Iron Man's Most Powerful Armor Gets New Upgrade Literally No-One Saw Coming

Warning: Contains spoilers for Invincible Iron Man #18!

Summary Iron Man's Sentinel Buster armor needs a significant power source to function effectively.

Magneto offers to power the armor, marking the beginning of a strategic partnership against Orchis.

The unlikely alliance between Iron Man and Magneto spells trouble for Orchis and signifies a pivotal moment in the war against AI.

Iron Man recently unveiled his most impressive suit of armor ever, but it came with a major flaw. The Sentinel Buster is capable of decimating Orchis’ Stark Sentinels, but Tony took it to war before he had a way to recharge it. Now, it seems that an unlikely ally is offering backup and a solution, as Magneto positions himself to become the battery at the heart of Iron Man’s creation.

In the preview of Invincible Iron Man #18 by Gerry Duggan and Creees Lee shared by CBR, Tony and Max have a tense reunion inside his broken Sentinel Buster suit after Emma Frost called Magneto in to save her husband.

Tony explains that, with a power source for the Sentinel Buster armor, they can all get back to fighting Orchis - a goal Magneto is eager to get behind since being brought back to life. He's fresh off turning himself into a living electromagnet, and so Magneto volunteers himself as the solution to powering the Sentinel Buster. The two of them, together with former Orchis member Feilong, get to work.

Related Even Iron Man Knows How Badly He Ruined Spider-Man's Life in Civil War By looping him into the world-altering events of Civil War and convincing him to unmask, Iron Man ruined Spider-Man's life...and he knew it.

Iron Man’s Sentinel Buster Armor Needs an Incredible Amount of Power

And Magneto Has Proven He’s in His Prime

Tony’s Sentinel Buster armor is easily his grandest design. After Feilong, now an awkward ally after Orchis AI turned against all humanity and mutantkind, stole Stark Industries out from under him, Iron Man had to come up with a suit that would beat… himself. The battle against Orchis was already happening, however, so tinkering with the finer details (like a proper power source) got swept aside. The suit requires a lot of energy, but it's capable of cutting through dozens of Stark Sentinels when it's fully operational, so they'll all benefit greatly from getting it back online.

A combination of Tony and Feilong's respective talents can't conjure a miracle, though, so Magneto's appearance is exactly what they need to get the suit back online. Max is in his prime after his resurrection and just took down one of Orchis' deadly weapons in an incredible show of power with Storm and Blue Marvel. If anyone can conduct and direct the kind of energy the Sentinel Buster needs, it's the Master of Magnetism. Beyond the logistics, there is a sense of poetic justice in placing Magneto at the heart of the armor meant to fight those who would destroy mutantkind for good.

Magneto and Iron Man Working Together Is Bad News for Orchis

It Marks a Final Chapter in the War Against AI

Close

Feilong’s revelation that Orchis turned against humanity drastically changed the landscape of the war. Now, AI is fighting on two different fronts, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that it will not win. Max using his power for Tony’s suit is incredibly symbolic of mutantkind and humanity joining forces like never before, and it’s difficult to imagine Orchis standing any chance of victory with the two of them actively working together. Any insider knowledge from Feilong only furthers their cause. Magneto stepping in to repair Iron Man's Sentinel Buster armor marks the beginning of one of Marvel's greatest unexpected team-ups.

Invincible Iron Man #18 is available now from Marvel Comics.

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #18 (2024) Writer: Gerry Duggan

Artist: Crees Lee, Walden Wong

Colorist: Bryan Valenza

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artist: Kael Ngu

Iron Man Anthony "Tony" Edward Stark, AKA Iron Man, is a Marvel Comics superhero who has enjoyed several years of the spotlight and has become a mainstay in several Marvel media franchises. After suffering a critical injury, Tony creates a specialized armored suit powered by an arc reactor, which keeps him alive. Egotistical but good-hearted, Tony utilizes his super intellect and inventions to fight to protect humanity from various threats, eventually becoming a founding member of the Avengers. In 2008, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was kicked off with the film Iron Man, which starred Robert Downey Jr. as the superhero. Created By Steve Ditko , Jack Kirby , Stan Lee , Don Heck , Larry Lieber Alias Iron Man RELATIONSHIPS Jude (biological father), Amanda Armstrong (biological mother), Howard Stark (adoptive father), Maria Stark (adoptive mother), Arno Stark (brother) Video Games LEGO Marvel's Avengers , Marvel's Avengers Franchise Marvel POWERS Genius intellect, armor providing flight, hacking, superhuman strength, reflexes, and durability. TEAM The Avengers HISTORY Famous to the world as a genius billionaire playboy philanthropist, Anthony "Tony" Stark has seen as many transformations, rebirths, and updates as his iconic suits of armor. The adopted son of industrialist (and weapons manufacturer) Howard Stark, Tony became the head of the empire with his parents' untimely death... leading to his capture by terrorists overseas. Creating a suit of powered armor to escape, Tony used his newfound tech to begin a career as Iron Man, devoting his life to dismantling the weapons and villainy he unknowingly spread around the globe. Whether as a hero, an Avenger, a member of the Illuminati, or the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Tony Stark has been at the heart of nearly every event to shape the Marvel Universe. NAME Anthony Edward "Tony" Stark Age 53 (In MCU) FIRST APP "Tales of Suspense" #39 (1963) Height 6'1"

Source: CBR