BIG IRON! Tony Stark is looking to restart his engine. He decides he’s going back to basics, putting away his high-tech toys and high-profile image so he can get his hands dirty again. It’s time to dig into the guts of real machines, put on some old-fashioned metal and fly. But can he really lay that Stark-sized ego down? Life isn’t that simple, something that old friends and frustrating foes are quick to point out. If you strip down a billionaire to his bolts, does he run solid or just overheat? Tony’s going to find out once a threat to the entire universe rears its head from the past. As he suits up again, Tony remains sure of one thing: he’s still IRON MAN down to his flesh and blood core.

TONY HAS COMPANY...AND HIS NAME IS KORVAC! Tony Stark continues to roughly dismantle the fancy, shiny and sophisticated ways of his past…but the world doesn’t seem quite convinced that he’s changed his rich guy tune. As Iron Man, he takes the fight to the streets, looking to sacrifice himself on the altar of super heroism again and again—first with Arcade and Absorbing Man then with medical vigilante Cardiac—all in hope of redemption in the eyes of the public. Only trouble is he might get himself killed in the process, and there are still plenty of people in line with an ax to grind. Old friends like HELLCAT try to help him find peace of mind and speak truth to his stubborn god complex, but lurking on the horizon is a threat Tony—and indeed the entire cosmos—hasn’t seen in years…KORVAC…yet another guy who believes he’s smarter than the rest of the universe.

Tony Stark is getting tired of apologizing for being himself, especially when as Iron Man he’s more powerful than most any other human being on Earth. As he wears himself out trying to do everything he can to be a force of good in the world, he’s beginning to chafe at the idea that he really owes anybody anything. Is it too much to ask for a thank you? He’s trying to keep his head down and his ego in check, but when KORVAC reveals himself as the puppet master behind Stark’s latest investment, Tony will at least have somewhere to channel his anger and frustration… That is, if he survives the conflict at all.

KORVAC is on the loose and Tony Stark is on the hook for it. Iron Man and Hellcat were lucky to survive their first encounter with Korvac and his new disciples, but finding him and stopping him is proving an even greater challenge. Tony is reticent to let other hero allies in on the fact that he opened up a giant can of worms all on his own, but it might be a moot point given that Korvac has placed Tony under a very clever and threatening gag order. As Korvac powers down all of New York City in order to try and again go cosmic, Tony’s forced to turn to lesser-known colleagues on the fringe in order to stop him. One advantage he has: Hellcat is hearing things ever since their last encounter with Korvac… Strange things… Things that might overtake her entirely.

THE FIRST ACT OF “THE BOOKS OF KORVAC” REACHES ITS STUNNING CONCLUSION! It’s put up or shut up time with KORVAC as the android mastermind begins the next phase of his ascent toward absolute power, and IRON MAN begrudgingly decides to finally ask for help. But…from who? As he takes charge of new allies and tries to use HELLCAT’s weakened state to his advantage, Tony Stark might instead risk everyone’s life including his own, especially when he confronts Korvac himself, one on one.