Pieces of Hate

Whiplash, Blizzard, and the Melter are in the middle of robbing an Atlantic City casino when they are interrupted by Iron Man. The Avenger suddenly finds himself bombarded on both sides by the Melter’s heat ray and Blizzard’s freeze ray. As Whiplash prepares to shatter Iron Man’s armor with his whip, he is shot at by Bethany Cabe — Tony Stark’s date — who came out packing a gun. This creates enough a distraction for Iron Man to get free and take down both Blizzard and the Melter. Although disarmed by Blizzard’s ice, Bethany is able to knock out Whiplash with a broken table leg. How she handles herself in battle renders Iron Man speechless as Cabe chastises him for being a lousy bodyguard to Tony Stark. Unable to tell Beth that he is Tony Stark, Iron Man departs to change back to his alter-ego. When Tony comes back moments later, he figures the evening has been ruined. However, since this is a hotel-casino, Beth suggests they spend the night.

The following morning, when Tony returns to the office with Bethany, his secretary — Ms. Arbogast — is unhappy to see that the pair were out all night.[1] When Arbogast tells Tony that Jim Rhodes is making a full recovery, Tony decides to celebrate that evening and invites Bethany to attend. She declines, telling Tony that she has a bodyguard gig for the Carnelian Ambassador. That’s when Arbogast and Arthur Pithins — another Stark employee — tell Tony that he needs to sign off on Iron Man to attend that same event as the Ambassador is a huge fan and is seeking to pen a deal with Stark International for an exclusive contract. After kissing Beth goodbye, Tony goes into his office with Pithins. Arthur is a little surprised that Tony is pouring himself a drink at 9:30 in the morning.[2] With Pithins dealt with, Iron Man then looks into SHIELD’s efforts to buy controlling stock in his company.[3] He checks on the remaining shareholders and discovers that there are two shares that SHIELD hasn’t bought and he is pleased to know that this person will never sell.[4]

Tony then gets to work on some new designs, drinking brandy laced coffee as he works. However, he discovers that he cannot focus on the task. Getting frustrated, Stark decides to get some fresh air as Iron Man. Flying across the city, he discovers a broken down car in the middle of the highway. Offering his assistance, the Avenger carries the car to the side of the road and makes repairs to the engine before sending the driver and her children on their way. As Iron Man is being a Good Samaritan, he doesn’t suspect that rival business man Justin Hammer is plotting against him. His lead technician, Phillip Barnett tells him that their past attempts at co-opting control of Iron Man’s armor have all been a success.[5] Pleased, Hammer begins his next big scheme to bring Stark International to its knees.

Later that day, Iron Man arrives at the UN Building where he is swarmed by the press who are interested in learning more about Stark International’s pending contract with the Carnelian government. He is quickly ushered into the building by Pithins who — unaware that Iron Man is Tony Stark — speaks down to the hero. He soon meets with Ambassador Sergei Kotznin, who bashfully asks Iron Man for an autograph. While Iron Man is given a warm reception from Kotznin, Bethany Cabe is rather frosty with the Avenger since she thinks he isn’t doing a good job protecting Tony Stark. Soon, Iron Man and Kotznin pose for a photo-op before getting down to business. Watching this remotely, Justin Hammer orders his men to initiate the final part of his plan. Suddenly, Iron Man’s respulsor ray goes off, blasting a hole through the Ambassador, killing him instantly. This sudden death comes as a horrific shock to everybody — Iron Man included — because it looks like he just murdered a government official in cold blood.

Recurring Characters

Iron Man, Justin Hammer, Blizzard, Melter, Whiplash, Bethany Cabe, Bambi Arbogast, Arthur Pithins, Phillip Barnett

Continuity Notes

1. Bambi Arbogast’s full name is not given here. Her first name is revealed in Iron Man #137.

2. Do I need to tell you this is part of Tony’s path to full blown alcoholism? It blows up in his face in Iron Man #128.

3. Iron Man #119 revealed that SHIELD has been trying to get control of Stark International to force it back into the weapons manufacturing business, something the company steered away from back in issue #46.

4. This shareholder is Jarvis, the Avengers long time butler, as we’ll learn in issue #128.

5. Justin Hammer has been remotely hacking Iron Man’s armor, causing it to malfunction on three occasions: Causing his uni-beam to go off in Iron Man #118, his life-support systems in issue #120, and his jet boots last issue.

Topical References

• Tony suggests that they celebrate Jim’s recovery at “21”. He is referring to Club 21 a long running New York restaurant that had been around for almost 100 years. It’s reference here should be considered topical, particularly since the business shut down in March 2021, a victim of the Covid-19 pandemic. This is a great example why you should always consider 99% of real world references should be considered topical even if they still exist because they can and will eventually become outdated, sometimes when you least expect it.