The Claws of the Slasher

In Washington, DC, two costumed mercenaries named Slasher and Demitirus are hiding out in an alley not far from the Capitol Building. Able to receive precognitive visions, Demitirus believes that a passing airplane poses a threat to their plans. Slasher, however, doesn’t believe it and tells Demitirus to shut up and let him work.

The plane in question is a private jet owned by Tony Stark who has been called to a meeting in Washington, DC. Accompanying him on the trip is Marianne Rodgers, the woman he has been dating recently. On the trip, Tony admits to himself that he has fallen in love with Marianne and wonders if he should finally push ahead and take their relationship to the next logical conclusion, marriage. However, he is reluctant to do so since his past relationships have all ended in tragedy.[1] Marianne on the other hand has accompanied Tony on this trip because she has been having strange premonitions of Tony being in danger. These warnings are somehow associated with Iron Man, making her distrustful of Tony’s alter-ego.

As their plane lands, the Slasher finishes the device he has been constructing and turns it on. This causes sonic waves that cause a observation deck at the airport to start crumbling. Racing back inside the plane, Tony changes into Iron Man and goes to save the people trapped on the collapsing balcony. While he saves lives, Iron Man quickly drains his batteries and cannot stop the deck from falling apart. Although their mission was a success, Demitirus is still concerned about his own premonitions. Slasher dismisses them and they report their success to their employer, the mysterious Mister Kline. Kline is annoyed that Iron Man has gotten involved and warns the pair to be wary of the Avenger as they carry out the next phase of their plan. Back at the airport, Iron Man asks Marianne for help back into the plane but she cannot bring herself to do so since she doesn’t trust Iron Man. Luckily, someone else is around to help him anyway.

Later that day, Tony Stark and his colleague Ben Crandal, owner of United Skyrise Incorporated have been called to answer questions of the Senate. One of the Senators, accuses the two businessmen of selling shoddy goods to the government after a few of Ben’s building and some of Tony’s weapons have fallen apart under mysterious circumstances. Both men deny these accusations but are told they will have a chance to answer to the allegations when they are brought up for questioning.

Meanwhile, Marianne is waiting for Tony in her hotel room when she is suddenly struck be another premonition. This time she sees a vision of Iron Man standing between the Slasher and Demitirus holding Tony Stark in his arms. She doesn’t know what the vision means but fears that Iron Man might do something to harm Tony.

At that same moment, Slasher and Demitirus train their device on the Capitol Building, causing it to start shaking apart. As Tony rushes off to change into Iron Man, the Senator working against him accuses Stark, Crandal, and Iron Man for intentionally causing the damage to try and take attention away from the investigation. Meanwhile, Iron Man finds the real saboteurs and attacks them. By this time, Dimitrius has been fighting interference from Marianne Rodger’s precognitive power, but Iron Man’s sudden arrival allows him to undergo a strange transformation. Growing in size, Dimitrius also sprouts claws from his forehead, catching Iron Man off guard. As the battle rages, the mysterious Mister Kline reports to his master to inform him everything is going according to plan.[2]

With Iron Man nearing defeat, Demitirus then turns his powers against Slasher for the constant harassment he received since they started working together. That’s when Marianne Rodgers — drawn by her own visions of the future — arrives at the scene. Her mental powers interfere with those of Demitirus, revealing that his other powers were nothing more than illusions. This allows Iron Man to easily take them out with some repulsor blasts. When Marianne suddenly collapses to the ground, Tony rushes to her side and wonders how he can have a future with Marianne with this kind of constant danger in his life.

Recurring Characters

Iron Man, Mr. Klein, Slasher, Demitirus, Marianne Rodgers, Baal

Continuity Notes

1. Tony is being somewhat dramatic since only one romance ended in tragedy. Past girlfriend include:

   • His former secretary Pepper Potts, who Tony had feelings for since Tales of Suspense #45. Tony competed for Pepper’s affections with his then bodyguard Happy Hogan. Hogan eventually won Pepper’s heart and the couple got married in Tales of Suspense #89.

   • Next there was Janice Cord, who Tony saw on and off after first meeting her in Iron Man #2. The two were getting serious again when she was tragically murdered by the Titanium Man in Iron Man #22.

   • While he and Janice were briefly on the outs, Tony had a brief affair with Madame Masque in Iron Man #19. However, she recently revealed to Iron Man that she has feelings for Jasper Sitwell in Iron Man #36, quashing any hopes Tony had for continued romance.

2. Mr. Klein’s master is actually a super-computer called Baal. The pair come from a distant future. Klein was sent to the past to ensure certain events came to pass, such as making Daredevil partner with the Black Widow, see Daredevil #79-84. What Klein and Baal are trying to accomplish is never really explained. Their future exists as an alternate reality, the Daredevil entry in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #3 identifies it as Reality-71778.