How the Ablative Suit storyline is like Covid-19
AX-oh crap get it away from me-L
I know it’s not a popular opinion, and this might be controversial, but I’m kinda tired of Covid-19. For the last eight months I haven’t been able to get out and do much of anything. While staying inside and going stir-crazy might be okay for most of the population, I sometimes like going out to a movie or a restaurant. Strange, I know.
I do not like Covid-19. Not one bit.
I started writing the text for this Iron Man Ablative Suit site (Model 23, named Axol) back in December, 2019. But it was being stuck inside and needing a creative outlet during “these uncertain and wacky times” that made me get to it. So I got to it. And because I think about this site and Covid-19 so much, I got to wondering:
How is Iron Man Model 23 like Covid-19?
Today we find out.
It’s All About Infection
The entirety of the Vegas Bleeds Neon storyline (Iron Man #415-417) is about infection by an alien techno-organic parasite. Tony meets someone who is infected, blows up his infected Tin Man armor, meets someone else who is really infected, gets infected himself through the Ablative Armor, and fights off the infection by giving it to someone else.
Does anyone have a tissue?
Ya Gotta Wear a Face Mask
When Tony is using the Ablative Armor to fight the techno-organic nanoplasm, his body is protected so long as no part of it touches his skin or the core Iron Man suit under the tiles. That means he has to stay covered up at all times, including wearing his face mask (well, face plate, at least). Don’t wanna get sick? Gotta wear your mask!
You ain’t getting past the Safeway police with your mask on your head, Tony.
Things Keep Breaking…
…and the next layer pops up and breaks too. Just when we thought we had Covid almost under control, people broke quarantines which broke all the plans and effort we put into the first few months. Infection rates are so bad that it seems like we’ve hit a point where we’ve used up all of our tiles — and not enough people care.
And you thought your quarantine space was small…
Chaff Keeps Falling Away
There are two reasons why tiles on the Ablative Armor leave the suit: they are damaged, or they’re used as a chaff wall. Let’s take a look at this second one; chaff literally means something that’s comparatively worthless or unimportant.
While Covid-19 has caused us to miss out on a lot, it’s also caused a few worthless things to go by the wayside. Did we really need to go out to eat as often as we did? Did we really need to drive to work every day when we could have just worked from home? Did we really need to see co-workers every day who just made our lives difficult whenever they happened to walk by?
Look at all those co-workers I don’t need! There goes Jim flying past. And Kate! And Robert!
It’s Ugly
Iron Man’s Ablative Armor is not considered the most attractive Iron Man armor. It’s weird-looking. People complain about the look of the faceplate.
This image will not get bigger if you click on it. You’re welcome.
Something about all of this Covid stuff is making people situationally ugly, as in “things are getting ugly.” We all know what I’m talking about, and I don’t need to say where it comes from. Don’t give into the selfish nature of humanity. Think of others. Understand that…
It’s about sacrifice
The Iron Man Ablation Suit is all about sacrifice. Each little tile does what it needs to do to protect the whole.
Quarantine isn’t fun. But it’s a sacrifice we have to make to protect the whole of ourselves — and the whole of society.
Stay Safe
Be like the Ablative. Protect yourself from infection. Wear a mask. Let the unimportant things go. Understand that you have to sacrifice a little.
But don’t be ugly.
