Synopsis / Summary / Plot
Reslient CEO Pepper Potts shows Tony Stark the new Resilient phone, but Tony wants to know whatever happened to the idea of free energy via repulsor technology that he promised the world (back in Iron Man (2008) #25). Pepper says they're working on it, but meanwhile they need the phone to make the money to support the research.
Pepper changes the subject to the last detectable batch of Extremis users. She's worked out that they are in orbit. Tony says he'd already figured that out, and admits he'd been reluctant to go after them because he's guessed who they are. But now he straps on his modular Iron Man armour and heads into space.
It turns out that the orbiting space station is run by an old friend Eli, who was young Tony's mentor after his father died. Eli had always had a dream of getting into space.
Stark accuses Eli of buying the Extremis process off AIM, who had tortured Maya Hansen to get it. Extremis is too potentially dangerous to leave in anyone's hands. Iron Man is here to destroy it.
Eli counters that he didn't pay AIM anything. He stole Extremis, as he has most of his other technology. He likens himself to Robin Hood, stealing from the present rich to give space travel to future generations. He reminds his friend that the US government stopped exploring space after the Moon landings. They and big business are too short-sighted to do it. He claims that only super-heroes have been back to space since then. But it's Eli's vision that will propel mankind itself to its destiny in the stars.
His crew is a mixture of scientists and thieves, and they have all been modified by Extremis to survive better in space. E.g. they have radiation resistance. Later they will add adaptations to enable them to live on individual other planets and moons.
Stark is very sympathetic to Eli's goal. But he can't afford to leave Extremis where someone like Dr Doom might get hold of it. So he still going to destroy their source of the virus/process.
Eli and crew draw their weapons and attack Iron Man. But with no effect. Stark had reasoned that they wouldn't risk explosive weapons on a space station. So he had correctly equipped his armour with counter measures to an ECM (Elrectronic Counter Measure) assault.
Iron Man disables his opponents with tasers. Then he destroys their Extremis device. But he leaves them with their current modifications, so they can continue to explore space.
Weeks later Tony and Pepper discuss Stark's recent feeling that he's been wasting his life. Whether for good or ill, all the characters from these last 4 issues were at least pursuing their goals. And Eli's dream struck a chord with Tony, so he makes a decision. He dons another armour, this one specifically designed for extended space travel. (The AI in this suit seems to be different from JARVIS of the previous issues, and is called PEPPER.) And Iron Man heads out for deep space.