One of the morbidly fascinating things to me here is a Tony with no Captain America. Tony would hate to think it, but he really is one of those people who needs other people to be there for him and to lead by example for him, and historically, Cap has so much been that person for Tony, time and again, and played such a huge role in helping him understand his own heroism, its limitations, and its boundless opportunities. He still has Pepper, and he still has Rhodey, but in the end there's something about the weight of being the one who is actually capable of going out there and making a BIG difference that they just won't be able to grasp.

Until, of course, Rhodey gets his damn War Machine on. Because one way you can go from there is to get skunk drunk and try to disappear into yourself. And then somebody else has to be Iron Man for a while and show you how it's done. Hells bells, I love Rhodey for that.