Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, had been through a lot. The Battle of New York had left him shaken, and the weight of being a superhero was starting to take its toll. He was plagued by anxiety attacks and nightmares, and his company, Stark Industries, was struggling to keep up with the demand for its cutting-edge technology.

One day, while on a business trip in Tennessee, Tony's home in Malibu was destroyed by a terrorist attack. The blast was massive, and Tony was presumed dead. He managed to survive, but his house was reduced to rubble.

Tony, with the help of Pepper Potts, James "Rhodey" Rhodes, and the intelligence agency S.H.I.E.L.D., worked tirelessly to stop Killian and his army of Extremis-enhanced soldiers.