Warning: Spoilers for Exceptional X-Men #7 (2024) ahead!Emma Frosthas just revealed her"truest love,“and it’s a shocking choice that no one saw coming, especially after her whirlwind romance withIron Man. This revelation feels like a letdown, considering her 2023 affair with Tony Stark, which, in my opinion, stands as one of Marvel’s best pairings in years.
Exceptional X-Men #7(2024)—by Eve L. Ewing, Carmen Carnero, and Nolan Woodard—changes up the title by opening from Emma Frost’s perspective. As Emma gets ready for the day, her narration flashes back to her"truest loves,“skipping past photos of Emma’s notable past lovers as"moments of weakness"before settling on a panorama of Krakoa in its heyday.
Not only is this a stinging slap to Emma’s previous partners, butI feel that it doesn’t do justice to Emma’s romance with Iron Man: despite the contrived circumstances, I thought the pair truly had chemistry with one another.
Emma Frost and Tony Stark: A Romance That Could Have Been Epic
From a ‘Fake’ Marriage to Heartfelt Goodbyes: Why Dismissing Their Chemistry Feels Wrong
Marvel heavily promotedEmma Frost and Tony Stark’s marriageduring the summer of 2023 as one of the lead-ins to theFall of Xstoryline. The crossover betweenX-Men (2021)andInvincible Iron Man (2022)saw Emma and Tony flirting with one another while looking to undo the machinations of Feilong, the mutant-hating member of Orchis who had taken over Stark Unlimited. Emma adopted the disguise of"Hazel Kendall,” Tony’s personal assistant, during theFall of X,anda series of unlikely circumstances led to Tony proposing to"Hazel"in front of Feilong so as not to blow her cover.
…together, Tony and Emma kept each other human.
Despite the contrived nature of their marriage, Tony and Emma displayeda surprisingly easy chemistry togetheras they used their newfound nuptial status to strike back against Feilong. While the two parted ways inInvincible Iron Man#20—by Gerry Duggan, Andrea DI Vito, and Bryan Valenza—after the defeat of Orchis, neither party seemed pleased about breaking up: the normally stoic Emma was moved to tears, while Tony claimed to have “a multimedia deck about how you and I really work.” After such a heartfelt parting,saying that this relationship wasn’t"true"insults one of Marvel’s most exemplary couples.
Wait… Is Marvel Really Changing Iron Man’s Civilian Name to ‘Tony Frost’?
In the wake of Orchis' devastating attack on Krakoa, the wedding of Tony Stark and Emma Frost may bring about a major change for Iron Man.
Emma Frost Has a History Of Loving & Leaving
How Does Iron Man Rate Against Emma’s Other Lovers?
Tony Stark is depicted inExceptional X-Men#7 alongside two of Emma’s other lovers: Namor and Cyclops. WhileEmma’s frequent relationships with Namorhave certainly been tempestuous, the two have proven to be an incredibly volatile couple: the pair are just as likely to try and kill each other as they are to leap into bed together. While Namor and Emma are both beautiful people, their main shared trait when together is their arrogance, and, as such, they tend to encourage the worst of each other’s impulses.Emma and Tony’s partnership came across as more genuine than Emma and Namor’s varied flings.
Emma’s feelings toward Cyclopsare much more complicated. What began as a psychic affair between Emma and Cyclops inNew X-Men (2001)#131—by Grant Morrison, John Paul Leon, and Bill Sienkiewicz—blossomed into a genuine love affair that lasted until 2012. Unfortunately, Emma and Cyclops' relationship can never escape the vortex that is the"Jean Grey-Cyclops-Wolverine-Emma Frost"quadrangle, with their feelings for each other always being overshadowed by their feelings for their previous partner. While Emma and Cyclops' love was powerful,Tony Stark and Emma’s relationship marked a clean startfor both of them, away from any previous baggage.
Dismissing Iron Man and Emma Frost’s Love Does a Disservice to Both Characters
Emma & Tony Brought Out The Best In Each Other During The Worst Moments Of Their Lives
Iron Man and Emma Frostare incredibly acerbic characters, but watching them learn to lean on each other through the Orchis crisis was surprisingly tender. Although Emma is often the first to deny catching feelings, she was there for Tony when he was at his most vulnerable following Feilong’s attack. Likewise, Tony kept Emma grounded during their time together, as Emma was fully ready to sacrifice herself to both hurt Orchis and escape the pain of theFall of X. We have seen both characters literally play god at various points, but together,Tony and Emma kept each other"human.”
Emma Frost has always thrived as a teacher, so it makes sense that the dream of Krakoa and generations of future mutants would be her"true"love, but framing the love of an ideal against genuine romantic relationships is a false equivalency. When Marvel threw Emma Frost and Tony Stark together during the darkest moments of their lives, their relationship was unique and compelling across the publisher’s entire roster of heroes.Iron ManandEmma Frost’sromance may be dead, but all I can do is sit here and hope the two eventually find a way to get back together.
