It begins on a sand-choked road, with a joke cut short by an explosion. In that instant, Tony Stark’s world of detached privilege is replaced by a cave smelling of oil and fear. Here, with trembling hands guided by a fellow captive, Yinsen, the illusion of safety shatters. Metal screams, sparks fly, and from the crucible of captivity, a crude suit of armor is born—not as a weapon, but as an esc...
