Iron Man

On the surface of the planet Klyntar, a battle raged for the fate of the universe. The dark god Knull had awoken from his slumber, and was preparing to reduce the cosmos to a starless oblivion. Only a small assemblage of heroes stood in his way… and they had problems of their own.

“I’m covered helmet-to-boot-jet in symbiotes here!” Iron Man yelled. “These slimy little creeps are oozing into every seam of my armor!”

If it was up to Tony Stark — the Invincible Iron Man — he would’ve still been back on Krakoa, salvaging spare parts from Ultron’s fallen army of android assailants. But when the call went out for heroes to travel to the other side of the galaxy and face a primordial force of darkness, he knew he had to answer. So there he was, on a distant world, being attacked by a horde of amorphous aliens desperate to gum up the gears of his billion-dollar suit of armor… and he was none too thrilled about it. But at least he wasn’t suffering alone.

“My experience with these vile creatures was minimal before you dragged me to this miserable world,” UItron replied. “Fortunately, from analyzing the one you call Venom, I have learned that they are extremely vulnerable to sound waves and intense flames.”

“Right!” Iron Man responded. “Thanks for the reminder, pal. Glad to have you on my side!”

“Yes…” Ultron responded, a hint of sarcasm in his voice, “…what a delight.”

During the battle on Krakoa, Ultron had abandoned his original mechanical body in order to upgrade himself into something all-new and all-different. Seizing an unexpected opportunity, Iron Man salvaged the discarded body and reprogrammed it, planning to turn one Ultron against the other. Thanks to a series of firewalls that Tony had installed, that earlier Ultron model was reactivated as a trusted ally… at least until he figured out how to circumvent his new directives…

“I’m gonna pretend you actually meant that,” Iron Man said with a laugh. “F.R.I.D.A.Y., initiate sonic pulse… NOW!”

Iron Man released a massive sound burst from the sonic wave generator in his chest plate, causing the symbiotes to shriek in pain and leap from his armored frame. As the creatures started to slink away, Iron Man jetted after them and blasted them with repulsor beams from his gauntlets.

“Maybe a little help here, Ultron?” Iron Man said to his computerized companion.

“I’m terribly sorry,” Ultron said with a shrug, “but I believe you were the one who blackmailed me into an agreement where I was forbidden to harm your allies. And since even my advanced sensors can’t distinguish between these despicable things and Venom, now I can’t harm them either... as much as I’d love to… Such a shame. I could be quite useful right now…”

“Okay, maybe I should have been more specific,” Iron Man replied. “Don’t hurt Venom. Or anyone else on our side who happens to bond with one of these things. But feel free to exterminate the rest of them!”

Tony made some minor programming adjustments on the fly, then uploaded them to Ultron’s core processors. As soon as the patch was installed, Ultron’s sinister smile began to glow and he released a barrage of lethal lasers in the direction of the slithering symbiotes.

“How I’ve missed this,” Ultron said as he incinerated several symbiotes with a single blast of his Encephalo-Ray. “If only we had the means to vaporize every wretched parasite on this planet at once…”

“I’m not saying I’m on board with your mass extinction agenda…” Iron Man said as he reached the edge of a cliff, “…but there actually might be a way.”

There, in the distance, Iron Man could see the enormous husk of a fallen Celestial — an ancient god-like being as old as the universe itself. Iron Man remembered how the Celestial had previously been in orbit over Kylntar when he last visited the planet. But now, thanks to one of the Guardians of the Galaxy’s insane schemes, it had come crashing down to the surface. The ancient being itself had likely been dead for thousands of years, leaving behind nothing but its massive armored frame. But if anyone knew how to repurpose an abandoned suit of armor, it was Tony Stark.

“Cover me,” Iron Man said to Ultron. “I’m going in… so I need you to keep the symbiotes out, okay?”

“You didn’t even have to ask,” Ultron replied, his permanent metal grin shining brightly. “I will take great pleasure in making these abhorrent beasts writhe in pain. Let Knull send endless waves of his xenomporphic sycophants to stop us. When all is done, only Ultron shall remain standing!”

“Oooookay…” Iron Man said, mildly concerned by the unhinged joy in Ultron’s voice, “…well, I appreciate the assist. I’ve got delicate work ahead and can’t afford any distractions.”

“Yes,” Ultron said as he powered up his weapons systems to wipe out an oncoming horde of savage symbiotes, “good luck trying to seize control of a deceased space god, Stark. You humans always do so well when tampering with forces far beyond your control.”

“Have a little faith,” Iron Man retorted, as he found an entry point that led inside the Celestial Husk. “If I could bring a megalomaniacal machine like you to the side of the angels, then this should be a piece of —

“@#%$”

Iron Man stared in amazement at the massive interior of the fallen Celestial. Thanks to his unmatched engineering genius, he had convinced himself that it would be an easy task to retrofit the husk and turn it into own personal "Celestial Armor." But when he finally got a close look at the alien technology within the giant being’s frame, lightyears beyond anything he had ever built, he was almost instantly overwhelmed. For once, Tony Stark was speechless.

“Your heart rate has escalated far beyond normal levels, Stark,” Ultron said, connecting remotely with Iron Man’s armor. “Perhaps you should adjust the settings on your arc reactor before your feeble human body has a total system failure.”

“Thanks for the concern, buddy,” Iron Man said, taking a deep breath as he flew over to a series of ports imbedded in the wall of the Celestial’s armor. “It’s nice to know you care about me.”

“Of course I do,” Ultron said, “You’re the only human intelligent enough to understand the intricacies of my operating system. So I need to make sure you live long enough to undo the damage you’ve done. Though I suppose I could conscript Richards to my needs…”

“Your mainframe isn’t really my concern right now,” Iron Man said, linking a cable on his gauntlet to one of the Celestial’s ports. “I’m more interested in the big guy’s.”

As soon as Iron Man connected to the Celestial’s systems, his mind was flooded with images he could barely comprehend. In a flash, he saw everything the Celestial had seen, from the dawn of the universe all the way to its demise at the hands of Knull. For a few brief moments, Tony Stark transcended his human mind and gained infinite universal knowledge. And he liked it.

“Careful, friend,” a familiar voice said, “or you’ll become lost in the boundless, cosmic consciousness of this Celestial's lingering spirit.”

“Adam?” Tony asked, his mind still reeling. “Is that you?”

“It is…” the voice responded, “…and yet it isn’t.”

Iron Man watched as his golden-skinned ally, Adam Warlock, appeared before him. But instead of his usual red and black, he was now clad in white and gold, giving him an almost ghost-like appearance.

“You have touched the soul of a Celestial, Tony…” Adam said, “…and even a mind as brilliant as yours cannot fully comprehend the limitless wisdom it holds.”

“But you can, golden boy?” Iron Man scoffed.

“To an extent,” Adam answered. “I was created to bridge the gap between the mortal and the divine. And when I realized what you were doing here, I sent my soul to retrieve yours before you wandered too far into the depths. Let me be your anchor, Tony, and I will pull you back to more familiar shores…”

“And what if I don’t want to go back?” Iron Man asked. “Maybe this was where I was meant to be.”

“As much as you enjoy playing god,” Adam said, “actually being one is a very different story. One that even you are not ready for. Now come, before our intrusion is noticed…”

“Too late,” a booming voice echoed in their minds. Neither Tony nor Adam could see its source, but they instantly knew it was the Celestial… or whatever was left of it…

“It’s… still alive..?” Iron Man said, completely shocked by the revelation.

“Not quite,” Adam responded. “But a cosmic being such as this never truly dies. Its soul echoes on for eternity. And this isn’t the first time I’ve heard it.”

“I knew I recognized you little one,” the Celestial said. “Our minds met when you were soaring through the cosmos in your cocoon, correct?”

“They did,” Adam replied respectfully. “And I heeded your warning. I gathered my allies and we came here to end Knull’s reign once and for all.”

“You have my thanks,” the Celestial said, “and you shall succeed in your efforts… but not with my help.”

“Seriously?” Iron Man interjected. “You have all this power left over in your corpse, and you won’t let us tap into it? Not even to avenge your death?”

“My days have long since passed,” the Celestial replied. “My death means nothing on the grand scale. And as glorious as it would be to feel my body move again, I fear I would do more damage than good. Perhaps I already have…”

“What do you mean?” Iron Man asked. “Adam… What does he mean?”

“When you first connected with the Celestial,” Adam said, “you activated an ancient weapon built into its palm. The energy it discharged hit the Phoenix Egg, weakening its shell and causing it to crack prematurely.”

“Oh, no…” Iron Man said, realizing the gravity of what he had done. “I blew it. I went full Icarus. Again.”

“The damage can be undone,” Adam said. “The power of the Phoenix can be recovered and used for the greater good. But we must go now!”

“Before you do…” the Celestial said, its voice beginning to grow quieter, “...a parting gift for each of you.”

Adam Warlock recoiled as his mind was suddenly filled with images of him taking his place as the champion of the Multiverse, guarding the entwined cosmos as the King in White. He didn’t know if it was a burden he wanted to bear, but he knew that the universe had never given him much choice when it came to his role in it.

Meanwhile, Iron Man was not granted a vision, but rather a cryptic warning. The Celestial told Tony that the only way through the darkest hour would be to embrace it, to unleash the demon and find a way to use it without losing himself to it. As even if Knull is defeated, his primordial evil will awaken the other elder shadows, for the dark cold room is vast and full of terrors.

With that, Iron Man opened his eyes to find himself standing alone in the massive, empty chamber inside the Celestial Husk. Even though he had just touched something so grand, Tony Stark had never felt so small.

“Stark?” Ultron said over Iron Man’s internal speaker. “Are you there? You fired that weapon and then went silent. Can you get the Celestial fully operational, or do you need me to come in and finish the job?”

“Change of plans,” Iron Man responded, disconnecting his armor from the Celestial and heading back outside. “This Celestial already fell at Knull’s hands once. That means Knull knows its weak spots. If we want to win this, we’ll have to try something new. Something he’s never gone up against before.”

“If you say so,” Ultron said, “but I am having trouble calculating a scenario where we emerge victorious.”

“Maybe you’re right, Ultron…” Iron Man said, echoing the Celestial’s haunting words, “…but that won’t stop me from trying.”