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'{{distinguish|In extremis}} {{Infobox comics story arc <!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics--> |title = Extremis |image = Iron Man Extremis.jpg |imagesize = <!-- default 250 --> |caption = {{Descript-cvr|[[Iron Man]]: Extremis|||2006}}Hardcover collected edition, cover art by [[Adi Granov]]. |publisher = [[Marvel Comics]] |date = January [[2005 in comics|2005]] - April [[2006 in comics|2006]] |startmo = November |startyr = 2005 |endmo = April |inkers = |letterers = [[Randy Gentile]] |colorists = Adi Granov |editors = [[Tom Brevoort]]<br>[[Molly Lazer]]<br />[[Andy Schmidt]]<br />[[Nicole Wiley]] |TPB = Paperback |ISBN = 0-7851-2258-3 |TPB1 = Hardback |ISBN1 = 0-7851-1612-5 |cat = Iron Man |sortkey = Extremis }} '''"Extremis"''' is a six-issue [[story arc]] from the [[comic book]] series [[Iron Man (vol. 4)|''Iron Man'' (vol. 4)]], published in issues one through six in 2005 and 2006 by [[Marvel Comics]]. It was written by [[Warren Ellis]] and illustrated by [[Adi Granov]]. "Extremis" redefines the status quo for [[Iron Man]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.marvel.com/news/comicstories.3432.Digital_Comics_Storyline_Spotlight~colon~_Extremis |title=Digital Comics Storyline Spotlight: Extremis |publisher=Marvel.com |date=2008-05-01 |accessdate=2011-09-21}}</ref> increasing the power of [[Iron Man's armor|his armor]] significantly. "Extremis" received mostly positive reviews,<ref name="Smithson">{{cite web|last=Smithson |first=Arlin |url=http://www.joblo.com/index.php?id=11500 |title=Comix-to-Flix #28 |publisher=Joblo.com |date=2006-06-01 |accessdate=2011-09-21}}</ref> and is often listed as one of the best Iron Man stories.<ref name="James Hunt">{{cite web|author=James Hunt |url=http://www.denofgeek.com/captainsblog/42353/alternate_cover_the_best_and_worst_iron_man_stories.html |title=Alternate Cover: the best and worst Iron Man stories |publisher=Denofgeek.com |date=2008-04-28 |accessdate=2011-09-21}}</ref><ref name="Alan Kistler">{{cite web|author=Alan Kistler |url=http://www.comicmix.com/news/2008/04/30/10-must-read-stories-before-you-watch-iron-man-in-theaters/ |title=10 Must-Read Stories Before You Watch 'Iron Man' in Theaters |publisher=Comicmix.com |date=2008-04-30 |accessdate=2011-09-21}}</ref><ref name="Ultimate Bookshelf 2.0: Iron Man">[http://comics.ign.com/articles/864/864447p2.html Ultimate Bookshelf 2.0: Iron Man], [[IGN]]</ref> Elements of "Extremis" were adapted for the [[2008 in film|2008]] film ''[[Iron Man (2008 film)|Iron Man]]''<ref name="Iron Man: This One was Mine">{{cite web|url=http://www.warrenellis.com/?p=5914 |title=Iron Man: This One was Mine |publisher=Warrenellis.com |date=2008-05-04 |accessdate=2011-09-21}}</ref> and the ''[[Iron Man: Armored Adventures]]'' episode "Extremis",<ref name="Ep42">{{cite web|url=http://marvel.toonzone.net/news.php?action=fullnews&id=755|title=Episode 42|publisher=toonzone.com }}</ref> and it serves as the primary source material for the 2013 film ''[[Iron Man 3]]''. <ref>{{cite web|url=http://screenrant.com/iron-man-3-story-comic-books-guide/ |title=‘Iron Man 3′: Four Comic Books to Prepare You for the Movie |publisher=Screenrant.com |date=2013-05-03 |accessdate=2013-08-26}}</ref> ==Production== "Extremis" was the second story arc after the [[Avengers Disassembled]] crossover event, not to be confused with "[[The Invincible Iron Man#"Stark: Disassembled" (#20-24)|Stark: Disassembled]]", a later story in ''[[The Invincible Iron Man]]''. The story was meant as a sort of "new start" for the character—to redefine him from his origins as an arms dealer, to be the "test pilot for the future" Ellis intended him to be. The story rarely mentions any of Iron Man's past, and references to the rest of the Marvel universe are limited to brief, passing mentions of the [[Avengers (comics)|Avengers]] and [[Fin Fang Foom]]. Warren Ellis admitted he had intentionally not read any Iron Man material besides the very earliest issues.{{Citation needed|date=March 2009}} This is similar for Adi Granov: "My first official introduction to the character occurred a year prior to ''Extremis''. [...] Upon reading the script, I realized how realistic Warren's approach was to the story. [...] When illustrating the book I wanted my art to mirror the realism in Warren's writing [...] I felt that Warren wrote a story that's a sort of techno-thriller action story and I wanted the art to reflect this. [...] I saw Iron Man as not just a superhero in a suit; rather he is a pilot or weapon. To me, the Iron Man armor is more akin to a jetfighter than it is to an outfit.<ref>Iron Man: Extremis Director's Cut #1.</ref> The story, which lasts about three to four days in comic book time, takes place at an undefined time between the founding of the New Avengers, and the [[New Warriors#Civil War|Stamford catastrophe]] (which led to the Marvel [[Civil War (comics)|Civil War]]). ==Story== ===Plot=== {{plot|date=April 2013}} Iron Man (Tony Stark) is a weapons designer whose weapons are being used against Al Qaeda in Afghanistan in the years just prior to the second Gulf War. During an inspection tour, one of Stark's own bombs detonates, sending a piece of shrapnel into his chest, nearly killing him, when he is captured by Afghan terrorists. With the original origin story, Tony creates his first suit of armor with Ho Yinsen and escapes the terrorists, with Yinsen killed during the escape. Three men enter a disused slaughterhouse in Texas, where two of them inject a willing third, whom they call "Mallen." This injection contains an experimental drug which makes him fall to the floor in immense pain. A bizarre physical change overtakes him; his horrified compatriots flee the room, but lock him in it. In his Coney Island garage, Tony Stark is awakened from sleep to his morning ritual of struggling to look his reflection in the mirror in the eyes before leaving for a scheduled interview with a journalist. The Journalist discovers, in camera conversation with Stark, that Stark's guilt is not totally for his history as a weapons designer, he is most regretful that the world-changing, humanitarian improvements he had hoped to fund with his weapons sales have not yet materialized. The injected man's body, still lying in the Bastrop warehouse, is now covered completely in a bizarre layer of scar tissue. Later, at Futurepharm Corporation offices in Austin, Texas, Dr. Aldrich Killian dies at his computer; his note informs co-worker Maya Hansen that he has stolen and "loosed" the company's dangerous Extremis serum for some weird purpose. Hansen phones Tony Stark, who speeds off to his airplane after taking her call. Back in the Texas slaughterhouse, the two men return to find Mallen nearly normal again in appearance, despite nearly punching through the locked metal door, is alive. Stark arrives in Texas by his plane in the middle of a teleconference with his board of directors, rejecting their requests that he resign as CEO of his company. Arriving at Futurepharm he learns that they don't know who has it now (because they cannot hack Killian's computer). Stark emails Killian's entire hard drive to be hacked by one of his employees, and, to distract Maya, he jets her to San Diego to talk with their old friend and teacher, Sal Kennedy. Meanwhile, the three men from the slaughterhouse arrive at the FBI field office, and the injection survivor gets out. While Kennedy harangues Tony and Maya on their military work and thus-far-failed promise, the survivor sets the place on fire using only his newly given fire breath. Maya catches the story on the news, realizing that the terrorists and his fifty casualties must be her fault, and the result of her project, which she calls "Extremis." Back in the van, the killer rejoins his confederates and tells them that he is only getting started. In flight back to Texas, Maya tells Stark that Extremis is a military nanotechnology serum - another attempt to recreate the Captain America Super-Soldier Serum—which interfaces with the brain's 'repair center' and directs the body to rebuild itself from scratch, as if it were all wound tissue to be replaced. Stark receives a call from his employee, which reveals that Killian gave Extremis to local terrorists. Tony debriefs area police authorities with a transmission to Avengers Mansion before landing and puts on the Iron Man armor. Iron Man, tracking the terrorists' van from above, disables it and battles Mallen; but, is defeated by Mallen, with civilian casualties. Mallen flees, leaving Stark trapped beneath a car with armor at zero power and flames approaching; but, Stark saves himself and the car's passengers by raising his armor to 1% power by drawing from the flames' thermal energy. Tony calls Maya and has her people fly him to Futurepharm, where, in a private medical bay, she removes his armor. His internal injuries from the fight are critical, and Tony has realized that the only way for him to survive them and to upgrade his response time enough to defeat Mallen is to take the Extremis serum himself. Maya fears that Tony won't survive the process, but he insists; so, she injects him with the serum and he falls into a coma. While in a coma, Stark relives his story as Iron Man, starting with his first mortal injury. 24 hours into his coma, the cocoon which has covered his body bursts; Stark awakes healed and newly fit. An internal control sheath for his Iron Man armor is now contained within his body, able to emerge upon mental command. He can integrate himself not only into his armor, but phone, computer, and even satellite networks. He unveils his new, suitcase-sized Iron Man Armor, which self-assembles around his body when commanded. He sets off after Mallen. Tapping into a satellite cluster, Iron Man finds Mallen heading towards Washington, DC for the president. The two fight, but now it is Mallen who is outmatched. Tony pleads with Mallen to surrender, trying not to kill Mallen while defending himself. Finally Mallen started to really harm Tony, so Tony released a massive bolt of repulsor energy, killing Mallen. Later, Tony realizes that Dr. Killian could not have opened the company vault alone. It is clear that Maya must have helped steal and release Extremis in order to provide her project with a human test subject that could prove its viability in combat. Maya confesses to Stark, and the troops he brings with him arrest her. ===Extremis=== Extremis has been referred to as a "virus" constantly since the story. The verbatim description offered by its inventor Maya Hansen, goes: "...Extremis is a super-soldier solution. It's a bio-electronics package, fitted into a few billion graphite [[Carbon nanotube|nanotubes]] and suspended in a carrier fluid. A magic bullet, like the original super-soldier serum—all fitted into a single injection. It hacks the body's repair center—the part of the brain that keeps a complete blue print of the human body. When we're injured, we refer to that area of the brain to heal properly. Extremis rewrites the repair center. In the first stage, the body essentially becomes an open wound. The normal human blueprint is being replaced with the Extremis blueprint. The brain is being told the body is wrong. Extremis protocol dictates that the subject be placed on life support and intravenously fed nutrients at this point. For the next two or three days, the patient remains unconscious within a cocoon of scabs. (...) Extremis uses the nutrients and body mass to grow new organs. Better ones..."<ref>''Iron Man'' vol.4 #3</ref> Effects of the Extremis process, apart from the changes specific to Tony Stark, included: greatly accelerated healing; immensely-boosted immune system; generation of "new, improved organs" (Tony's cardiovascular and respiratory systems were greatly upgraded); and, the side effect of increased aggressiveness.<ref>''Iron Man'' vol.4 #9</ref> Tony Stark had the super-powers removed from the Extremis compiler, though, effectively 'exchanging' them for the ability to interface directly with machines and his own armor; but, Mallen retained said super-powers, resulting in his high-level super-strength, super-speed, advanced invulnerability, and the abilities to breathe fire and project arcs of electricity from his hands, as well as being completely bullet-proof{{issue|date=April 2012}} As well as the obvious physical changes, Extremis also affected Stark mentally, allowing him to process information at light speed, on a subconscious level, to help him better cope with the direct technological link he now possessed to his armor (even as his standard thought processes remained at a human norm). As a result, his brain, taking in more information than he could consciously process, began to sublimate it into his unconscious mind, causing Stark to experience occasional hallucinations of particularly relevant information, manifesting as people whose deaths he felt personally responsible for—such as [[Captain America]] or [[Happy Hogan]]—making him aware of facts that he had noted subconsciously while not recognizing their relevance or existence on a conscious level (such as that a member of the Initiative had lied about his powers or that Maya Hansen was actually alive after her death was faked). [[Doc Samson]] speculated that the hallucinations appeared because the excess information was filtered into the same place Stark subconsciously stored his guilt to stop himself facing it.<ref>''Iron Man'' vol.4 #25</ref> When the [[Mandarin (comics)|Mandarin]] attempted to release Extremis on a large scale as part of his plan to 'reshape' the human race, it is revealed that Extremis can only be successfully used on people who possess a rare genetic sequence, found in only 2.5% of the human population; this percentage includes Tony Stark and Maya Hansen, but does not include the Mandarin. Anyone without this sequence who is exposed to Extremis will be killed by the system.<ref>''Iron Man'' vol.4 #24</ref> During the 2010 "Stark: Disassembled" storyline, Tony was forced to erase portions of his memory in order to prevent [[Green Goblin|Norman Osborn]] from gaining access to the list of people registered under the Superhuman Registration Act. These actions resulted in his falling into a persistent vegetative state, in which his brain was unable to even regulate the autonomic functions of his body. During this period, Stark's colleagues played a recorded holographic message from Tony, which revealed that when the extraterrestrial [[Skrull]]s invaded Earth during the 2008 "[[Secret Invasion]]" storyline, they attacked Tony's Extremis, permanently shutting it down.<ref>[[Matt Fraction]] (w), [[Salvador Larocca]] (a). "Stark: Disassembled Part 2: Digging in the Dirt" ''The Invincible Iron Man'' #21 (February 2010), Marvel Comics</ref> Stark's mind was 'rebooted' using information that he had saved when he first injected himself with Extremis, with the result that he lost all memory of the actions he had committed after receiving the Extremis upgrade, although he has spent time researching his activities between then and his restoration. Tony later discovered that his brain still had access to Extremis, which he began using again.<ref>Matt Fraction (w), Salvador Larocca (a). "Stark Resilient Part 1: Hammer Girls" ''The Invincible Iron Man'' #25 (August 2010), Marvel Comics</ref> ==Reception== "Extremis" received positive reviews,<ref name="Smithson"/> and is often listed as one of the best Iron Man stories.<ref name="James Hunt"/><ref name="Alan Kistler"/><ref name="Ultimate Bookshelf 2.0: Iron Man"/> ==In other media== ===Television=== * The ''Extremis'' mini-series was loosely adapted as an ''[[Iron Man: Armored Adventures]]'' episode of the same name. In the episode, the Extremis formula is re-imagined as an attempt to recreate the [[Super-Soldier Serum]] that granted [[Captain America]] his powers. Mallen (here an ex-agent of [[S.H.I.E.L.D.]] rather than a terrorist) injects himself with the formula after being fired by [[Nick Fury]], and badly injures Iron Man during their initial encounter. Tony then injects himself with a little bit of the modified version of the Extremis formula, allowing him to fully interface with his armor (along with all other forms of technology) and defeat Mallen. According to [[Andros Stark]] in the episode "Iron Man 2099", in the future everyone has an upgraded version of Extremis, and he himself (in [[Marvel 2099|2099]]) runs version 16.5 named [[J.A.R.V.I.S.|JARVIS]]. * The Extremis serum appears in the pilot episode of ''[[Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.]]'', continuing the plot thread from ''Iron Man 3''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsarama.com/18421-sdcc-13-marvel-s-agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-live.html |title=AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. Pilot Details Revealed [SPOILERS |publisher=Newsarama.com |date=2013-07-19 |accessdate=2013-08-26}}</ref> The episode introduced Michael Peterson ([[J. August Richards]]) living in new York, who is seen rescuing a doctor from a burning building, and is labeled as "The Hooded Hero". Peterson's background is that he was a factory worker who sustained an injury and was injected with Extremis at a lab called Project Centipede. After breaking down and injuring his boss, he abducts a hacker named Skye to tell his story and attempts to flee Los Angeles with his son, Ace. Peterson was about to destroy the train station until he was tracked by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents led by [[Phil Coulson]] and was sedated. ===Film=== Each of the three respective ''Iron Man'' films (and the cross-over film ''The Avengers'') have taken cues from the Extremis story arc: * The origin and armor of Iron Man used in the [[2008 in film|2008]] film ''[[Iron Man (2008 film)|Iron Man]]'' closely resemble those introduced in "Extremis". Based on his work on "Extremis", artist Adi Granov was brought on as a producer for the film,<ref name="Iron Man: This One was Mine" /> and he created the final designs for Iron Man's armor.<ref>[http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=128887 Forging Iron: Adi Granov talks Iron Man], [[Newsarama]], September 11, 2007</ref> On the [[DVD]] of ''Iron Man'', "Extremis and Beyond" is included as a special feature.<ref>{{cite web|author=Neil Miller |url=http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/news/iron-man-looks-like-a-badass-on-his-dvd-cover-too.php |title=Iron Man Looks Like a Badass on his DVD Cover, Too |publisher=Filmschoolrejects.com |date=2008-08-08 |accessdate=2011-09-21}}</ref> In other featurettes, Adi Granov and Warren Ellis were interviewed on the origin, the suits, John Pillinger (the interviewer), and the suit being on a crate, not a briefcase. * In ''[[Iron Man 2]]'', a small plot arc of the story involves Tony trying to find a solution to the palladium poisoning from his Iron Man arc reactor, eventually coming to create a new element for a pacemaker resembling Extremis armor. He also reveals a suit of armor that originates in the form of a briefcase. * In ''[[The Avengers (2012 film)|The Avengers]]'', in order to escape from [[Loki (comics)|Loki]], [[Tony Stark]] uses bracelets as a precursor to the Extremis summoning technology to guide the Mark VII suit to him as he is in freefall. * In ''[[Iron Man 3]]'', the Extremis storyline is largely adapted into the film, as well as [[Aldrich Killian]] and [[Maya Hansen]], who are played by [[Guy Pearce]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://film-book.com/iron-man-3-2013-guy-pearce-is-extremis-geneticist-aldrich-killian/ |title=IRON MAN 3 (2013): Guy Pearce is ‘Extremis’ Geneticist Aldrich Killian |publisher=Film-Book.com |date=2012-04-21 |accessdate=2013-08-26}}</ref> and [[Rebecca Hall]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ifc.com/fix/2012/05/rebecca-hall-iron-man-3 |title=Rebecca Hall to replace Jessica Chastain in “Iron Man 3″ – IFC |publisher=Ifc.com |date=2012-05-09 |accessdate=2013-08-26}}</ref> respectively, being included as major characters. In the film, Stark implants himself with microchips, which enables him to suit up in his Mark 42 armor at his will, in any occasion; this is similar to how Stark can instruct his armor to assemble at his own will after undergoing the Extremis process. As with the story arc, Killian and Hansen developed Extremis, although Killian's role in the film was expanded to him becoming [[Mandarin (comics)|the main antagonist]], as well as being the founder of [[Advanced Idea Mechanics]], which consists of numerous soldiers he experimented on with Extremis (consisting of [[Eric Savin]], [[Ellen Brandt]] and [[Firepower (comics)|Jack Taggart]] among others). Killian also subjected himself to the virus, to rebuild himself (he was disabled). When injected with Extremis, the victim is put under immense pain. If the victim's body accepts Extremis, they will be enhanced with incredible abilities. However, if the victim's body rejects it, they heat up and explode in an explosion of 3000°C, which can be used to make the victim a living bomb. Extremis's healing abilities are also shown in greater depth, to the point that those injected with Extremis can regenerate damaged limbs, with the original soldiers regrowing limbs lost in combat prior to being 'infected' with Extremis and Killian regenerating his left hand after Tony cuts it off during a fight (although they are still vulnerable to particularly serious damage; Savin is killed by a blast through the chest from Stark's chestplate, much like Mallen in the original storyline). In addition to this, Extremis victims receive enhanced agility, superhuman strength and exothermic manipulation, allowing them to breathe fire and engage the Iron Man armors in combat (although they are not powerful enough to effortlessly defeat the armors). ===Video games=== * Iron Man wears the Extremis suit in ''[[Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gametrailers.com/video/gt-pop-block-marvel-vs/64777#new_comment |title=GT Pop-Block: Debut Trailer: Marvel Vs Capcom 3: Fate Of Two Worlds Video Game |publisher=GameTrailers.com |date=2010-04-22 |accessdate=2011-09-21}}</ref> as well as the follow-up, ''[[Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3]]''. * The Extremis Suit is also an optional suit in the [[Wii]] and [[Nintendo DS|DS]] versions of the [[Iron Man 2 (video game)|Iron Man 2 video game]]. * Extremis soldiers are featured in ''[[Iron Man 3: The Official Game]]''. * Extremis Soldiers will be featured in ''[[Lego Marvel Super Heroes]]''. <ref>http://marvel.com/news/story/21069/galactus_lands_in_new_lego_marvel_super_heroes_trailer#ixzz2cc1c8jqE</ref> ===Toys=== * Hasbro has released a 6 inch Marvel Legends Extremis figure and variant blue stealth version in 2012 and a 3.75 inch version in the Marvel Universe toyline. The MU version has been reissued in a comic pack. There was also an extremis like figure in the Iron Man 2 toyline. * A 6 inch action figure of Iron Man featuring the Extremis armor was released in the first wave of the return of [[Marvel Legends]] in 2012 with a blue stealth variant. A re-release of the figure in darker colors was planned for the movie based toy line "Iron Man: Armored Avenger" (which featured comic book characters and armors such as Crimson Dynamo and Titanium Man, as well) before the line was cancelled. ===Motion comic=== * In 2010 [[Marvel Knights Animation]] created a motion comic with 3-d Cell shading graphics. The six-part mini-series was released by [[Shout! Factory]] first on DVD, and then later coupled with ''[[Spider-Woman: Agent Of S.W.O.R.D.]]'' on Blu-ray. The Extremis motion comic can be viewed on Netflix. ==References== {{Refimprove section|date=March 2009}} {{Reflist|2}} ==External links== * {{comicbookdb|type=storyarc|id=1690|title="Extremis"}} * [http://www.marvel.com/catalog/?id=5816 "Extremis"] at Marvel.com ;Reviews * [http://www.comicsbulletin.com/reviews/117326541754358.htm ''Iron Man: Extremis'' trade review], [[Comics Bulletin]] {{Iron Man}} {{Warren Ellis|type=comic}} [[Category:Marvel Comics storylines]] [[Category:Superhero comics]]'