"He discovered that there were universes stacked on top of his own..." The subject of this article comes from an alternate universe which resulted from a divergence in history with the main timeline of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Iron Man 3: The Junior Novel is a junior novelization of the film of the same name. The audiobook version is narrated by Will Damron and is included in The Iron Man Collection.

Synopsis[]

Billionaire inventor and businessman Tony Stark has seen and done it all. The same could be said for Iron Man. But what happens when they both encounter an enemy unlike any they have ever faced? When the mysterious Mandarin destroys all that Tony holds dear, including his Iron Man suits, the armor-less avenger must now embark on a quest to save Pepper Potts, his best friend Rhodey and the President of the United States before it's too late. With his back against the wall, Tony must rely on his instincts and mettle to protect those closest to him, but one question remains: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man? Based on the hit film, this junior novel includes full color photos.

Plot[]

Tony Stark's armor crash lands in Rose Hill, Tennessee. He reflects on his childhood making his mother happy, and then on his attendance at the technology conference in Switzerland. At the conference, Stark meets Maya Hansen and Aldrich Killian. Stark tricks Killian into standing on the roof alone in the cold and listens to Hansen explain her genetic research, which impresses him. The two kiss, and Stark figures out the cause of the problem Hansen is having in her research.

In the desert of Afghanistan years later, Stark searches for landmines produced when Stark Industries was a weapons manufacturer and destroys them. He hears a military fight nearby and finds United States soldiers attempting to capture a Ten Rings base. Once the base is captured, footage plays on the television of the Mandarin threatening to continue his attempts to teach the United States a lesson.

As a reaction to the Mandarin's threats, President Matthew Ellis appoints James Rhodes as the new Iron Patriot. Rhodes and Stark discuss the attacks, and Rhodes tells Stark to let the government handle them. Stark has a panic attack and returns to his mansion, where he works on his new armor while Pepper Potts meets with Aldrich Killian and turns down his request for Stark Industries to fund his experiments with Extremis. Happy Hogan becomes suspicious of Eric Savin and follows him, seeing him argue with Jack Taggart.

Potts returns home and finds Stark using the Mark XLII armor to be with her while searching for the Mandarin. Potts and Stark go to sleep, but the Mark XLII attacks Potts as Stark has a nightmare. Stark deactivates the suit. Meanwhile, Hogan follows Savin to the TCL Chinese Theatre, where he again sees Savin and Taggart arguing. Taggart explodes, critically injuring Hogan while Savin heals and walks away. Stark rushes to Cedars-Sinai Hospital to be by Hogan's side and sees him holding Taggart's dog tags from the military. Stark addresses the press and publicly declares his intention to defeat the Mandarin, giving the Mandarin his address.

Hansen appears at Stark's mansion and tries to talk to Stark, but the mansion is suddenly attacked by the Mandarin. Stark manages to save Potts and Hansen, and flees to Rose Hill. Stark calls Potts and warns her not to trust anyone. He takes his dead armor into a nearby shed and tries to work on it, but is discovered by Harley Keener. Potts receives Stark's message and leaves with Hansen while Stark investigates the death of Chad Davis, realizing that it is similar to the bombing in which Hogan was hurt in that there was one less shadow than there were victims. Stark approaches Davis' mother and explains his theory, but gets approached by Ellen Brandt. Brandt attacks, so Stark rushes outside to get her away from civilians. Brandt and Savin threaten Keener, who uses a device given to him by Stark to temporarily blind them. Stark momentarily disorients Brandt and Savin and rushes to save E.J., Keener's bully who had been rendered unconscious in the fight. Stark leaves, and Savin reports back to Killian, finding a Repulsor lens from Stark.

Stark gets Rhodes' government password and calls in a bomb threat to a local beauty pageant, causing the police and news to arrive. Stark sneaks into a news van and uses Rhodes' password to get access to A.I.M.'s top secret files and realizes that the people blowing up are the result of failed experiments. Potts gets kidnapped by Killian while Stark tracks down the Mandarin's location. Rhodes is kidnapped by Savin while Stark goes toward Mandarin's location in Florida. He hears about Potts' kidnapping on the news and becomes determined to end the conflict.

Stark breaks into the Mandarin's mansion and finds the Mandarin asleep, but gets knocked out. Stark awoke to find himself and Potts being held hostage, and Hansen and Killian demanding the formula to perfect Extremis. Killian reveals his plan to profit from and own the war on terror, causing Hansen to realize she is on the wrong side. She rigs a plant to explode, prompting Killian to kill her. Rhodes is forced out of the Iron Patriot armor while Stark summons his own armor, which he uses to escape with Rhodes. Rhodes warns Rodriguez of an attempt on Ellis' life, but Ellis gets kidnapped by Savin, who is pretending to be Iron Patriot. Stark activates the House Party Protocol and attempts to stop Savin, but gets distracted saving the lives of people falling out of the plane.

The Mandarin prepares to televise Ellis' death, but Stark and Rhodes arrive and start fighting Extremis Soldiers using the armors activated and summoned in the House Party Protocol. Potts helps defeat Brandt, and Rhodes manages to save Ellis and recover the Iron Patriot. Stark defeats the rest of the soldiers, including Savin, and allows himself to relax as the fight is over.

Stark visits Hogan in the hospital and wonders whether he will continue to use the Iron Man persona as a crutch and have panic attacks. He proudly declares himself to be Tony Stark. Meanwhile, the Mandarin becomes frustrated with Stark and swears his revenge. On New Years' Eve, Keener finds that Stark upgraded his equipment in his shed.

Appearances[]

Characters[]

• Tony Stark/Iron Man
• Howard Stark
• Maria Stark
• Maya Hansen
• Happy Hogan
• Wu
• Aldrich Killian
• JARVIS
• Batters
• Mandarin
• Matthew Ellis
• James Rhodes/Iron Patriot
• Pepper Potts
• Rodriguez
• Eric Savin
• Jack Taggart
• Harley Keener
• E.J.
• Mrs. Davis
• Ellen Brandt
• Rose Hill Sherriff
• Gary
• Heather

Locations[]

• United States of America
  • Tennessee
    • Rose Hill
      • Keener Residence
      • Walker's
  • California
    • Malibu
      • Tony Stark's Mansion
      • Neptune's Net
    • Los Angeles
      • TCL Chinese Theatre
      • Cedars-Sinai Hospital
  • New York
    • New York City
      • Stark Tower
  • Florida
    • Miami
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (mentioned)
  • Pentagon (mentioned)
  • White House (mentioned)
• Switzerland
  • Bern
• Afghanistan
• Pakistan
• Bethlehem, Palestine (mentioned)
• Beijing, China (mentioned)
• Kuwait (mentioned)

Events[]

• Aldrich Killian's War
  • Battle of Rose Hill
  • Kidnapping of James Rhodes
  • Infiltration into Aldrich Killian's Mansion
  • Kidnapping of President Ellis
  • Battle on the Norco
  • Siege of the Ten Rings Facility (flashback)
  • Destruction of the Chinese Theatre (flashback)
  • Destruction of Tony Stark's Mansion (flashback)
• Bern 2000 (flashback)
• Battle of New York (mentioned)
• September 11 attacks (mentioned)

Items[]

• Iron Man Armors
  • Mark XVLII Iron Man Armor
  • Mark XV Iron Man Armor
  • Mark I Iron Man Armor
  • Mark II Iron Man Armor
  • Mark III Iron Man Armor
  • Mark IV Iron Man Armor
  • Mark V Iron Man Armor
  • Mark VI Iron Man Armor
  • Mark VII Iron Man Armor
  • Mark XXIII Iron Man Armor
  • Mark XXVI Iron Man Armor
  • Nightclub
  • Hammerhead
  • Sub-Orbital Iron Man Armor
  • Igor
  • High-Velocity Armor
  • Silver Centurion
  • Red Snapper
• Mark I Iron Patriot Armor
• Dum-E
• Extremis
• Tony Stark's Handmade Weapons
  • Camera Taser
  • Ornament Bomb
• House Party Protocol
• Vibranium (mentioned)
  • Captain America's Shield (mentioned)
• Captain America's Uniform (mentioned)

Vehicles[]

• Air Force One
• Norco

Creatures[]

• Chitauri
• Firefly

Organizations[]

• Stark Industries
• A.I.M.
• United States Armed Forces
• Avengers
• Ten Rings
• Strategic Scientific Reserve (mentioned)
• FBI (mentioned)
• United States Department of Defense (mentioned)
• Rolex (mentioned)

Mentioned[]

• Loki
• Chad Davis
• Batters' Daughter
• Harley Keener's Father
• Santa Claus
• Year 2000 problem
• Sun Tzu
• Evel Knievel
• Huckleberry Finn
• Svengali
• Tarzan
• The Lion King
  • "Circle of Life"
  • Simba

Differences between Book and Film[]

• The book starts with Tony Stark's arrival in Rose Hill before flashing back to Stark's childhood. It then goes to the party in Switzerland.
• Maria Stark died when Tony was a child, and Howard Stark died sometime later, whereas in the films, both Starks died at the same time.
• Stark discovers the Mandarin's existence during a mission in Afghanistan rather than from a television while obsessing over his armors.
• The panic attack which Stark has while eating with James Rhodes is not triggered by a young boy asking about the Battle of New York, but rather by a larger discussion about feeling inadequate compared to the titles which Stark and Rhodes were given.
• The book refers to Stark Tower, despite the fact that in the movies, it had been converted into Avengers Tower.
• Harley Keener's father died rather than having abandoned Keener.
• Ellen Brandt survives her first encounter with Stark and participates in the Battle on the Norco. She attacks Stark, but is blasted into the ocean by Pepper Potts.
• The Mandarin is the real Mandarin and not Trevor Slattery and is able to get away.
• The Mark XLII armor is not destroyed by a truck, and was simply damaged by use.
• Aldrich Killian is not involved in the climax. Eric Savin is Stark's final enemy, and he defeats Savin on his own by forcing the Mark XLII armor onto Savin and blowing it up.
• Stark does not have the Arc Reactor removed from his chest.

References[]