It is no surprise that Tony Stark suffers from recurring nightmares. After years of saving the world as Iron Man, it would be unbelievable if he didn’t develop some degree of PTSD. However, there is one villain who has a starring role in Tony Stark’s nightmares — despite the two rarely battling one another.
Invincible Iron Man #14 by Gerry Duggan and Andrea Di Vito opens with Tony in the depths of a nightmare. He notes that it is a recurring dream, which often comes when he is worried about a large problem. While the details of the dream often differ, they always end with Iron Man facing Magneto and failing.
Why Magneto Represents Tony Stark’s Worst Fears
It makes sense for Tony Stark to be afraid to face Magneto on the field of battle. As the Master of Magnetism, Magneto can rip apart nearly anything Tony Stark can build to face him. Even if Tony can find a way to counteract his magnetic powers, Magneto can still depower him with an EMP or overload his electronics. However, this is not why Magneto keeps showing up in Iron Man’s dreams.
Symbolically, Magneto is a representation of every challenge Tony can’t overcome, despite his genius. Tony Stark is one of the most brilliant minds in Marvel Comics. In certain disciplines, he is the world’s leading expert and he’s an avid futurist with an avid imagination.
However, for all his technological might, there is little Iron Man can do in a straight-up conflict with Magneto. Even with that knowledge and knowing his own limits, Tony is effectively powerless against him. Yet it is not truly Magneto that Tony Stark fears. It is the idea that his limits might lead to the deaths of his friends and innocent people.
Invincible Iron Man #14 is now available in comic shops everywhere.
