Captain America #340
Breakout
This story continues from Iron Man #228….
On a quest to deactivate all unauthorized Starktech, Iron Man has been deactivating the armor created by others using his stolen technology. He has attacked the Vault prison to deactivate the suits of Guardsman armor. This has led to opposition from the Captain, who believes Iron Man is in the wrong.[1]
Unfortunately, the former Captain America is jolted with electricity, stunning him long enough for Iron Man to brick the last suit of Guardsmen armor. It’s at this moment that Steve Rogers realizes that the reason Tony created his new Adamantium shield was a way of bribing Steve into not interfering with his insane scheme. However, Steve can no longer use the shield in good faith and is determined to return the weapon before turning Tony in to the authorities.[2] Even with the prison in a black out and the guards without their advanced armor, they still try to apprehend the Captain before he can flee the facility. Luckily, the Falcon comes by to give Cap a lift back to his mobile headquarters.
There, Nomad, Vagabond, and Demolition Man are waiting for him to come back. Nomad is in a bad mood because D-Man has been teaching Vagabond how to fight and believes that Dunphy is trying to make time with his woman. They break up the fight when Steve arrives and tells them that they are heading to California.
Back at the Vault, the black out has allowed Mister Hyde, Titania, and the Armadillo to escape from their cells. Easily killing the guards, Hyde and Titania agree to work together and try to leave the Armadillo behind because he will only slow them down. However, the Armadillo wants to get out so he can be reunited with his unfaithful wife and follows after them.[3] Elsewhere in the prison, Vibro and the Griffin have also gotten out and are making their own escape from the prison.
The explosions caused by these break outs can be heard by the Captain and his allies as they drive away. Realizing that the situation at the Vault is worse than they originally thought, they turn back to try and prevent any of the prisoners from escaping. Once again, Steve orders Vagabond to stay behind because she hasn’t been properly combat trained. As the Captain, Nomad, and D-Man take to the road on their motorcycles, the Falcon flies overhead. It’s the Falcon that makes first contact, catching the Griffin trying to fly away. As he flies circles around the savage man-monster he also spots Vibro using his powers to punch handholds into the side of a cliff to climb down from the prison.
At the front gates of the prison, Mister Hyde and Titania fight through security and steal a truck to make their own getaway. Moments later, the Armadillo emerges from the prison. Thanks to his enhanced strength and impervious armored shell, he easily pushes the guards away and shrugs off their bullets as he slowly ambles away.
Meanwhile, Cap and the others cross paths with Mister Hyde and Titania. Hyde tries to ram through the three heroes, but Cap leaps onto the hood of their getaway vehicle. Remembering how Hyde recently brutalized Jarvis, the Avengers butler, Cap savagely fights back.[4] Afraid that Hyde might drive them over a cliff, Titania bails out of the vehicle and tries to flee on foot. D-Man tries to stop her, but she is much stronger than he is and easily tosses him away.
As this is going on, Nomad spots Vibro and uses a stun disc to knock him off the cliff face to his seeming demise.[5] Not far away, D-Man is still sailing across the sky, confident that he is going to die.[6] Luckily, he is saved from the deadly fall by the Falcon and the two work together to knock the Griffin out of the sky.
Not far away, Vagabond is still sitting in the van waiting for her comrades to come back. She is busy listening to music with her headphones on that she doesn’t see or hear the Armadillo approaching her vehicle. Meanwhile, Cap and Mister Hyde have bailed out of the speeding truck just moments before it smashes through the guard rails and over the cliff. The Captain then attacks Hyde without mercy, causing the villain to fall over the edge. Holding on for dear life, Hyde has been reduced to a coward and pleads with the Captain to spare him. Confident that he has taught Hyde what it’s like being a powerless victim, he saves his life.
Back on the ground, D-Man spots Titania making her getaway, but lets her go because he is afraid of being overpowered again. That’s when Vagabond arrives in their van and reveals that the Armadillo is riding in the back. As it turns out, while the others were busy stopping the other escapees, she was able to convince Armadillo to surrender without a fight.
Recurring Characters
The Captain, Falcon, Demolition Man, Nomad, Vagabond, Iron Man, Mister Hyde, Titania, Griffin, Vibro, James Rhodes, Armadillo, Edwin Jarvis, Guardsmen, Redwing
Continuity Notes
Iron Man’s quest to brick all the Iron Man tech is chronicled in Iron Man #225-231.
The reason why Steve Rogers needed a shield is because he was forced to give up his Captain America identity — shield and all — to the US government in issue #332. He sought out Tony’s assistance to create a new shield for him last issue. Cap’s predicament will remain the status quo until issue #350.
The Armadillo is a tragic case. He allowed himself to be transformed into his monstrous form by Doctor Malus in order to cure his wife of a terminal illness back in Captain America #308. After Bonita was cured, she insisted that her husband remain the Armadillo to earn them a fortune in the wrestling circuit but soon started cheating on at the same time. See Captain America #316 for the whole sordid affair.
Jarvis was savagely tortured by Mister Hyde in Avengers #274 during the Masters of Evil’s siege on Avengers Mansion. See Avengers #273-277.
Although Vibro is presumed dead here, he turns up alive again in Avengers West Coast #58.
D-Man is concerned about how fast his heart is beating. This is because he recently developed a heart condition after being experimented upon by the Power Broker. See Captain America #330-331.
Topical References
Vagabond is depicted listening to Michael Jackson’s “Bad” on a Sony Walkman. The Walkman should be considered topical as this sort of technology is obsolete. You could consider the reference to “Bad” topical as well, unless you want to believe that Vagabond is into 80’s pop music.
