'Invincible Iron Man' Writer Gerry Duggan Prepares the Wedding of Tony Stark & Emma Frost

Marvel's very own golden bachelor is about to be off the market, as Tony Stark, AKA Iron Man, prepares to wed none other than X-Men mainstay Emma Frost!

The nuptials kick off in INVINCIBLE IRON MAN (2022) #10 by writer Gerry Duggan and artist Juan Frigeri, which hits the stands on September 27. While a wedding typically calls for celebration, this one comes at a particularly challenging time for both characters, in large part due to the actions of the nefarious Feilong and his Orchis compatriots.

We spoke with INVINCIBLE IRON MAN scribe Duggan—who also pens X-MEN (2021) and UNCANNY AVENGERS (2023)—for some perspective on this major moment, which is sure to rock the Marvel Universe on multiple levels!

MARVEL.COM: When you picked up INVINCIBLE IRON MAN, what were your goals in regards to Tony Stark?

GERRY DUGGAN: Well, a lot of Tony's and Iron Man's big villains were dead. I was already telling a story with Feilong [in X-MEN]. When the opportunity arose to write INVINCIBLE IRON MAN this year, [editor] Darren [Shan] liked my pitch and the character got more panel space and became more important. I hope he will be thought of as a classic Iron Man villain for both Tony and Iron Man. I wanted to make sure we were well stocked in the villain department. Our heroes would figure out how to escape my designs.

MARVEL.COM: How early on did you know you wanted to build towards an X-MEN/INVINCIBLE IRON MAN crossover?

GERRY DUGGAN: I knew a robust Sentinel program using Stark Tech would essentially be ARMOR WARS III, and that was the elevator pitch. Iron Man previously went to war to keep his technology out of Spymaster's hands, and no offense to him, but the Sentinels are a magnitude greater.

MARVEL.COM: Why do Tony and Emma Frost seem to work so well together, as seen in recent issues of INVINCIBLE IRON MAN and leading—of course—to the wedding?

GERRY DUGGAN: I hesitate to boil it down to opposites attract, but there is an element of that. At the same time, they are both really in the gutter, literally and figuratively, after living in penthouses for so long. I think all of these characters are at their most interesting when their backs are against the wall, and who knows—maybe they will fall for each other. 

MARVEL.COM: What sets Feilong apart from the Stanes and Hammers of the world as a rival who can really stand toe-to-toe with Tony?

GERRY DUGGAN: Well, what Feilong has on them is that he's not dead. Tony and Iron Man have both run into industrialists before, but Feilong was an attempt to make the most compelling villain that could succeed in the boardroom and the battlefield.

We've been planning this for a good long while—many years, in fact—and the seeds were planted in the previous Hellfire Gala. I do think Tony was correct in his guess about how the future would play out, but what he did not see coming was the villain's interest in his technology, and the fact that he was divested from his company only weakened him.

MARVEL.COM: How are associations with characters not just like Emma, but more somebody like Wilson Fisk, impacting Iron Man as a hero?

GERRY DUGGAN: I think Tony is going to discover just how low he will go to win. 

MARVEL.COM: What can we expect from INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #10, in the way of the wedding and more?

Gerry Duggan: I hope it's a great comic. I needed extra pages. I think it's a lot of fun and it is a real wedding, even if we did not deliver exactly what might've been your expectation by the cover. It leads to some very, very big developments.

RSVP today to the blessed union of Tony Stark and Emma Frost on September 27 with INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #10!

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