Warning: contains spoilers for Iron Man #16!

Marvel's Civil War. Now in Iron Man #16, Tony Stark has recklessly empowered an entire city - without asking anybody - and perhaps brought about the Stark Apocalypse.

After searching for Korvac - the legendary Marvel villain with a God complex and a desire to bring order to the universe - Iron Man acquired God-like power for himself in the form of the Power Cosmic. Harnessing the power through his God Armor suit, Iron Man defeated Korvac and sealed him inside a pocket dimension forever - and kept his Power Cosmic for himself. Seeking to use the power for good, Iron Man flew back to Earth and announced his presence via growing to colossal size in Washington Square Park.

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Before the Avengers can stop him, Iron Man has already enacted his plan: to grant every citizen of New York City Tony Stark-level intelligence. Immediately, everyone in the city has Stark's vast knowledge of science, mathematics, chemistry, electrical engineering, and dozens of other disciplines in which Tony is an expert. Even the Avengers are recipients of his gift (and Reed Richards remarks that he actually feels dumber), but this move is a classic Tony Stark play: grand, world-changing thinking without factoring in the repercussions.

iron man intelligence

While some average New Yorkers use their newfound intelligence to solve issues in their lives (marital problems, financial difficulties, etc), others use it for personal gain. In particular, Jackson Wheele - the C-list villain Big Wheel - creates a new vehicle in moments and uses it to cause havoc. While his intentions were pure enough (Wheele designed a system to power his wheel and end traffic congestion in Manhattan), Stark hasn't thought about the various criminals and villains using their intelligence in their next crime sprees (to say nothing of corrupt politicians like the Kingpin).

This "City of Starks" has only just begun but the ramifications could be world-changing. If one Tony Stark wants to continually change the world through his inventions, what would 8.4 million (the population of New York City) Starks accomplish? Or rather, what would they destroy through their own hubris? Iron Man gave everyone in the city Stark-level intelligence...but none of his Stark-level morals.

Next: Iron Man its His Worst Decision in Civil War Was A Mistake