REVIEW: Magic, Tech, And Intrigue Combine In 'Insurgent Iron Man' #9
- Sarah Angelo-Haight
- Jun 18
- 3 min read
Disclaimer: This contains spoilers for 'Insurgent Iron Man' #9.

Insurgent Iron Man #9 begins with a brief background of Tony Stark’s unlikely ally, Vishte Taru. Raised as a Symkarian, Vishte was brought back to Latveria as a boy, where he began learning the mystic arts under the tutelage of Victor Von Doom. The panels of Doom taking a young Vishte under his wing are reminiscent of the flashback scene in Avengers: Infinity War, when Thanos recruits Gamora while at the same time destroying her world. While Doom did not slaughter Vishte’s family as Thanos did to Gamora’s, there is still a strong parallel of learning from one’s enemy in order to ultimately defeat them.
Back in the present day, Melinda May has been captured by the Winter Guard. They intend to ransom her to Stark in order to help finance additional actions against Doom, without relying on Stark’s weapons. Because Stark has been basically playing both sides, trust in him has eroded across the board. It’s interesting to see the global implications of what Tony has been doing, and once again we find ourselves questioning the end game.
Enter Natasha Romanoff and Bucky Barnes, in his full Winter Soldier regalia. This leads to a standoff between Nat and Red Widow, while Bucky takes down Crimson Dynamo and Mikhail Ursus (an actual bear). As this is going on, in Latveria, Vishte casts a spell.
At first, it’s hard to tell what is happening. Thick black goop begins to siphon out of people, and explosions go off. The shockwave of the spell momentarily pauses the fight happening, but the peace is short-lived, resulting in Bucky donning the Crimson Dynamo armor. Bucky in this issue is a breath of fresh air in an otherwise extremely geopolitically heavy plot. His simple desire to fight a bear helps keep things from getting too bogged down.
Lady Victorious and Iron Man arrive in short order, only to place the blame for the explosions and magical attack on the Winter Guard. It becomes something of a free-for-all, with a great moment occurring when Tony augments Bucky’s Crimson Dynamo armor with pieces of his magically imbued Iron Monger armor. The effect this has on Bucky finally offers an explanation as to why Tony has been acting so erratically: the former Winter Soldier explains the armor made him feel as he once had when under the control of Hydra.

Vishte finally admits that it is dark magic running through the armor, causing it to corrupt anyone who wears it. Writer Spencer Ackerman captures Tony’s hubris perfectly here as Iron Man explains he had thought if he only utilized pieces of the armor, that he would remain unaffected by the magic. Tony has been struggling this entire run with trying to control the entire gameboard, and it is only now that he realizes the futility of the attempt when Vishte finally reveals his ultimate goal: to wipe Doom from the face of the Earth, and rule Latveria himself.
Insurgent Iron Man is densely political, which makes it somewhat difficult to parse out in terms of motivations and allegiances. Ackerman does an excellent job making Tony sympathetic while at the same time casting doubt on his motives. The nods to real world politics help to make it relatable, particularly with Tony’s status as an oligarch in his own right. This particular issue is almost entirely the fallout of the international intrigue, from Vishte’s family background as Latverian double-agents, to Stark’s own machinations. The art by Michael Dowling and Julius Ohta is dynamic; the final page where Vishte is purging Tony of the dark magic is particularly intense, especially leading into the reveal that Vishte is, for all intents and purposes, going rogue. With one issue left in this arc of Iron Man, it remains to be seen how, or if, the Armored Avenger will save the day, but with Ackerman at the helm, it promises to be a thrilling conclusion.
Rating: ★★★☆☆

About Insurgent Iron Man #9
Release Date: June 18, 2025
Written by: Spencer Ackerman
Art by: Julius Ohta, Michael Dowling
Cover by: Yasmine Putri
Page Count: 24
Synopsis: IRON MAN DISASSEMBLED! While the AVENGERS fight DOOM on the public stage, TONY STARK tries to bring him down from inside Latveria. But can his former teammate THE BLACK WIDOW trust his tactics? Find out when THE WINTER GUARD arrives for round two!
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