Five years ago, Tony Stark was kidnapped by terrorist forces during a weapons demonstration, but he returned a different man, an Iron Man. Acting as the armored hero for the past five years, Stark not only faces terrorist threats and supervillains, but also corporate threats, even within his own company, which isn't so happy with how he's running it.
Currently, Tony finds himself forced to deal with several crises on multiple fronts. Stark Industries' stock is plummeting, while its rival, Hammer Industries, is on the rise. Reporter Christine Everhart is getting closer and closer in the hunt to discover who is behind Iron Man. SHIELD is on his tail lately. As if the situation couldn't get worse, Tony discovers Mandarin, a Chinese warlord, who is linked to his kidnapping, financing the terrorist group that kidnapped him. Furious, Iron Man attacks Mandarin during a diplomatic visit to the United States, which puts him against SHIELD. While being hunted by the agency, Tony attacks several linked operations that connect to Mandarin. With Iron Man's actions drawing his attention, the warlord decides to respond with something he should have done five years ago: to take down Iron Man himself, who represents the modernity and the West that he so despises. Meanwhile, Iron Man is forced to leave his comfort zone, confronting the mysticism surrounding Mandarin
