Iron Man Just Reintroduced One of Marvel’s Oldest Villains With a Major Twist

Iron Man has had a very interesting 20 years. Ol’Shellhead had been a tough sell since the ’90s and the ’00s saw the character slowly built back up. In 2006, Iron Man was in the midst of Civil War, becoming one of the most important heroes in the Marvel Universe in a very controversial fashion, fighting against Captain America and becoming the Director of SHIELD. Fans hated him and he was played pretty much as a villain, which makes the next thing so funny. 2008 would see the character debut on the big screen and he became one of the most popular superheroes ever. Since then, the comics have tried to replicate the success of the movies, taking the character in wildly different directions. However, 2026 has seen the Armored Avenger go back to basics.

Iron Man (Vol. 7) is a sensational read, with Joshua Williamson taking a page from the old days of Iron Man comics. One of the things that we haven’t really gotten to see in his book in the last 20 years are his villains. Iron Man has a whole coterie of villains that we haven’t seen in years and Williamson and regular artist Carmen Carnero are reminding everyone of what Iron Man comics can be by re-incorporating them. The series kicked off by bringing AIM, Madame Masque (I am so happy about this one personally, you guys), and the Fixer back to prominence, all while Tony opens a school for geniuses, taking a page from the X-Men. It’s been such a breath of fresh air to get old school Iron Man tales again and Iron Man (Vol. 7) #8 goes even further in that direction by bringing back one of Tony Stark’s most well-known villains… and then hits the deep cut button and drops an even bigger surprise return on ol’Shellhead.

Whiplash’s Return Could Spell Disaster for Iron Man’s New Life

The MCU helped breath life into Iron Man as a character. MCU fans have a misconception about the character; they think that he was never important until the movies but this has never been the case. Iron Man has always been one of Marvel’s stars, playing an important role in the world of superheroes, and had the roster of villains to prove it. Iron Man 2 introduced movie fans to the only Iron Man villain to really appear in the movies, Whiplash. However, this version of the villain wasn’t the classic but one specifically created to synergize with the movie.

In 2009, readers got Iron Man vs. Whiplash, a story that introduced to the Anton Vanko version of Whiplash. Vanko’s father was killed when an Iron Man imposter attacked their city, with Anton using a weapon he designed to damage the armor and steal the chestplate. Thinking that Stark had destroyed his father, he vowed revenge, using the chest plate as the basis for this weaponry. He created his own armor of a kind and took the name Whiplash, promising to destroy everything that Tony Stark created. While he’s since discovered the truth, he doesn’t really care; his father died because of Iron Man and that’s all he needs to know.

Iron Man (Vol. 7) #8 continues that mission, as Whiplash attacks the Vault to rescue a mysterious figure. He then continues the attack, targeting Stark at work and calling out Iron Man. Carnero is back on pencils for this issue and she does a fantastic job of giving readers an amazing action sequence between Vanko and the Armored Avenger. However, the entire time, the secret of who Anton freed from the Vault hangs over the issue, Williamson beautifully building the tension throughout the issue before revealing exactly who had hired Whiplash – the first Whiplash (I seriously thought it was going to be Mandarin because there are ring teases throughout the issue), Marco Scarlotti.

Scarlotti worked with the Maggia going after Iron Man back in the day, first infiltrating Stark’s factories and stealing technology to create his energy whips. After several stints in prison and working with Justice Hammer, he changed his name to Blacklash. He kept getting handed Ls from Iron Man, despite constantly trying to upgrade his tech. Eventually, he was killed when Iron Man’s armor became sentient, but has since returned to life, out for revenge against the hero who had constantly destroyed his life. The two Whiplashes are quite different, but each of them is united by a burning hatred of Iron Man and are ready to punish the hero for his sins against them.

The Return of the Original Whiplash Is a Step in Rebuilding Iron Man

While the MCU has made Iron Man more popular, the comics have definitely dropped the ball with the character. Oftentimes, that’s mostly because of failed attempts at MCU synergy. It’s cost the hero everything he once had and it honestly feels like Williamson has decided to change all of that. Iron Man (Vol. 7) has been able to capture that old school Iron Man feel without copying the past. One of the most important parts of this was reminding everyone that Tony Stark had a bunch of really awesome villains and Whiplash is an important part of that.

One of the problems with a lot of Stark’s old school villains is that they don’t really match the hero’s current tech level. Even with something like a powerful energy whip, someone like Whiplash doesn’t really seem like much of a threat. However, Williamson remembers the key to making Iron Man villains work – their hatred for Tony Stark. Bringing back Whiplash shows that Williamson is serious about taking these old villains, finding the core of them, and putting that on display. Stark’s new status quo has given him more to lose than ever – he has students to take care of, he has a new relationship he’s building, Pepper is back in his life – and he not only has to deal with the new threat of AIM but two of his most dangerous villains with a burning hatred for him showing up. This is vintage Iron Man and it’s honestly about time.