The Beginning of the End!

Iron Man is flying back to America from Africa following his battle with the Red Ghost. Along the way, he flies into some stormy weather and is struck by lightning. This causes a system failure in his armor and he begins plummeting from the sky. At that same moment, an explosion in Tony Stark’s private vault rocks the entire Stark Industries facility in New York. He is unaware that the lightning was artificially created by some men in a hidden ship who were tasked at delaying Iron Man’s return. They then race ahead of Iron Man and pick up Madame Masque, the operative who planted the bomb. She is then transported to a remote island on the Aegean Sea. There, in a hideout inspired by ancient Greece where she meets with Morgan Stark. It was his information that allowed her to plant her bomb and he is nervous to find out if his cousin was taken out in the blast. Back in America, rescue crews search the rubble for bodies when suddenly the Life Model Decoy of Tony Stark rises from the rubble.[1]

Meanwhile, at Cord Manufacturing, Janice Cord arrives in the lab to see her resident scientist, Alex Niven, working late. He quickly covers up what he is working on. Janice is upset about the news that Tony Stark may have been hurt in the explosion. Alex tries to take her mind off of Tony by kissing her. Janice pulls away from him at first and then moves in to kiss him again. That’s when they hear a radio report that Tony Stark turned out alive.[2]

While out on a hideout on the Aegean Sea, Madame Masque and Morgan Stark also hear the news. She is furious that Morgan gave her incorrect intel and attacks him for failing her employer, Midas. Morgan can’t understand Midas’ motivations and also inquires why Madame Masque always wears a golden mask. She decides to indulge Morgan by taking the mask off, revealing a scarred face so horrific that he pleads with her to put her mask back on.[3] That’s when Midas — astride on his hoverchair — arrives and reminds Morgan that he promised that Tony Stark could be liquidated. This is all part of a scheme that would allow Morgan to take control of Stark Industries and transfer its wealth to Midas, who wishes to become the wealthiest man in the world. To demonstrate his disappointment, Midas uses the built-in weapons in his chair to torment Morgan. He then threatens to throw Morgan off the sheer cliff at the edge of his hideout if his plans are delayed any further.

Meanwhile, Iron Man wakes up in the Nevada desert and discovers that he arrived at the location where he left his attaché case during his battle with the Unicorn and the Red Ghost. He then races back to New York where he changes back into Tony Stark. When he arrives at Stark Industries, he notices the staff acting weird. He wonders why until he enters his office and finds another Tony Stark sitting at his desk. Tony instantly recognizes this impostor as the LMD he previously used to maintain his secret identity. He is shocked to discover that the android has co-opted his life. He races for a hidden weapon but the LMD has put on a spare suit of armor and blasts Tony with its repulsor rays. Calling in security, the LMD then orders them to throw out the “impostor”, taking satisfaction over the fact that he has thoroughly taken over Tony’s life.

With his attaché case confiscated, Tony is tossed out of the planet. He then discovers how thoroughly the LMD has taken over his life. His attempts to withdraw money from the bank only to discover the android cut him off from his fortune. Attempting to buy a new suit to replace the tattered one he is wearing he also discovers that his credit card has been cut off. Going to Avengers Mansion for help, Tony is refused entry by Jarvis because his impostor changed the security password. Wandering in the rain, Tony wonders what he is going to do next when suddenly he starts to feel pain in his heart as his chest plane is running low on power. He is forced to open the hood of a parked car and use the battery to boost his power supply. His tampering is seen with the car and the owner calls the police. To get away from the cops, Tony tosses the live jumper cable at them and makes a run for it.

As Tony flees the scene, Madame Masque drops down from the sky from an aircraft and gasses Tony and takes him prisoner.

Recurring Characters

Iron Man, Tony Stark LMD, Mordecai Midas, Madame Masque, Morgan Stark, Janice Cord, Alex Niven, Edwin Jarvis

Continuity Notes

1. This LMD was used in Iron Man #9-11 to protect his secret identity. It was later stored in his private vault after it served its purpose.

2. What Alex is building is a secret here. It is later revealed in Iron Man #21 that he is building a new suit of Crimson Dynamo armor.

3. It is revealed in issue #19 that Madame Masque is Whitney Frost, former leader of the Maggia. Her face was horribly scarred after her escape craft crashed in the swamps of the Florida Everglades. See Iron Man #7-8 and 12.

Topical References

• At the bank, Tony tries to prove his identity by signature to have a teller refute it. This should be considered topical since banks have many different ways to verify someone’s identity that are much more secure than comparing a signature.

• Likewise, when Tony tries to pay for his suit with a credit card, it is referred to as a “charge card”, which is what they were called back in the 1960s.

• The people who spot Tony tampering with their car are watching the “Late Late Show” which, at the time this was published, no such show existed (the real-life Late, Late Show debuted in 1995) However, the guest on the show is an actress named Myrna Loy. This should be considered topical since she died in 1993.