Iron Man #120
The Old Man and the Sea Prince!
Tony Stark is on a flight back to the United States. He tries to take the edge off by having a few martinis on the flight.[1] This is because Tony has been under a great deal of stress after learning that SHIELD has been actively trying to get controlling stock of Stark International in order to force the company back into munitions. Tony sees this as a betrayal since his old friend Nick Fury is behind the plot.[2] It’s a peaceful flight until a tank suddenly flies up from the ground and takes out one of the wings. This causes the plan to plummet from the sky. Rushing to the washroom to change into Iron Man, Tony pushes out another traveler who finds his urgency rude.[3]
Quickly changing into Iron Man, Tony goes outside and uses his jet boots to helps the airliner make a safe water landing. He then begins helping the passengers onto life rafts until a number of military boats arrive on the scene to give the passengers a life to the mainland. Iron Man wants to know why and how one of their tanks was thrown into the air and is taken back to the military outpost on a nearby island to speak with the commanding officer in charge. The head of this military unit explains that the military has been using the island to dump toxic waste without issue for years until just a few days ago. They had discovered an elderly man named Hiram Dobbs had set up a dwelling on the island. When they tried to remove Dobbs from the island, for his own safety, they were suddenly attacked by Namor the Sub-Mariner.[4] It was during this clash that Namor threw one of their tanks into the air. When asked for assistance, Iron Man agrees to help deal with Namor. After the Avenger takes off to find the Sub-Mariner, the “soldiers” hope that this situation gets dealt with before Iron Man learns the truth of their operation.[5] Iron Man quickly finds the Hobbs farm and the Sub-Mariner. This leads to a clash between the pair. As they are fighting on the land, Iron Man has the advantage until Hiram Dobbs picks up one of the soldier’s weapons and shoots Iron Man. This causes the Avenger to land in the nearby ocean, Namor’s native environment.
Fifteen minutes earlier, Bethany Cabe has arrived at Stark International to meet up with Tony Stark. With Tony away on business, she strikes up a conversation with Rhodes, Tony’s personal pilot. Jim talks about how he and Tony go way back to the last war.[6] Their conversation is interrupted by Ms. Arbogast, Tony’s secretary, who tells Rhodes how Tony’s plane went down in the Atlantic.[7] Rhodes heads to a jetcopter to help search for their missing employer, with Bethany tagging along.
Back at sea, Iron Man continues to fight against Namor and is confident he can beat the Atlantean monarch as long as his armor’s breathing apparatus continues to operate. At that very moment, on a remote villa, a man named Hammer is informed by his technicians that their first test was a success. Hammer orders them to move forward to the next phase of their operation. Moments later, Iron Man is shocked to discover the water tight seal in his mask has opened, causing his armor to rapidly flood and sink to the ocean floor.[8]
Recurring Characters
Iron Man, Sub-Mariner, Justin Hammer, Jonas Hale, Bethany Cabe, Jim Rhodes, Phillip Barnett, Hiram Dobbs, Uranus Bliss (unidentified)
Continuity Notes
This is another sign of Tony’s growing problem with alcohol. This comes to a head in Iron Man #128.
Stark International moved away from weapons manufacturing back in Iron Man #46. The SHIELD conspiracy to buy stock in Stark International was revealed over the course of Iron Man #117-119.
While appearing to be a one off character used for comic relief, this woman is actually Uranus Bliss. We learn her name and that she is the sister of Bambi Arbogast — Tony’s secretary — in Iron Man #137.
A footnote here reminds readers that Namor was last seen in Doctor Strange #32. This is true in terms of publication history. However, chronologically, he previously appeared in flashbacks from Defenders #119 and Alias #25-26.
These guys aren’t soldiers, they’re actually operatives of the Roxxon Oil Company this and the name of their leader — Jonas Hale — is all revealed next issue.
Jim states that he and Tony met in Vietnam. This was originally meant to mean the Vietnam War. However, per History of the Marvel Universe #2, all Modern Age reference to the Vietnam War made in the present tense have since changed to the Sin-Cong Conflict, which involved Vietnam. Their first meeting will be told in Iron Man #144, which reveals that Rhodes was the one who found Tony after he built his first suit of Iron Man armor circa Tales of Suspense #39. Also, Jim’s full name is not given until issue #122.
Ms. Arbogast’s full name is not given here. It’s revealed to be Bambi in Iron Man #137.
Ladies and gentlemen, Mister Justin Hammer. The first phase of the test was making Iron Man’s uni-beam suddenly turn on in Iron Man #118. What they are doing is hacking into Iron Man’s armor to ultimately undercut a Stark International business deal in Iron Man #124. Hammer’s full name and the name of his assistant are not given here. Justin Hammer’s first name is identified in Iron Man #124, and Phillip Barnett’s name is given in issue #126.
Topical References
On the opening splash page, a flight attendant is depicted holding copies of Time Magazine and Newsweek. Their depictions here should be considered topical as they are real-world publications.
Also, this story states that Tony is flying in a Boeing 747. While these aircraft are still in use, the final versions of this aircraft will be completed in 2022 as Boeing is discontinuing this model and eventually the remaining fleet will be retired.
In a flashback, Tony is depicted as going over data stolen from SHIELD on a ribbon strip of paper with holes punched in it. This was a fairly common means of storing computer data back in the early days of computers. This is laughably dated now and should be considered a topical reference.
Also dated: the Roxxon operatives posing as the military are depicted as using PT Boats. These have long Fast Attack Craft or FACs.
As stated above, all references to the Vietnam War in this story should be considered topical and have since been replaced with the Sin-Cong Conflict per History of the Marvel Universe #2.