Marvel has announced that Tony Stark, the Iron Man, will become a West Coast superhero, moving from his native New York to San Francisco. CityLab reported:
When Superior Iron Man #1 drops in November, it will see Tony Stark packing up his repulsors and moving from New York to San Francisco. (Continuity note: While the Iron Man film franchise places Stark’s home on a cliff in Malibu, in the comics, Stark is generally more associated with Manhattan, home of Stark Tower and the Avengers Mansion). In addition to the move, Iron Man will be donning the latest successor to his Extremis armor, a new mark that suggests Tin Man by Tim Cook. The controversial Extremis armor isn’t absent altogether, apparently: In Superior Iron Man, Stark is bringing “dark tech” to San Francisco in the form of an Extremis mobile app. Just what the Bay Area needs: One more gadget-obsessed narcissist moving to Silicon Valley.
Apparently, Iron Man will be tinkering with technology that promises “on-demand physical transformation” as well as “beauty, perfection … and possibly immortality.” His move to San Francisco will make the technology available to “tens of thousands of ordinary people” as a mobile app, making his transformation from superhero to Silicon Valley techie complete.
Of course, this raises some questions. Will Tony Stark visit or even live in the Mission? Given that Mr. Stark prefers the glimmering heights of Stark Towers, we’re guessing he’ll own and live in a huge, newly constructed downtown tower a la Marc Benioff. But he’ll certainly be spending some weekend leisure time in the Mission.
When not suited up, will we find Iron Man strolling down Valencia Street, Four Barrel coffee in hand? Might he meet some geeky sidekicks at 20Mission or Noise Bridge? Will he fly onto the rooftop of Lolinda for some mezcal? Given that his suit is self-propelled, we think he probably won’t be spotted waiting for any tech buses.
Much like an iPhone release, Iron Man is also getting a minimalist, sleek new look. His suit will change from the classic red and gold to white and silver.
This follows announcements from Marvel that Thor will now be female and that Captain America will be black, a change that many have celebrated as a commitment to diversity within the company—which is something that its rival DC Comics might be lacking.
So comic geeks can look forward to November, when Iron Man lands in the Bay Area, an ideal location for this playboy tech savant. Here’s hoping the Mission makes a cameo—maybe Stark can have an adventure featuring a community meeting on housing?