Hands Of The Mandarin Part VI: There Shall Come An Ending! Hong Kong is in flames as the Mandarin vows to bring an end to the age of technology and usher in a new Dark Age. When Iron Man tells Century about the heart of darkness, he identifies it as an extraterrestrial artifact. Tony works with Su Yin and Suzi Endo to repurpose the techno-organic parasite (which nearly killed Tony) into a weapon to use against the Mandarin. The Avatars attack the facility, but Iron Man turns himself over to them willingly. Brought before Mandarin, he claims to be seeking the removal of his armor. When Mandarin opens Iron Man's faceplate and strikes Tony in the face, he makes contact with the reprogrammed virus coating the armor's mask, and Mandarin's body undergoes rapid cellular decay. Growing older by the second, Mandarin accidentally kills Deluge. Mandarin reaches for the heart of darkness for help and causes an immense explosion...
Mandarin and his Avatars all disappear, leaving Paradox behind. Force Works prepare to return home, while Tony reaffirms his friendship with Rhodes and promises to fix the War Machine armor.
Tony returns to his office, facing an immense backlog of work... but first, he places a bottle of bourbon in front of himself. The alcohol VORTEX consumed while wearing Tony's body has reawakened the urge to drink, forcing Tony to face his old demons. He stares at the bottle for a time. Then he locks it away, unopened, in his desk.
