A Long Time Gone

Tony Stark is sitting in his office reflecting on all the changes that have happened in his life since the shrapnel in his heart led to him becoming Iron Man.[1][2] His opinions on a lot of things have changed, particularly when it comes to the direction of his business, Stark International. For the longest time, Tony was an unquestioning patriot and his company built weapons for the recent conflict happening in South East Asia.[3] A lot has changed since then and he thinks back to when his way of thinking started to change….

…. Iron Man had arrived in Vietnam to oversee the implementation of Stark Industries new artillery cannon. There he is welcomed by the troops and their commander Major Al Stargrom. When the Major explains their plan to use spy satellites to target an enemy camp, Iron Man questions the plan’s murky legality. Stargrom justifies the move, saying that the communists they are fighting break international law all the time and he is just trying to level the playing field, hence why the United States is disavowing their mission should anything goes wrong.

That’s when a shot rings out and hits Major Stargrom, killing him instantly. In the ensuing fire fight, Iron Man is caught in a missile barrage that also destroys Stark’s new weapon. The force of being sandwiched between two explosions knocks the hero out for many hours. When he wakes up it is the middle of the night and when he returns to the American camp he discovers that everyone has been slaughtered by enemy forces. With his batteries running low, Iron Man lucks out when he is able to use the battery of a wrecked jeep to recharge his armor. However, the sudden jolt of electricity knocks Tony out until drawn.

When he wakes up, Iron Man finds only more death. When a young Vietnamese boy suddenly begins firing at him, the Avenger takes out his anger on his attacker. He quickly realizes that the boy isn’t part of the enemy forces, but blind and frightened. All the boy wants to do is get back to his home, so Iron Man agrees to help the boy. They come across a village and discover the people there have been slaughtered. Horrified by this senseless loss of life, Iron Man uses his repulsor rays to create a massive grave for the dead. He then carves the word “WHY” into the ground as a monument to the senseless deaths.

Iron Man then continued to carry the boy back to his home and begins to try over the horrors that he has witnessed….

… As Tony concludes his recollection he reminds himself that he has changed a lot in the years since this tragic incident. While he always wanted to do the right thing he knows that his previous actions were steeped in ignorance. Changing into Iron Man, Tony pledges to forever avenge the lives of those who lost them through the ignorance of others, or die trying.

Recurring Characters

Iron Man

Continuity Notes

1. Chronologically, the present day parts of this story happen in-between the events of Iron Man #74 (between pages 6 & 7) while the flashback takes place between Tales of Suspense #52 and 53.

2. Tony Stark recounts the origins of Iron Man as they were told in Tales of Suspense #39. Here he says it “doesn’t seem all that long ago”. Per the Sliding Timescale, Tony has been Iron Man for about 4 years at the time of this story. Tony later underwent surgery in Iron Man #19 to remove the shrapnel and replace the damaged parts of his heart with synthetic implants.

3. Tony mentions how Stark International got out of the weapon’s business. He made this decision in Iron Man #48.

Topical References

• This story frames itself as happening during the Vietnam War. This should be considered a topical reference. Per History of the Marvel Universe #2, present-tense references to the Vietnam War in Modern Age stories have been replaced with the Sin-Cong Conflict.