Doomprayer!

Iron Man and his girlfriend Marianne Rodgers are prisoners of Mikas, aka the Soulfather. Mikas is an operative of the mysterious Mister Klein and has been charged with destroying the hero. Despite the fact that his power is running low, putting his heart at risk, Iron Man manages to break free from his shackles. However, Mikas — who can apparently channel power from the Earth itself — blasts Iron Man’s arm, melting away some of his armor.

Meanwhile, back in New York City, Kevin O’Brien is concerned that he has not heard back from Tony Stark. Using a tracking device he determine that Iron Man is still somewhere in Washington, DC. Fearing that his employer is in trouble, Kevin puts on a suit of armor he and Tony designed together and takes off in a specially prepared ship to mount a rescue mission.

Back in Washington, Ben Crandal is filled with remorse over turning Iron Man over to the government to get out of trouble over allegations that he built shoddy buildings.

While below the city, Mikas carries the weakened Iron Man over to a nearby pit of lava. The hero tries to call out to Marianne Rodgers, but she has somehow been enslaved by Mikas and does nothing but shed a tear for the conquered hero. After Mikas tosses Iron Man into the pit, Mister Klein appears and gloats over his victory and reminds Mikas that he is nothing more than a pawn.[1]

However, this is not the end of Iron Man, who manages to activate his jet boots and fly to safety. Even though his power supply is running dangerously low, the hero continues to fight back against Mikas. Defeated again, Iron Man pleads with Marianne to help him. His words finally begin to get through to her and when she questions Mikas’ commands he slaps her across the face. This causes her to break free from his control and she goes to Iron Man’s side. Furious, Mister Klein orders Mikas to stop fooling around and kill the hero, Klein also reveals that he’s not actually human but a sophisticated android. Intending to finish the job, Mikas uses his power to transform the nether realm around them into a massive palace.

He then summons two massive warriors he calls the Dark Ones and orders them to toss Iron Man and Marianne into a pit to be eaten by a massive reptile called the Doomprayer. With no other choice, Iron Man turns the last of his power to unleash a powerful repulsor blasts that destroys his enemies. With his power completely drained, Iron Man collapses to the floor as his heart begins to give into the strain. Luckily, Kevin O’Brien arrives on the scene, drilling through the city street with his ship to get to his friends. As he loads up Iron Man and Marianne and takes off, he assesses the scene and tells Iron Man that the battle took place in an elaborate set and that Mikas was apparently a robot. When Iron Man collapses again, Kevin blasts off to get his boss back to Stark Industry for help.

Recurring Characters

Iron Man, Soulfather, Marianne Rodgers, Guardsman, Mr. Kline

Continuity Notes

1. Mr. Klein comes 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.

The Black Knight Strikes

This story is a reprint of the Giant-Man story from Tales to Astonish #52.