Infamous Iron Man is a 2016 12-issue maxiseries by Marvel Comics, written by Brian Michael Bendis with art by Alex Maleev.
In the aftermath of Civil War II, Tony Stark is in a regenerative coma and the mantle of Iron Man is held by a reformed Doctor Doom. So how does the greater superhero community react to the new Armored Avenger?
Not well. Stark did not actually pick Doom as his intended successor. S.H.I.E.L.D. is eager to arrest him for his past crimes since he is no longer secure from prosecution. And Thing? He’s holding a serious grudge. Villains, on the other hand, view Doom as a traitor and set their sights on his former empire. The Wizard and the Hood, who had previously viewed Doom as untouchable, now see him as a viable target.
Pursued by heroes and villains alike, Doom contends with the mysterious return of his long-deceased mother as he battles a foe who can alter the very fabric of reality.
Infamous Iron Man provides examples of:
- An Aesop: Though few are truly beyond redemption, it’s a hard road. There will always be some people who are not willing to forgive you for your past actions.
- Anti-Hero Substitute: Doctor Doom steps up as this while Tony is in a coma, under the unofficial moniker of the 'Infamous Iron Man'.Doom: My apologies. Making sure no harm will come to others is relatively new to me.
- Back from the Dead: Doom’s mother Cynthia appears to have been resurrected, but it’s really a simulacrum created by Mephisto.
- Being Evil Sucks: Well, more like "being omnipotent was a boring disappointment," but this is why Doom is taking as stab at being a hero.Doom: I was God, and... and yet, I was unchanged. I was not one with the universe. I was not content. I had pushed myself for this for so much of my life only to discover it was a fool's quest. So I fell back to Earth... forced to confront my true self... to rethink my purpose in this life. And it was then that a sudden and simple notion struck me. It knocked me to my knees. If the selfish act of ultimate power was not my calling... then maybe the opposite could be true.
- Big Bad: The Maker, a corrupted Reed Richards from an alternate timeline. Or so we are led to believe. It’s really Mephisto.
- Bittersweet Ending: Doom has gained some level of acceptance in the superhero community as the new Iron Man. But this is also the beginning of the end, as the supervillain community is about to fall on him like a ton of bricks, and the return of the one true Iron Man is imminent.
- Evil Is Petty: Why is the Hood so eager to take Doom down? Because Doom teleported him to India after the Hood trolled him a few times too many.
- Hero Antagonist: The Thing spearheads S.H.I.E.L.D.'s hunt for Doom. Also, Ironheart finds herself alternately fighting alongside and against Doom throughout the storyline.
- Hijacked by Ganon: Mephisto is the real mastermind behind the Maker.
- In Spite of a Nail: Regardless of alignment, Victor von Doom and Reed Richards are destined to be arch-enemies. A reformed Doom's greatest adversary is a corrupted Richards.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Doctor Strange previously had a few adventures alongside Doom and saw that there was indeed still good in him. So Strange is willing to give this reformed Doom the benefit of the doubt... but he has to see it for himself.
- Sequel Hook: The Hood swears vengeance on Doom, leading into The Search for Tony Stark.
