With the whole world now knowing he is Iron Man, Tony Stark revels in his fame while the government, the press and his rivals push to seize his technology. At the same time, the reactor keeping him alive is slowly poisoning him, driving him into a self-destructive spiral. Meanwhile, the vengeful Ivan Vanko and the ambitious businessman Justin Hammer conspire to bring him down. Jon Favreau expands the Marvel universe with a more crowded sequel that introduces Black Widow and War Machine and plants the seed of the future Avengers. A festive, frenetic chapter about ego, mortality and the legacy of the father.