Iron Man #250
Recurring Knightmare
After being sent two identical devices, Iron Man and Doctor Doom find themselves hurtled forward in time over 100 years in the future.[1] The two instantly realize they have been pulled forward in time after seeing this futuristic world.[2]
However, before they can come to blows, they are confronted by the wizard Merlin who explains that it was his magic that have brought them to this time. Merlin explains that he has summoned them as they were Camelot’s greatest champions in the distant past and that they are needed now to save the this world of the future. He takes Iron Man and Doctor Doom down into the building below to meet the reincarnation of King Arthur. Arthur is watching numerous news feeds about a world being plunged into chaos as it struggles to deal with crime for the first time in years.
They are shocked to discover that King Arthur is a young child, despite the fact that he has all his memories of the past. Merlin explains that the parents of this incarnation of King Arthur were entrepreneurs who cryogenically froze the fertilized embryo of their future son to thaw out when they had time for children. Merlin, who had been destined to slumber for centuries until Arthur was reborn, awoke seventeen years later in response to an upcoming catastrophy. He was surprised to discover that because of the time in suspended animation, Arthur wasn’t a full grown adult like he was supposed to. Iron Man isn’t very quick to believe this until young Arthur is able to recall how Iron Man previously made his throne fly and slept with one of his maidens, something only the real King Arthur would remember.
Doctor Doom on the other hand, has no intention of helping and leaves. Seeing how technologically advanced this world is, Doom figures he will have no problem recreating his Time Platform and returning to the present day. Iron Man agrees to help and is told he will have to go into space to deactivate a weaponized satellite. Without the right equipment for a prolonged trip into space, Merlin takes Iron Man to a place where he can get the equipment he needs. Surprisingly, Merlin takes Iron Man to a local shopping mall. At an electronics store, the hero is surprised that highly advanced technology is so easily available. Meanwhile, Doctor Doom has taken over Burton Research Labs to build a new Time-Platform.
By this time, Iron Man has rigged up some equipment that will allow him to remain in space for an extended period of time. Leaving Earth’s atmosphere, he makes his way to a satellite that is firing neutron beams to Earth, killing swaths of the population but keeping infastructure intact. He is attacked by defense drones and makes short work of them. This prompts the man guarding the satellite to come out and face Iron Man directly. This turns out to be his descendant, Andros Stark who is wearing his own suit of Iron Man armor.[3] Although his opponent is using armor that uses technology a century ahead of him, Iron Man tries his best but is send crashing back down to Earth. Although he is able to shield himself with an emergency pack Tony’s armor is left in some sorry state.
While this is happening, Doctor Doom has finished building his Time-Platform. However, when he tries to use it to return to the present day it doesn’t work. Realizing that Merlin is somehow preventing him from returning to his own time, he heads off to confront the wizard.
While off the coast of England, this era’s Iron Man pays a visit to his partner in his world conquest scheme, this era’s version of Doctor Doom. This version of Doom has managed to survive the years thanks to combining technology and magic to prolong his life. While the two don’t really trust each other and plan on betraying one another eventually, Doom realizes the threat posed from the visitors from the past and begins planning on how to deal with them.
By this time, the present day Doctor Doom confronts Merlin over being trapped in this future. Merlin explains that they were brought to the future using magic and it is only sorcery will be able to return them home. With no other way to get back home, Doctor Doom finally agrees to help Iron Man save this world. Iron Man, however, points out that he can’t do anything with his armor in the state it is in. Merlin then takes them to the Lady of the Lake for assistance. Even though modern society have built a parking lot over the lake, Merlin is able to access it with his power. The Lady of the Lake then hands them the enchanted sword, Excalibur.
Doctor Doom tries to wield the weapon first, but discovers that he cannot lift the weapon. When Iron Man touches it, Excalibur’s magic restores his armor to working order. While Iron Man goes into space to deal with the satellite and this era’s Iron Man, Doctor Doom heads to his Earth headquarters to confront his benefactor. Doctor Doom is shocked to find his future self but is disgusted to see how much of a weakling he has become and decides to kill him. The older Doom doesn’t fight this, as this is what he did himself in his past life. While Doom is killing his future self, Iron Man uses Excalibur to destroy the space station and incapacitates his descendant’s armor. However, when Andros Stark tells Tony to end his life, Iron Man decides to spare him instead.
With the world saved, Iron Man and Doctor Doom return to Merlin who prepares to return them to their own time, telling them that they will not be able to bring back anything that they didn’t come to the future with. As Merlin casts the spell to return them home, Doctor Doom reveals to Iron Man that he looked up historical records in this era and now knows that he is actually Tony Stark. This surprises Tony, who wonders what he can do about it when they are suddenly transported back to the present. When the both arrive, they have no memories of their time in the future. Unsure of what happened to them, Iron Man decides that there is no reason to fight now that the two artifacts that Doom stolen are now gone, both men agreeing to sort out their differences another time.
Recurring Characters
Iron Man, Doctor Doom
Continuity Notes
This possible future has been designed Reality-8912 according to Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Alternate Universes 2005. This story states that it takes place in the year 2093, which is a matter of interpretation. See below.
Iron Man recalls the last time he and Doctor Doom were sent through time, going back to the time of King Arthur and Camelot. This happened in Iron Man #150.
Andros Stark is wearing the same armor as the so-called Iron Man 2020, aka Arno Stark. He first appeared in Machine Man (vol. 2) #2. Per Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Alternate Universes 2005, Arno’s timeline takes place in Reality-8410.
Topical References
The present day of the Marvel Universe is stated as happening in the 20th Century. However, the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616 has pushed time forward enough that it does not begin until after the start of the 21st Century.
One of the stores in the mall of the future is Radio Shack. This should be considered a topical reference as it is a real world business.
Arthur and Merlin state that the doomsday weapon is a left over from the “Star Wars” program. This is in reference to the Strategic Defense Initiative created by the United States. Its purpose was to create defense satellites to defend America from space. Generally it was called the “Star Wars” program. This program ended up becoming defunct in 1993 with no defense satellites having been launched. As such, the reference to it here should be considered topical.
Is 2093 AD a Topical Date?
There is some question as to if this future timeline exists on a Sliding Timescale like Earth-616 or if it is part of a locked in date. Over at the Unofficial Appendix, the author of the article about this timeline says he believes that this possible future is locked in to the year 2093. However, the last time that article was updated was in 2003.
Here’s the thing: This timeline is also a possible future of Reality-8140, the timeline of Iron Man 2020. Now that we have surpassed the year 2020, Reality-8140’s time line has to be on a Sliding Timescale since the Arno Stark of that timeline is the descendant from Tony Stark.
As such, it is the opinion of my index that the 2093 date here is topical and it operates on a Sliding Timescale so that it is always relatively 104 years in the future of the present day Marvel Universe.
