Warning: contains spoilers for Iron Man #19!
Marvel's well-known for constantly upgrading his suits, battling supervillains and his own inner demons, and for maintaining an on-again, off-again relationship with Pepper Potts, his one-time secretary and eventual spouse in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But Iron Man #19 reveals that Tony is leaving Pepper in his past - because he's found someone else who he trusts even more.
Iron Man's latest adventures have tested Tony Stark unlike any previous supervillain or disaster. Stark suffered a horrific neck injury and was forced to wear his helmet (and he also developed an addiction to painkillers as a result). From being stranded on a desolate planet run by C-list villain Stiltman to attacking the Godlike Korvac armed with the Power Cosmic, Iron Man's 2021 and 2022 adventures are full of trauma for Stark. Patsy Walker, Hellcat, is one of his companions on his mission to stop Korvac, but she becomes something more over time.
In Iron Man #19, written by Christopher Cantwell with art by Cafu, Stark battles the evil Korvac once again - but this time, Stark has voluntarily relinquished the Power Cosmic and is already near death even before Korvac arrives. Perhaps because Tony has reduced himself to a pathetic figure, Korvac doesn't kill Stark and brings him to a hospital instead. Some time later, Patsy Walker drives Tony to a rehabilitation center to help him quit his opiate addiction. Hellcat thanks Tony for asking her to drive him to the location, to which Tony responds "You were my only choice." He drives the point home by saying the same line again after Hellcat volunteers to pick Tony up when he's finished at the center.
Tony has had other love interests in the comics beforehand, but Pepper Potts remained one of the central characters in the franchise. But Tony has on occasion treated Pepper quite poorly, even pretending to ask her out (back when no one knew Stark and Iron Man were the same person). She even married Happy Hogan at one point, but the marriage sadly ended in divorce. As for Hellcat, Marvel has already teased Tony's marriage proposal - but the conclusion of that story remains to be seen.
There is no denying, however, that Patsy Walker looks like Pepper Potts when it comes to the comics' design, but that's where the similarities end. Hellcat has powers of her own and is a veteran of many battles, and actually seems to like Tony regardless of his wealth or fame. Iron Man fans can pick up a copy of the now-available Iron Man #19 and see for themselves the beginning of a new relationship between Tony Stark and Hellcat.
