The Replacement

Eddie March is a professional boxer who earned the nickname “Iron Man” after the super-hero due to his inability to quit a fight. During a match against the Hammer, Eddie beings to feel a strange pain in his head, but refuses to give up on the match. Eventually, he lands a knock out punch that wins him the match. Watching from the stands are Tony Stark and Happy Hogan. Tony is concerned about the constant stress of being Iron Man will cause his body to reject the synthetic parts that were recently used to repair his damaged heart and is now looking for an ideal candidate to replace him.

In the locker room, Eddie is examined by a doctor who tells him that he has to quit boxing due to the formation of blood clots in his brain, as another shot to the head could kill him. This upsets Eddie, but realizing he has no other choice announces to the press that he is retiring from boxing, but doesn’t explain why. He then meets with Tony and Happy and, unaware of Eddie’s health condition, begins considering March as a replacement.

Driving home that night, Tony Stark passes by the factory owned by Janice Cord. He hasn’t seen much of her recently since she took on a new inventor named Alex Nevin and considers paying her a visit. When he hears screams from inside the factory, Tony quickly changes into Iron Man to investigate. Inside, he finds Janice apparently being terrorized by a new Crimson Dynamo. Attacking this armored foe, Iron Man learns that whoever is under the armor once considered Ivan Vanko — the original Dynamo — a friend and blames the hero for his death.[2] Due to his hesitancy, Iron Man is too slow to stop the Crimson Dynamo from escaping. Realizing the fear of his own mortality is affecting his fighting ability, Iron Man takes off without another word. By this time, the Crimson Dynamo — actually Alex Nevin — retreats to his lab. Considering this first test of his abilities to be a success, Nevin stashes the Crimson Dynamo armor in a secret storage space.

Returning to Stark Industries, Tony reveals to Happy that he is planning retiring as Iron Man and how he is considering recruiting Eddie March to take over.[3] Hearing Tony’s suggestion, Happy completely agrees with his choice. Tony then pays a visit to Eddie March who happily accepts his offer to be the new Iron Man. Eddie then undergoes training to bring him to his physical peak and to be able to pilot the Iron Man armor. With the sudden free time, Tony Stark begins going on dates with Janice Cord again. This makes Alex Nevin jealous and he vows to get revenge as the Crimson Dynamo.

The following morning, Eddie March gets his first call to action as Iron Man. Alerted to a smuggling operation at an abandoned pier organized by one of Iron Man’s enemies, March (as Iron Man) arrives and attacks the men offloading a massive crate from the boat. The new Iron Man is then ambushed by the Crimson Dynamo who is seeking a rematch, although unaware that there is a different man in the armor. During the fight, the winch supporting the massive crate breaks and it falls into the waters below. Soon the battle begins taking its toll on Eddie March, who begins getting a headache and blurred vision from the repeat blows to the head.

Tony Stark tries in vein to contact Eddie when he suddenly gets a call from his doctor, who tells Tony all about the blood clots in Eddie’s brain. Realizing that March could die, Tony races to the rescue. While back on the pier Eddie continues to fight even though he in a great deal of pain, refusing to give up the fight even if it kills him.

Recurring Characters

Iron Man, Crimson Dynamo, Eddie March, Happy Hogan, Janice Cord, Titanium Man (unidentified)

Continuity Notes

1. Tony had lived with shrapnel in his heart for years after getting caught in an explosion in Tales of Suspense #39. He underwent surgery in Iron Man #19 to repair his damaged heart.

2. Ivan Vanok was the original Crimson Dynamo, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #46. Iron Man convinced him to defect from Russia and work for Stark Industries. He later died defending Iron Man in issue #52 of that series.

3. Some facts about Happy here: He’s known Iron Man’s secret identity since Tales of Suspense #70. He mentions how he once took Iron Man’s place in issue #84. Tony rejects choosing Happy to take his place since he just recently married Pepper Potts in issue #89.

Topical References

• The reporters in this story are depicted as using old cameras that were commonly used in the late 60s. This should be considered a topical reference as these models are long obsolete.