Iron Man has faced no shortage of heavy hitters, but a writer has just teased that Tony Stark will soon be going up against Marvel’s greatest villain ever in his new series. This mysterious foe could be a classic supervillain, it could be a despicable lickspittle, or it could even be a system. Whoever or whatever this villain turns out to be, Tony Stark will soon have his work cut out for him.

In a recent interview with Comicbook.com, Spencer Ackerman, writer of the Iron Man (2024) series, teased that his run will feature "the greatest villain in the history of the Marvel Universe."

The series will debut this October and be drawn by Julius Ohta. In his interview, Ackerman provided readers with a laundry list of what they can expect:

“- muscle monsters, dungeons, dimensional dangers, inner demons, demon-demons, AI slop, blowback from the best laid plans, jobber villains, familiar Iron Man villains, unfamiliar Iron Man villains, villainous Iron Man allies, and the greatest villain in the history of the Marvel Universe.”

Ackerman’s phrasing makes it sound like this mystery foe isn’t a typical Iron Man villain. But that begs the question of who it could be. Calling this villain the "greatest" is a personal statement, not an objective power ranking, which makes it all the harder to guess.

Who Is The "Greatest Villain" That Iron Man Is About To Face?

There are a number of different candidates for Marvel’s greatest villain. One obvious pull is Doctor Doom. The "One World Under Doom" status quo shift will explore Doom's time as the new Sorcerer Supreme after the events of Blood Hunt, and Doom appearing in Iron Man would make sense considering their shared history. Other obvious candidates include Galactus (an exception to the great ≠ strong paradigm), Thanos, Ultron, or a villain from the X-Men, of which Ackerman is a massive fan. That said, if it’s not Doom, it’s more likely to be a villain no-one expects, rather than a "major" one.

It’s also entirely possible that this foe is a new character designed to be a villain. If that’s the case, then Ackerman might be speaking ironically, knowing that he’s about to introduce someone that audiences are bound to hate. Tony Stark is set to lose his fortune in a hostile acquisition in this new series' first arc, so maybe this villain is some smirking businessman, a dark mirror to Tony Stark who’s all the more annoying for being so much like him. Sometimes, the greatest villains are the ones we can recognize from real life.

Some "Villains" Can't Be Punched By Superheroes

Ackerman may also not be speaking in literal superhero with his definition of "villain." Ackerman’s history as a national security journalist has seen him report on the darker side of real-world politics, and this "villain" might come from that side of his background. Ackerman could be referring obliquely to anything as broad as the surveillance state, the NSA, or the very system of capitalism itself. Some of the most interesting superhero stories come when the hero can’t literally punch their problems, and these theoretical "villains" aren’t exactly easy to defeat.

Iron Man is a tech mogul, and as such, he is the perfect hero to come up against those problems. Tony might be better than the average billionaire, but he’s still ingrained in the systems that foster strife and pain. He’s no longer a weapons manufacturer, but part of his "superpower" still comes from his vast wealth. He might fight for freedom as an Avenger, but he benefits more than most from the technological innovations that have led to mass surveillance. If Iron Man does come against systemic problems, how much can he do without actively hurting himself?

Iron Man (2024) #1 will be available October 23 from Marvel Comics.

Sources: Comicbook.com