cap_ironman | With a slashy cover like that? I think it's relevant.

Geez, I feel so lame for making THIS my first contribution to the community. ANYWAYS...

I was perusing the Marvel site, getting together the checklist of comics I needed to go out and buy today, and an article describing a new "What If?" comic coming out in December caught my eye.

Fallen Son: Mourning Iron Man
On December 10, Iron Man will die.

Before you fly into a panic, Golden Gladiator fans, know this: it happens in the alternate world of WHAT IF? FALLEN SON #1.

This alternate take on the limited series from which it draws its name swaps Captain America's death for that of his opposite number, Iron Man. As penned by Marc Sumerak with art by Trevor Goring, the one-shot unfolds over the course of the first few days following the founding Avenger's demise, delving into the psychological effects of Tony Stark's death on a Marvel Universe that has already been ravaged by the events of CIVIL WAR.

While Sumerak might be no stranger to the Marvel Universe, he has heretofore done the majority of his work on younger audience-flavored titles like the FRANKLIN RICHARDS or POWER PACK limited series. Despite the difference in tone between his previous work and FALLEN SON, the transition has proven no great hardship.

"Writing WHAT IF? FALLEN SON was definitely a change of pace for me," the writer acknowledges. "The story's somber tone and heavy subject matter were a big step away from the light-hearted, humorous tales I normally get to tell. But, it wasn't nearly as hard as you might imagine to shift those gears. It was just a matter of tapping into what I've always loved about these characters and trying to get that onto the page in a way that the readers could connect with it."

Therefore, despite the death of a cornerstone of the Marvel Universe equaling grim business, Sumerak sees it as offering up a plethora of creative avenues to explore.

"While there's nothing fun about any character dying, it's always interesting to wonder what could have changed," admits Sumerak. "So many major events have surrounded Tony's life of late, it's only logical to think that his death could have brought on big changes as well.

"We will be exploring almost all of the major programs that Tony was spearheading at the time of his death—the Initiative, the Superhuman Registration Act, the Mighty Avengers, Stark Enterprises and more—and showing how his death immediately impacts those institutions and all of the people involved. The reactions of some of Tony's closest friends and allies may surprise you and may change the Marvel Universe in some very profound ways."

Sumerak seeks to ensure that those changes offer rich, complex scenarios worthy of the Marvel Universe, not just pat results. WHAT IF? FALLEN SON aims to challenge readers to draw their own conclusions about what constitutes right and wrong in this alternate universe in much the same way fans have been dissecting and debating the events of the mainstream Marvel U from CIVIL WAR through WORLD WAR HULK and SECRET INVASION.

"When writing the story, I definitely didn't set out to say, 'See? Tony was right all along! Cap's death had to happen!' Sumerak explain. "I simply wanted to explore how one simple change in the course of events could have altered the grand scheme of things. I think this story definitely shows that things would have been 'different,' but whether those differences are 'better' or 'worse' for the Marvel Universe might be a call that the readers need to make for themselves."

Much like the original FALLEN SON limited series ultimately rested on the shoulders of Iron Man, this one-shot uses Captain America as its focal point. However, the Sentinel of Liberty's grief shares the page with a multitude of familiar faces.

"Look for cast members from Mighty Avengers, New Avengers and the Initiative, as well as a number of other special guests," Sumerak teases.

Fans can enter a new era alongside Cap, the Mighty Avengers, and the rest of the Marvel Universe on December 10 by picking up WHAT IF? FALLEN SON #1, when it hits shelves.

And check out the wonderful cover!

Threaded | Flat

Tony was facing Steve in court, does that imply that in this reality, Tony went to Steve's trial, and took the bullet?

Cause of Death (COD):Since they were drawing parallels to the American Civil War, will Tony Stark go out like Lincoln? He takes a date to the theatre, then gets shot in the head? But instead of by a member of the KKK, it will be by a member of someone anti reg?

Cast of Characters: reactions?

Steve: will miss Tony. Does he do a Stark and cry? Or will he turn to Sharon and sex the hurt away?
Carol: Ditto
Peter: Yeah, even though he and Tony fell out towards the end
Logan: I can't see him comforting anyone.
Pepper: Tears - but will Happy be alive in this imagining? Or will it be her and Rhodey.
Rhodey: Will miss Tony. I'm sure he'll say a word or two.
Sam (Falcon): Won't miss Stark, and might probably chastise Cap for still thinking so highly of him.
Henry Hellrung: won't even have gotten a call, so The Order wouldn't have been formed.
Jennifer: Tony did sleep with her after he blasted Hulk into space, and she was going to sue him, so... *whistles*. Her reactions should be interesting.
Spiderwoman (Jessica): Tony and herself had a falling out, so I can't see her being cut up over his death.
Reed Richards: Yeah, he'd be cut up, because he's lost an equal (or almost equal).

Anyone else?
The Illuminati: Will they apply the Icarus metaphor to Tony? As in, he flew so far, too close to the sun and melted? Or will they compare him to Alexander, as in, "Tony took a look at the world, and seeing that there was nothing else to conquer, he wept." (I'm sticking to Greek and Roman history, since that's what Civil War was going off on).
I know Namor will have words (never liked Stark), T'challa might say, "Good."

ooooooh... i HAVE to have THAT issue. It sounds certainly interesting what with the whole "let the reader decide if it´s better or not" thing ~supposedly~ going on.

I for one would LOVE a story arc where tony is surprisingly NOT the ass... (and in this what if he´s dead... NOBODY talks bad about dead people ~YAY~)

Tony is one of the major player in the game... so YES his death would be felt by many, i think .. (I can see a happy spider dancing in the streets ö.ö") Would they (the writers) let Sharon become even more Mary-sue? Will Cap cry?

AArgh... Great.. now i have to fly over there just to get a COMIC ^____^ ... new york ich komme

~sorry, seriously sleep deprieved here..

In Marvel’s latest WHAT IF? special, Iron Man takes the bullet that felled Captain America—we get the score from Marc Sumerak

Based on that, at least, it looks like that Tony gets in the way of the sharpshooter. I don't think it would do justice to the character is he was shot by a Cap groupie or in a Lincolnesque way. I mean the guys only died for Steve what, four times by now? If he doesn't die by saving Steve from the sharpshooter, I don't think it would fit the character we've come to know.

It'll be interesting if they really run with it. Tony's not well-liked in Marvel at this point in the continuity (not that he's gotten more popular since), but he's either running or is the power behind so many operations that there's a lot that'd start falling apart without him. And for all his flaws, he brings down all that on himself because he wants to do the right thing.

So, especially if he actually takes a bullet for Steve (ohpleaseohplease), it could be interesting to play with all that, and to see a hero essentially martyred and barely mourned. And then there's the angle that he's been self-destructive for a long time, and this is kind of like suicide without the guilt.

I wonder how?

: Predicitions COD and reactions from various people

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