This Doomed Land — This Dying Sea!

Now

Tony Stark plays a public service announcement about the effects of pollution on the environment. In it, Iron Man holds a dead woman in her arms and blames it on the toxic pollution and that it will eventually wipe out all life on Earth. It ends with a plea to stop this disasters course before it is too late.

The gathered business men dismiss the urgency of the video, saying they are not philanthropists like Stark and its not their concern. Tony says it is a very real concerns and relates to them something that happened just recently….

Earlier

The Sub-Mariner was swimming through the oceans one day when he came upon a bunch of dead fish floating in the water, caused by toxic chemicals that are being pumped into the waters.[1] Furious that the surface dwellers are poisoning his home, Namor collapses some rocks on the pipe, closing it off and then heads for the surface to destroy whatever is responsible.

On nearby Meridian Island, Tony Stark has arrived to oversee the work being done there by scientist Blane Ordway. Blane has been using Tony’s money to increase the size of his production facility, tearing down much of the greenery on the island. He makes passing comment about how he has been cutting costs to fast-track his latest project. Tony is concerned about the amount of pollution the facility is generating but Blane assures him that it will worth it once his new Solar Energy Converter has completed charging as it will be able to power the entire island and create zero emissions. That’s when Blane’s fiancé, June Duncan, comes rushing in to tell him that something has blocked the emission pipes and the toxic fumes are spreading across the island. When they race to check this out, the air is already being choked with fumes, but Blane assures Tony that it’s not that dangerous.

That’s when the Sub-Mariner emerges from the water and announces that he is going to destroy the island facility in order to stop it from poisoning the ocean. While everyone is watching the attack, Tony slips away to change into Iron Man in the hopes he can convince Namor to stop attacking so they can work out a solution together. Unfortunately, the Atlantean monarch is too enraged to listen to reason and battles it out with Iron Man. When they are both knocked into the ocean, Iron Man fears that he won’t be able to stop Namor in his native element.[2] In the ensuing clash, the exhaust pipes are shattered and Iron Man is horrified to see that Blane did not install the filtration units like he was supposed to, all in the race to complete his invention.

Needing to stop Namor’s attack so he can shut things down, Iron Man pulls his opponent into the air. There he battles the Sub-Mariner until the Atlantean is weak enough to restrain with metal girders. Back on the ground, Blane is told that the exhaust from charging the solar converter is what is making the air unbreathable on the island. Trying to dismiss the danger, Blane quickly realizes that things are serious when Donna suddenly collapses due to her prolonged exposure to the toxic air. When Iron Man arrives and explains that the Solar Collector has to be destroyed, Blane is eventually made to agree and begins helping get his staff to the bomb shelters where they will be safe until the danger passes.

Iron Man then frees the Sub-Mariner and explains the situation. The pair then combine their strength to lift a massive chunk of rock from the ocean floor. They then lift it into the air and drop it back into the water causing a massive tidal wave that destroys the facility allowing the toxic smoke to dissipate. However, the day ends in tragedy as Iron Man discovers that Blane tried to shut down the converter on his own and, unprotected from the toxic smoke, died from breathing it in….

Now

… At Tony concludes his story, he says there is still time for businesses to change their way, saying the next few decades of constant pollution could affect life on a global scale. The other men dismiss this as just a crackpot theory, saying that to change now will be too costly. As the last man walks out he suggests that things will sort themselves and they have plenty of time to do so. Tony closes his eyes, uncertain that they have that time to spare.

Recurring Characters

Iron Man, Sub-Mariner

Continuity Notes

1. Namor mentions how he stopped an earlier chemical dumping. That happened in Sub-Mariner #25.

2. Iron Man recounts the last time he fought Namor underwater. This was in Tales to Astonish #82.