Tony Stark is lying in a persistent vegetative state.
His old friends arrive to help.
Don Blake, Captain America, Black Widow, and Pepper gather in his hospital room–which happens to be in New Asgard (aka Broxton, OK).
On the interior, Stark is reliving a similar scene, over and over–digging in the desert–but it changes each time.
Meanwhile, Madame Masque is tasked by Norman Osborn to kill Stark. She orders Ghost to do it.
Around his comatose body, the heroes watch recordings that he left behind, learning how to “reboot his brain.” Turns out, it requires Captain America’s shield and Thor’s lightning.
But we’re only in the second issue of this story arc so…It doesn’t work. His chest battery is restarted, but he’s still in a coma. So, Dr. Strange gets his own full-page spread to try to bring Tony back.
Maria Hill vs GhostBy now Ghost is with them, trying to sabotage their efforts. Strange’s efforts are making progress (which we watch happening in Tony’s mindscape), and he also gets to face off with Ghost in order to protect Tony’s still-comatose body from attack.
Doctor Strange does karate against GhostStrange ends up in the hospital drinking soy milk.
Or trying to, anyway.
All of Stark’s protectors are losing to Ghost, but at the last minute Stark awakens and, rather quickly, uses tech to send Ghost away. The resolution is a little too quick, but also it’s time for Tony to be back.
And of course there’s a twist: The version of Tony’s mind that is restored is NOT the most recent–it’s a backup from before the Civil War ever happened. Thus, not only is Tony’s mind rebooted in the comic but his history is rebooted as well–pretty ingenious.
English (US) · 