Triad

Midas has taken over Stark International and now has Iron Man as his prisoner. The villain then demonstrates his new found power which includes an exoskeleton that allows the obese criminal walk as well as the ability to turn anything he touches into solid gold. Just as he demonstrates this new power on Iron Man, Madame Masque wakes up and realizes that she was having a nightmare.

Although Midas has indeed taken over Stark International, Iron Man is alive and well, having retreated with her to the Stark family mansion. With nobody to help him, Tony is more determined than ever to take back what’s rightfully his and flies off into the night sky.

As Madame Masque worries that Tony is torturing himself too much when she is suddenly ambushed by Jasper Sitwell who has come to arrest her. As it turns out, Jasper had been watching Iron Man and Madame Masque since they first arrived here hours earlier. It was then that Iron Man revealed to Madame Masque that he is really Tony Stark, something she had deduced when they first faced Midas together. Jasper was unable to overhear any of this, but became deeply upset when he saw Iron Man and Madame Masque kissing due to the fact that he once loved Whitney Frost.[1] Unaware of what is happening back home, Iron Man wonders why he is going after Midas when he finally found true love, something he has longed for quite some time.[2]

While at Stark International, Abe Klein meets with Midas on behalf of the worker’s union. Klein tells him that they want him to honor the contracts that were in place prior to his hostile take over. Instead, Midas fires everyone on the spot and has the entire facility evacuated. Midas then uses his resources to tear everything down to rebuild a totally automated facility that is defended by robots built out of his stolen suits of Iron Man armor.[3] With the entire facility under his control, Midas then gloats how he will use Midas International to take over the world.

Not far away, the police are investigating the discovery of a body on Long Island Beach. Arriving on the scene is detective Michael O’Brien, who instantly recognizes Harry Key since he forced the crooked private-eye to try and help him ruin Tony Stark. He feels sorry for Harry who was a victim of his own madness, and reflects how he now owes Tony Stark his life. He decides that it might be time for the Guardsman to come out of retirement and bring Harry’s killer to justice.[4]

Meanwhile, Iron Man returns to his family mansion where he falls into an ambush laid out by Jasper Sitwell. Jasper is furious that Iron Man stole the woman he loves and attacks the Avenger. Furious over this betrayal, Sitwell intends to defeat Iron Man and then arrest Madame Masque for her past crimes as the leader of the Maggia. Surprisingly, Jasper holds his own against Iron Man until Whitney gets into the way. She points out that she isn’t some trophy to be fought over, but a human being with her own feelings. After reflecting about the emotions she has had for both Tony Stark and Jasper Sitwell, Whitney concludes that it is Iron Man she loves most and apologizes to Jasper, but she must follow her heart and be with whomever makes her happy.[5]

Jasper can’t bring himself to accept this as he feels like he has failed Tony Stark, Nick Fury, and the loss of the woman he loved is too much for him to bear. Utterly heart broken, Sitwell drops his gun and walks away wondering what he did that was so wrong. When Madame Masque begins to feel guilty, Iron Man flips up his helmet tells her not to think about it now and the couple kiss.

Elsewhere in the city, Jack of Hearts has flown off to find Tony Stark when he realizes that he doesn’t even know where to begin looking and decides to go back and get help when suddenly, something catches his eye.[6] While in the state of Connecticut, Marianne Rodgers walks down the road after being released from the mental health facility where she had spent the last few months. A motorist pulls over on the side of the road and offers to give her a ride. When the driver mentions that he is going to New York City, this conjures up memories of Tony Stark. This deeply upsets Marianne Rodgers who involuntarily unleashes a mental bolt that shuts down the Good Semaritan’s mind and then walks away.

Recurring Characters

Iron Man, Midas, Jack of Hearts, Madame Masque, Jasper Sitwell, Abe Klein, Michael O’Brien, Marianne Rodgers

Continuity Notes

1. There is a lot going on in this scene, so let’s break it down point-by-point:

   • Iron Man refers to Howard and Maria Stark as his parents. What he doesn’t know is that his is actually adopted. His biological parents were actually two SHIELD agents named Jude and Amanda Armstrong. See Iron Man (vol. 5) #17 and International Iron Man #5-7.

   • Tony states that Howard and Maria are dead but doesn’t give any details. Iron Man #288 reveals that they apparently died in a car accident.

   • Iron Man and Madame Masque previously fought Midas in Iron Man #19.

   • When Whitney Frost was the leader of the Maggia, she tried to seduce Tony Stark dating back to Tales of Suspense #98. When this didn’t work, she focused on Jasper Sitwell instead. Jasper legitimately fell in love with her and was devastated when her true identity was exposed in Iron Man #8. Whitney later became Madame Masque while on the run and as of issue #36 was still in love with Jasper herself.

2. Iron Man mentions his failed relationship with Marianne Rodgers here. The pair dated from Iron Man #36, with the pair getting engaged in issue #45. However, he called off the engagement when she abandoned him in issue #49. She subsequently lost her mind in Iron Man #52 and had been institutionalized until last issue.

3. Midas has been plotting to take over Stark International behind the scenes since he had Harry Key begin infiltrating the company to steal its secrets and spare suits of Iron Man armor back in Iron Man #88.

4. More drama here, so let’s break it down:

   • Michael O’Brien had been accusing Tony Stark of murdering his brother, Kevin, who died in a battle with Iron Man in Iron Man #46.

   • Michael hounded Tony from Iron Man #82 onward, forcing Harry Key into his schemes in issue #88.

   • Michael was driven mad by his brothers Guardsman armor in Iron Man #96.

   • He finally learned the truth when Tony Stark rescued him from the Mandarin, revealing his secret identity to Michael. See Iron Man #97-99.

5. Madame Masque recounts a number of events: Other battles not previously mentioned were Iron Man’s clashes with the Minotaur (issue #24), Spymaster (issue #36), and how she helped him defeat Sunfire (issue #98).

6. Jack witnesses an mental projection of Iron Man created by the Wraith, as we’ll learn next issue.