what is being conjured by his injured brain. Even when he encounters his deceased mothers, his confusion is so pervasive that he questions whether his father is also alive again. The answer should be obvious, as Howard Stark has been dead for several years, but Iron Man is being buoyed along by illusions and his own warped imagination. It's an alarming revelation, given how much of the world tends to rest on his shoulders.

Tony Stark is undeniably a genius, and one of the greatest inventors and engineers in Marvel history, but he wears every injury he sustains. He has no super soldier serum to help shrug off the hits he takes, like Captain America, and he can't protect himself naturally the way his current mutant allies often do. If his armor fails to fully take a punch (or any other type of attack) - it's up to him to survive it. Though it makes sense for that to take its toll, Tony has never shown just how big the cumulative effect is before now.

Iron Man's years of hard living are catching up to him, and a victory over Orchis may be the last one he sees.

The Fight Against Orchis May Be Iron Man’s Final Stand

But He’ll Go Down Swinging

Close

Orchis has proved to be one of Iron Man's most challenging battles to date. Not only did they steal and use his own designs against him and his allies, but he had to outsmart them to design new armor capable of fighting back. Even then, he was only protected for a short while. It's now clear that he was suffering before the war against A.I. began, and it has not been easy on him – physically or mentally. Iron Man's years of hard living are catching up to him, and a victory over Orchis may be the last one he sees.

Invincible Iron Man #17 is available now from Marvel Comics.