A wealthy industrialist is held captive in enemy territory and escapes by building a high-tech suit made of armor. When he returns home, he decides to use his money, talents, and suit to save the world.

"Tony Stark is known throughout the world as many things: Corporate tycoon. Billionaire. Inventor. Genius. But first and foremost, he is famous for being the red-and-gold -armored Super Hero, the invincible Iron Man. What Tony's fans don't know is what happened in his childhood that led him to put away his toys and replace them with weapons designed to maintain peace and order. They don't realize how much pain he is hiding under his suit's shiny exterior....

While raising the ruins of a long-buried Chinese kingdom, billionaire inventor Tony Stark digs up far more than he bargained for. He unleashes an age-old prophecy that foretells the resurrection of the Mandarin, the emperor of China's darkest and most violent dynasty. In order to confront destructive forces, Tony creates an armored suit infused with high-tech weaponry.