It’s been a rough few years for Tony Stark, but things are looking up as 2026 dawns. Marvel is gearing up for the launch of a new monthly Iron Man series, as Superman and Dark Crisis writer Joshua Williamson hops over to the Marvel Universe to establish a bold new status quo. Williamson will be joined by Exceptional X-Men artist Carmen Carnero, as the world is reminded of one critical truth – Iron Man isn’t the real threat; Tony Stark’s big brain is.
To learn more about Tony’s new status quo and new armor, IGN chatted with Williamson via email. Check out an exclusive preview of Iron Man #1 in the slideshow gallery below, and read on to learn more about the new series:
Iron Man [2026] #1 Exclusive Preview Gallery
On Making the Jump From DC to Marvel
Williamson is one of the biggest names at DC these days, where he currently writes the flagship Superman series and has a major hand in the DC K.O. crossover event. That’s why it was surprising to see Marvel announce a new Iron Man comic with Williamson’s name attached. Williamson makes it clear that while he isn’t leaving DC anytime soon, he did see an appeal in crossing over to the Marvel Universe for a change.
DC is my home, and I have a lot of love for that universe, its characters and the publisher as a whole,” Williamson tells IGN. “But at the end of the day, I love all of comics, and there are a lot of Marvel characters that I love. And I would regret never working on them. I had to explore the opportunity. I’m not leaving DC, or Superman or GI Joe, but I knew I needed to take a swing at Marvel. I love that universe too much not to.
Williamson reveals that this series has been in the planning stages for the past year, saying, “A bit over a year ago I started to talk with Marvel editors here and there and that led to my awesome Iron Man editors offering me the new series. Iron Man is one of my favorite characters in all of comics, so it was impossible to turn down. I had to do it for the nerd in me, BUT I also had this idea for years that I wanted to do. I had a lot of thoughts on Tony and his world that I wanted to get down on paper. And luckily that story idea is the one we’re telling in the new series.”
Williamson continues, “I also saw it as a challenge. It’s good to mix things up every once and while and surprise people by working on projects that are unexpected. And I think for a lot of people…me doing anything at Marvel was a surprise. But I’ve been having a lot of fun with the series and working with Carmen and my editors. That was also a big part of the appeal of working on a Marvel series, a chance to work with artists I’ve never worked with before.”
Tony Stark’s Dangerous Mind
As soon as Marvel announced the new volume of Iron Man, it became clear that one of the central themes of the book is going to be the notion that Tony Stark’s mind, not the Iron Man armor, is the truly dangerous weapon. Williamson reveals that one of the goals is to explore what might have transpired if Tony never had that life-altering experience where Iron Man was forged in a cave. What other terrible weapons might have been created by someone so dangerous?
“I wanted the story to not be about the Iron Man armor but about Tony,” Williamson says. Before Tony became Iron Man he was a selfish and ego driven person who used his genius for destructive gains. I’ve always wonder what role would someone like Tony have played if he never had his near-death experience in the bunker?”
Williamson continues, “When he thought he was going to die, it changed him. It was never the armor that Tony built in that cave. It was Tony. Tony is the creator. And I honed in on the idea of focusing on Tony as the creator who made a weapon…but TONY is the true weapon. We’ve seen him use his genius before in questionable ways, so yeah, Tony is the dangerous piece there. The armor has been stolen a million times now, and it always made me think…why don’t they kidnap Tony? Have him make new armors? And then it led me down a path of thinking about…what if instead of making new armors, someone made a new Tony?”
“What if instead of making new armors, someone made a new Tony?”
Despite that ominous premise, Williamson is also adamant that the new series is meant to be a fun superhero romp. As mentioned before, the past few years haven’t exactly been kind to Tony Stark, and in some ways Williamson wants to get back to basics in terms of portraying Tony Stark as the suave, overconfident billionaire.
“I didn’t want Tony to read like a bummer,” Williamson says. “I wanted the cocky version of Tony. The one who puts his foot in his mouth. The one who knows he is the smartest person in the room and doesn’t understand why that is a bad thing. I didn’t want to focus on the boardroom, or his money. I wanted to focus on Tony and pure super hero escapism. I want to see Tony’s role in the Marvel Universe in a different way. He is feeling a bit of ‘is this all I’ve done with my life…build armor?’ but he isn’t letting that get him down. He’s too distracted by Madame Masque and A.I.M. The events of the first five issues will make Tony confront a part of himself and then take him down a new path.”
Williamson adds, “This leans a bit more classic with Tony as a suave Avenger. But he still feels a heavy responsibility to use his genius to help people. At the end of the day, I wanted to write a Tony that was fun to write and to read.”
Iron Man’s Enemies and Allies
Ryan Stegman and Adam Kubert’s respective covers for Iron Man #1 hint at a large cast of both supporting characters and villains in the new series. Williamson confirms that Madame Masque will be a major focus of the series right out of the gate, with the villain doing nothing less than helping A.I.M. to build a new Tony Stark.
“Madame Masque knows Tony,” Williamson says. “They once had a relationship. Maybe they still do? But Madame Masque knows some of Tony’s nightmares. She knows what he loses sleep over. And can use that against him. And she enlists A.I.M. to do it. Together they try to build a new Tony. And that makes Tony question his past, present and future.”
But A.I.M. isn’t the only threat here. It also appears that the series will be reviving the classic Thunderbolts roster, though Williamson confirms there’s a new person wearing the mantle of Citizen V. But are they friend or foe?
“I’m a big fan of the original Thunderbolts and its cast. I had to find places for them,” Williamson says. “Fixer has a role in the first five issues and the identity of the new Citizen V is a mystery that will be spread out across a few issues. It’s someone who sees Tony as dangerous and is keeping an eye on him. There will be a few mysteries and new pieces added to Tony’s ongoing mythology.”
Most surprising of all, it appears that Norman Osborn will be part of Tony’s supporting cast. Osborn himself is in the midst of a redemptive arc, even moonlighting as Spider-Man in the pages of Joe Kelly’s The Amazing Spider-Man series. This series will dig deeper into their shared history and the current ties they share.
“I think there will be some concerns about Tony and what he is planning in response to what A.I.M. is doing from all kinds of corners of the Marvel Universe,” Williamson teases. “But I also like the dynamic between the two of them. Two billionaires who have made…questionable choices and often seek redemption. I love writing the conflict between the two of them. They knew each other before they became Iron Man and Green Goblin, and I wanted to explore that relationship. Also when you have Norman…Spider-Man isn’t too far behind.”
Designing the Mark 75 Armor
A new Iron man comic usually means a new suit of armor, and this series is no exception. Carnero has designed the Mark 75 armor, a suit that looks to be among the most powerful weapons in Tony’s vast arsenal. But as for what specifically sets this new armor apart from its 74 predecessors, fans will just have to read the series to find out.
“Carmen did an amazing job on the new armor,” Williamson says. “We wanted something that felt iconic. To start, we looked back at our favorite armors. My faves are Marks 4, 9, 12, 13, 15, 51 and 70. There are more but those were the ones that hit the vibe of we were going. How this armor is different for Tony will be played out across the first year. I don’t want to give it away yet. It’s a story piece that we’ll explore. Why Tony built this armor and now.”
Williamson contineus, “Carmen took all the pieces that we’d talked about and created an awesome new look for Iron Man and Tony. She’s been a blast to work with and I hope people check out Iron Man #1 to see the beautiful work she’s done with Nolan Woodard!”
Iron Man #1 will be released on January 28, 2026. You can preorder a copy at your local comic shop.
In other comic book news, find out who dies in Marvel’s One World Under Doom finale, and learn about Dark Horse’s new ongoing He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.