IRON MAN: RISE OF TECHNOVORE (2013)

IRON MAN: RISE OF TECHNOVORE (2013)

“Next time Stark asks for help…I’ll put a bullet in him.”

- The Punisher

Iron Man: Rise of Technovore is a Marvel anime that begins with Tony Stark developing a satellite named Howard (After his dad.) from which S.H.I.E.L.D can watch the world. Are we meant to think of cyber threats and whistleblowers? I sure thought so! Anyway, after unveiling his satellite, things go wrong. Without giving spoilers, Technovore arrives in full force. He has these orbs full of “technovores” that can eat through technology as well as human biology. He doesn’t zap people, he just utterly dissolves them!

When Tony Stark gets too close to uncovering who Technovore is, Nick Fury sends Hawkeye and Black Widow after him in Pakistan for acting without his authority. But, in Pakistan, Iron Man finds an unlikely ally in Frank Castle a.k.a. The Punisher! Here, he looks a little too pretty for my taste though. At least his dark humor and Iron Man’s wit are in tact. Iron Man warns everyone not to make the man in the skull shirt angry…and…when the chase begins, Punisher scoffs at Hawkeye: “Arrows? Really?”

As usual with Marvel animes, the villain kind of twists and turns, and I’m trying real hard not to give spoilers. In my view, the big treat here is seeing all these superheroes in action in anime form. I will say though, the females (Black Widow and Pepper Pots) range from “Girl with light red hair” to “Girl with dark red hair”. There’s not much development of either, except Black Widow stuck in for fan service.

The film takes us from New York to Pakistan to Beijing in search of this biotechnological terrorist Technovore. He is not at all who he seems to be, and the climax seems to take cues from Akira…but in the Marvel universe! Some old adversaries come back, some new allies are made, some heroes are wiped out! It’s good if you want more Iron Man and you want to fill in plot gaps!

Also, while Tony and S.H.I.E.L.D are fighting across the globe, Technovore takes control of Howard, so it definitely raises the stakes! If you liked the other Marvel animes, this one is a welcome addition. And definitely opens up some new possibilities. Will we be seeing a Punisher anime soon? I sure hope so! Stay tuned!