WARNING: Spoilers for Iron Man #5

While Iron Man is known to be one of the greatest minds in the Marvel Universe, he can also fight dirty when the chips are down. Strategy can only get him so far, and at times, the only option that remains is to resort to desperate measures. Iron Man has been put through the physical and emotional wringer in his new series, and one moment has demonstrated just how far Tony Stark has fallen.

In Iron Man #5 by Spencer Ackerman, Javier Pina, Alex SInclair, and Joe Caramagna, Tony Stark teams up with Ironheart and the Cavalry to face off against a Stark Sentinel that's been unleashed upon them by Lucia Von Bardas. It doesn't take long for Lucia and her allies to overpower the heroes, and Iron Man is soon knocked down as Cavalry gets surrounded.

Tony knows he should step in, but his body isn't in fighting shape, so he figures out a way to fight without much mobility or strategic thinking on his end. In a surprising move, Iron Man neglects his usual tactics in favor of blunt force.

Iron Man's Desperate Attack Demonstrates How Careless He's Become

Instead of Fighting Smarter and Not Harder, Tony Stark Uses Blunt Force

Normally, Iron Man would fight in a traditional fashion or rely on his repulsor blasts to get the job done. Here, though, his options are limited and time is of the essence. With this in mind, Iron Man takes a scrappier approach to combat by slamming his armor against Lucia. As he states in his narration, he does "what armor does" in the form of testing its durability via direct impact. This new tactic may not seem all that outrageous in and of itself, considering the justification Tony comes up with, but the context surrounding this spur-of-the-moment act proves how recklessly Iron Man is behaving.

In the first issue of Ackerman's first fight back in the armor opens his healing wounds back up and inflicts countless additional ones. Essentially, Tony Stark has stopped taking care of himself, and ramming his body against his opponent further illustrates his descent into self-destruction.

Get Ready, Iron Man: Tony Stark's Problems Are Only Just Beginning

Iron Man Has to Grapple With More Than His Reckless New Tactics

Iron Man's physical injuries have forced him into a tough spot, but they aren't the only factor that's contributed to his downward spiral. Although he's already settled the "Stark-Roxxon War" and ensured that Stark Unlimited doesn't fall into Roxxon and AIM's corrupt hands, his company isn't out of the woods yet. Lucia forces Tony to confront the way Stark Unlimited endangers people despite his refusal to sell weapons. He learns that the AI surveillance tech he creates has been equally harmful, causing him to rethink his entire business. Iron Man can't get a break, and he's going to hit rock bottom sooner than later at this rate.

Iron Man #5 is available now from Marvel Comics!