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Warning : This post curb SPOILERS for Tony Stark : Iron Man # 3
Tony Stark ’s facing a new controversy in Marvel ’s Universe : accusation of ethnical annexation … straight from the world of artificial intelligence . In Dan Slott’sTony Stark : Iron Man # 3 , Stark is attempting to make some new ( and impressive ) engineering science to allow people an leak from the real humanity . But some members of a warlike robot activist movement are less than impressed with his plan .
Marvel has never shy away fromcontroversy with its Avengers heroes , from women’s lib ( Mockingbird ’s deoxythymidine monophosphate - shirt reading ' ask me about my feminist agenda ' ) toLoki ’s sex fluidness , and even the casual nod towardsMarvel ssuperheroes with subject marriages .
Now , Marvel Comics takes on another topic that is certain to cause controversy among lecturer : cultural annexation .
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The belated return ofTony Stark : Iron Manbegins with the reveal of Tony ’s latest intersection : eScape . It ’s a practical reality world , still in the testing phase and accessed by set up on a masque just like Iron Man ’s . Once in the world players are fundamentally in a fully immersive VR realness , where you may do anything and be anyone … yes , even Iron Man .
When Tony asks for some help from his A.I. helper Jocasta , she sparks an interesting conversation about her similarity to a NPC ( non - player character ) . As an AI , she realizes , she is essentially a literal - world NPC herself . While she has no take with what Tony is doing , her boyfriend , Aaron Stack a.k.a . " Machine Man " sure as shooting does . His accusations of Tony ’s cultural annexation fly , call his eScape an " odium . "
From there , the issue goes on to reveal that there are a subset of A.I.s in the Marvel Universe who are furious at what they see as appropriation - and who are distancing themselves as far as they can from the human world . Machine Man is refusing to use synthetic build to make himself look more human , and spending his time almost only with other A.I.s and simple machine . So when given a opportunity to get at eScape with a " skipper key , " he contain full advantage .
In his fury over Stark ’s use of A.I.s as part of a biz to amuse organics , Machine Man would rather slaughter the digital inhabitants of the online world than see them used as " slaves . " gratefully , between Tony Stark and Jocasta , they are capable to give up him from doing any literal price - and even incur his incumbrance helpful for improve eScape ( despite his war blazon out that " internet is for Cyber - People ! " ) .
It ’s a relatively self - contained issue ( although of course , there are references to past events as well ) , and while the term ' cultural annexation ' may be the one that grabs the attention , there are deeper inquiry being require here than at what point A.I.s become their own culture . Or whether it ’s appropriate to continue to use them in gamesbeyondthat point . By the end , Tony and Jocasta are discussing the concept of a soul , and of the potential release of Tony ’s thanks to the fact that he is actually quasi - artificial himself .
construct of manhood , and detachment vs integration are central in a storyline that could well have been a simple and light-headed supervillain - onslaught - new - product approach … and while it ’s certain to get multitude talking , it ’s not a bad thing to see Marvel choose to put this topic under the microscope .
Tony Stark : Iron Man # 3is available now fromMarvel Comics .
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