Iron Man #105
Every Hand Against Him!
Tony Stark has a dream where he is a young boy wandering the woods. He comes across the injured body of Iron Man and comes to his aid when he pleads with the boy to get his mask off. Tony pries it open and is shocked to see his adult self under the armor and refuses to accept this reality. That’s when Tony’s parents — Howard and Maria Stark — appear and assure the boy that he will become Iron Man. As they lead the younger Tony away, the adult pleads for his parents to stay and help him. The decline to help, telling Tony that he made his life that he was always alone, and that they had died before they had a chance to teach Tony a different way.[1] Tony’s parents tell his younger self to open up to other people and let them into his isolated world and ask for help. Suddenly, the Stark parents disappear and are replaced by Midas who tells young Tony that they will be together forever.
Tony Stark wakes up screaming, prompting Madame Masque — who has been staying with Tony at the Stark family mansion — to check on him. He tells her about his dream and she, mirroring his parents in the dream, tells him that she will be there for him. Tony admits that after his recent trials — the loss of Stark International to Midas, and his recent clash with longtime friend Jasper Sitwell — have left him unsure of himself.[2] Needing people by his side more than ever, Tony says he will never keep anything from Whitney. As he says this he is opening the attaché case where he keeps his Iron Man armor, the one thing that has kept his past relationships at arm’s length.
Meanwhile, Jack of Hearts is trying to find a way to help liberate Stark International when he spots a mental projection of Iron Man that directs him to fly into a nearby apartment window. There he finds NYPD detective Jean DeWolff, the Guardsman, the Wraith, and Eddie March. All of them have been helped by Iron Man in the past and are seeking allies to help take back Stark International from Midas.[3] The meeting is interrupted by SHIELD director Nick Fury, and the agency’s former liaison to Stark International, Jasper Sitwell. Fury has an interest in liberating Tony Stark’s company from Midas because it is a national security threat. As Midas acquired the company legally, he is offering covert assistance to this group to help defeat Midas. With Iron Man’s lack of involvement and concern that Madame Masque might influence the outcome of the coming conflict, Fury assigns Jasper to investigate things further. Still upset over Whitney Frost choosing Iron Man over him, Jasper agrees but declines to explain to Fury why he is so jittery over all this.[4]
Back at the Stark estate, Tony and Whitney enjoy some horseback riding and Tony admits that he is enjoying the unexpected tranquility that has come in the aftermath of Midas’ hostile takeover. He confides in Whitney, telling her how his father was a ruthless businessman who discouraged Tony’s interest in science, and how his life of material wealth always seemed boring to him. As they arrive back at the mansion the priority phone begins to ring. Tony is about to answer it when it stops and he dismisses any urgency it might have had, thinking it was probably Jarvis or the Avengers checking up on him.
In reality, the call has come from the former Stark International building by Abe Klein. He is on the run from the robotic drones Midas built out of Tony’s spare suits of Iron Man armor. Klein tries to run from them but they surround him. They are joined by Midas who reminds Klein that he is still indebted to him. As it turns out, Abe had been the one leaking designs and shareholder information to Midas that assisted in his take-over of Stark International. That is because Midas claims to have information about Abe’s wife and daughter who have been missing for over 30 years.[5] Desperately wanting to know what happened to his family, Abe gives in promising to tell Midas everything he wants to know.
Later that evening, Iron Man and Madame Masque are trying to figure out their next move, little knowing they are being watched from outside. The Wraith and Guardsman are peeping in through the window. The Wraith uses his telepathic powers to learn Iron Man’s secret identity and uses his powers to make Tony think that the portraits of his parents are talking to him in an effort to get him to fight. When this fails, the pair force their way inside leading to a battle with Iron Man. When Madame Masque tries to help, she is ambushed by Jean DeWolff and Eddie March but she quickly breaks free from their grasp. That’s when Jasper gets the drop on Whitney with his gun drawn. He then tells Iron Man that he has a choice: Help liberate Stark International from Midas, or Madame Masque will be arrested and thrown into prison.
As Iron Man weighs his options, Marianne Rodgers steps off a train on Long Island. When one of the attendants offers to get her a cab, Marianne tells him that she’s fine with walking. Curious as to why nobody else has disembarked from the train, the attendant looks inside and is shocked to discover that everyone on board are in a catatonic state.[6]
Recurring Characters
Iron Man, Midas, Jack of Hearts, Madame Masque, Marianne Rodgers, Wraith, Guardsman, Eddie March, Jean DeWolff, Abe Klein, SHIELD (Nick Fury, Jasper Sitwell),
Continuity Notes
Some fact about Howard and Maria Stark here:
This story refers to them as Tony’s biological parents, this has since been revealed as untrue. Iron Man (vol. 5) #17 reveals that Tony was actually adopted. His real parents are identified as SHIELD agents Amanda Armstrong and Jude in International Iron Man #5-7.
Howard and Maria state that they have been dead for years, but don’t provide details of their demise here. Iron Man #288 reveals that they died in a car accident.
Midas took over Stark International in Iron Man #103, while the battle with Jasper took place last issue.
Iron Man’s past relationships with these individuals are complicated:
Eddie March was a boxer who was forced into retirement due to blood clots in his brain. Tony Stark briefly had March take over as Iron Man until his health condition was revealed in Iron Man #20-21. He was later worked for Stark’s various charities as seen in issue #27. More recently, Eddie helped Iron Man battle Doctor Spectrum (#63-66) and was seriously injured. He underwent surgery in Iron Man #67, but was confined to a wheelchair. How Eddie is able to walk is not explained here, Iron Man #109 reveals that Eddie’s mobility was restored by a new medical technology developed by Stark.
Iron Man and Spider-Man helped Jean DeWolff investigate the Wraith, revealing that it was her brother Brian, whose catatonic body was being controlled by her father, Phillip to get revenge on those who wronged him. See Marvel Team-Up #48-51.
The Guardsman was once Kevin O’Brien, whose armor drove him mad and he died battling Iron Man in Iron Man #46. His brother, Michael accused Tony Stark of murdering Kevin and hounded him relentlessly starting in issue #82 and becoming the new Guardsman in issue #96. Tony eventually convinced him of the truth in Iron Man #99-100, after he rescued O’Brien from the Mandarin.
When she was the Maggia’s Big M, Whitney Frost attempted to seduce her way into the life of Tony Stark starting in Tales of Suspense #98. When this didn’t work she instead targeted Jasper. Jasper eventually fell in love with her and was devastated when he learned her true identity in Iron Man #8. Despite his conflicting emotions, Jasper hunted her down for some time, even after she became Madame Masque in issue #19.
This story states that Abe Klein was a Holocaust survivor who spent time in a Nazi concentration camp in Poland, and that his wife and daughter have been missing since 1939. The Sliding Timescale makes this impossible to reconcile without some form of special circumstances and, as of this writing (July 2021) Marvel has not provided an explanation. It’s my position that Abe’s Holocaust experience is a topical reference. I explain this in more detail in my summary for Iron Man #91 and #107.
Marianne Rodgers has telepathic powers and is quite insane. She was institutionalized between Iron Man #52 and 103.
Topical References
Telephones in this story are depicted as having rotary dials. This should be considered a topical reference because these types of phones are obsolete.
One of the advertisements on the train is for a brand of cigarettes. This should be considered a topical reference because cigarette advertising was banned around the time this story was published.