Warning: contains minor spoilers for Iron Man #9
One of the greatest traitors in the Marvel Universe may have second thoughts in the upcoming Iron Man issue Iron Man #9. The book, written by Christopher Cantwell with a cover by Kingdom Come artist Alex Ross, is set to re-tell the events of the origin of Korvac, one of the most powerful and yet hardly-known supervillains within Marvel Comics. Preview pages have been released for the upcoming issue and what was once thought of as a black-and-white beginning for a villain now has shades of gray.
The man who would become Korvac was once Michael Korvac, an ordinary man from the year 3000 in Earth's distant future. When a warmongering race of aliens called the Badoon invaded Earth, Korvac struck a deal with the invaders and sold out the humans in exchange for a job within the regime (and his own survival, of course). Unsatisfied with his work, the Badoon punished Korvac by merging his body with a machine, granting him powers in the process. So goes Korvac's original origin, as told in Giant-Sized Defenders #3 in 1975. But 45 years later, Korvac has returned within the pages of the Iron Man series and his origin is due for a modern retelling that promises to dive deeper into the traitor's true feelings behind his actions.
The preview pages take place on a Badoon ship, presumably sometime before the Badoon have conquered Earth. A group of three captured Human soldiers gather their thoughts after being subjected to torture for information concerning their organization. Korvac - apparently one of their number and not their enemy just yet - arrives, and the captain of the group wonders why Korvac's suit is pristine while everyone else's is damaged from fighting. "Nice uniform...where've you been hiding these last few days while they pulled us apart looking for intel?" Korvac responds by pulling out his sidearm and immediately shooting the three humans in the head.
It's what happens after the shocking execution that matters, especially regarding Korvac's character. After a Badoon commander mocks Korvac for selling out his own species, Korvac returns to his assigned station within the ship...and begins to cry. Eventually, he's seen on the floor in the fetal position, his head in his hands. The Badoon commander catches him, berates his slave for not knowing his place, and vows that never again will Korvac leave his assigned monitor, presumably leading him to his eventual cyborg conversion.
The original origin is quite different in this moment: Korvac was caught sleeping by an overseer, not grieving. This small change brings an added layer of dimension to the once-simple character. The original story never actually went into much detail regarding exactly why Korvac betrayed humanity, but Iron Man #9 might reveal Korvac's reasons for turning on his own kind...and the regrets he carries with him, potentially to this very day.
from ScreenRant - Feed https://ift.tt/3z84TN5
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