Summary

• Ironheart has obtained the Mandarin's Ten Rings and gained the power of mind control, but Tony is concerned about the potential consequences.
• Riri previously refused to give the rings to Tony, believing she can repurpose them for non-violent use, but her attempt to use mind control on Tony's wife backfires.
• The incident raises doubts about whether Ironheart and Iron Man can coexist, as Tony worries about the rings changing her and their future partnership.

Warning: Spoilers for Invincible Iron Man #12!The next issue of The Invincible Iron Man marks the return of Ironheart, with a new power, and Iron Man would not approve of where it came from. Riri Williams often appears as a protégé to Tony Stark, and sometimes, based on her successes as a solo hero, he treats her as an equal partner. However, Iron Man and Ironheart have managed to disagree on her latest acquirement: The Mandarin's Makulan Rings.

Readers get to see Ironheart put the Ten Rings to use in The Invincible Iron Man #12 by Gerry Duggan, Ig Guara, Bryan Valenza, and VC's Joe Caramagna. Cover art from Kael Ngu can be viewed below. The Invincible Iron Man #12 will officially be going on sale starting on November 22.

In this issue, Riri Williams displays a new power - mind control - through her new Ten Rings. Unfortunately, she picks the wrong person to attempt to unleash those powers on: Iron Man's new wife, Emma Frost.

Ironheart Now Has the Power of Mind Control

Previously, Ironheart successfully acquired the Mandarin's Ten Rings from a black market vendor, something she had been trying to do for years. She finally gets what she wants after disguising herself as the Cobalt Man. When Tony learns what Riri has done, he demands that she hand over the rings to him, but in an act of defiance, Ironheart refuses, convinced that she has earned the right to keep them in hopes of re-purposing them in a non-weaponized way. Tony reluctantly agrees, conceding to Riri's sincerity.

Now, as Tony prepares to rid himself of his Mark Nil suit as he finishes building his Mark 72, his "appointment" arrives at the Hellfire Club in the form of Riri Williams. Tony's wife, Hazel Kendal, answers the door, denying Riri entry. Riri retaliates by attempting her mind control with her Ten Rings, but upon invading her mind, Riri is shocked to learn that Hazel Kendal is actually a disguised Emma Frost. From there, Riri quickly learns that attempting to enter the mind of a master telepath is the biggest mistake that she could ever think to make, with or without the Mandarin's rings.

Can Ironheart and Iron Man Co-Exist?

Keep in mind that before she learned that Hazel was actually Emma Frost, Riri Williams tried to mind control an innocent bystander for virtually no reason (or at least for reasons that remain unclear until the issue releases). This seems to confirm the fears that Tony had when the rings fell into Ironheart's hands. The last thing that he wanted to see is those rings either become abused or drastically change who Ironheart is at her core. These seem like early red flags for what's to come. It's unclear yet as to how Ironheart could help Iron Man, but her new Ten Rings might make this partnership harder than past team-ups.

The Invincible Iron Man #12 goes on sale from Marvel on November 22.