Iron Man #80
Mission into Madness!
The War of the Super-Villains is now over and Firebrand is the victor. Accepting the Black Lama’s Golden Globe of Power, Firebrand finds himself forcibly being transported to the Black Lama’s home in another universe. Following the pair is Iron Man, who intends to bring Firebrand back to their own reality on behalf of his sister, Roxanne Gilbert.
As Iron Man travels through the dimensional gulf, he recounts how the Black Lama had staged a war between super-villains on Earth, leading to much death and destruction.[1]
The world they are traveling to is one where the continent of North America is a series of mini-states that represent a multitude of social and political forms. In the court of King Jerald, his daughter Princess Susan meets with the tribal council of the Nation of Menomonee when suddenly, the Golden Globe of Power appears in the middle of the room.[2] From it emerges both Firebrand and the Black Lama. Seeking to take over the throne in the Kingdom of Grand Rapids, Baron Rockler orders the guards that are loyal to him to slay the two intruders. Iron Man arrives shortly after the others and he and Firebrand find themselves having to fight side-by-side against the palace guards.
They manage to escape when Princess Susan opens a secret passage way for them to flee into. There, they recognize the Princess as the woman who telepathically communicated with them on Earth before they came here. The Black Lama is also with her and upon removing his mask, he tells Iron Man that they are on the same side.
The Lama reveals that he is the ruler of the Nation of Grand Rapids named King Jerold. He was given the crown after the last ruler was removed from rule due to certain improprieties. However, he could not handle the pressures of leadership and wanted to leave to gain new perspective. Using the Golden Globe of Power to travel to Iron Man and Firebrand’s world, he took on the guise of the Black Lama and hoped to gain new perspective through meditation. What he soon realized was that his presence on their world upset the cosmic balance and as a result was slowly being consumed by madness. He decided to start trying to find a replacement for leader of his world and began training disciples.[2] When this failed, he then turned his attention to super-humans, leading to his War of the Super-Villains. He also sought out a substitute to replace his daughter as well, finding a woman who is an acquaintance of Iron Man to fill this roll.[4] As his mind slipped further into madness he became more irrational when all he really wanted to do was return to his world and restore his sanity. For this, King Jerold apologizes.
Iron Man can hardly accept the apology after all the senseless violence. On the other hand, Firebrand intends to conquer this world and become its ruler. As Iron Man’s power supply is low, Firebrand manages to escape. This is of grave concern to the former Black Lama, who fears that Iron Man and Firebrand will soon fall victim to the same madness that plagued him when he was on their world.
Meanwhile, the Baroness Rockler is plotting her own scheme to overthrow not only King Gerald, but her husband as well. To this end, she has her chief scientist — Lord Professor Teller — unleash his Nulatrons and sends them to attack King Gerald and Iron Man. Iron Man makes short work of the robots and agrees to help King Gerald stop those who seek to overthrow his kingdom, not because he cares about this world’s politics, but he has to bring Firebrand back to Earth. As they begin planning, King Gerald keeps his concerns over Iron Man’s sanity a secret, hoping they can return the two visitors back to their proper place before they go completely insane.
Recurring Characters
Iron Man, Firebrand, Black Lama, Baron Rockler, Baroness Rockler, Princess Susan, Lord Professor Teller
Continuity Notes
The War of the Super-Villains was a surprisingly complex series of battles. The facts:
The first clash, between the Mandarin and Yellow Claw happened in Iron Man #68-71.
Here it is stated that the Mandarin died after that conflict. However, his mind was transferred into his ten power rings and he will return in Iron Man #98-100 when he takes possession of a new body.
Iron Man next fought the so-called “Death Squad” which consisted of Whiplash, the Melter and the Man-Bull in Iron Man #72.
The second battle between MODOK, the Mad Thinker, and Yellow Claw happened in Iron Man #74-77, ending with Firebrand winning the contest.
This alternate reality is designated Earth-7511 in the Marvel Legacy: The 1970s Handbook #1.
This training created Raga, whom Iron Man fought in Iron Man #52-53.
This woman is Marianne Rodgers who Tony started dating in Iron Man #36 through 46. He ended the relationship when her ESP powers made her highly irrational and she abandoned him when he needed help as Iron Man. Marianne later lost her mind in issue #52 and was institutionalized.
Topical References??
This story is definitely a product of the era in which it was published, with all the characters in the Black Lama’s universe being counterparts of real life politicians that were active in 1975. The Black Lama is intended to be Gerald Ford, Baron Rockler to be Nelson Rockefeller, Baroness Rockler to be Margaretta Rockafeller, Princess Susan to be Gerald Ford’s daughter Susan, while Professor Teller is inspired by Edward Teller, the man who helped invent the hydrogen bomb.
Would these references all be considered topical references? The connections that these characters have to real-life politicians is never referenced in stories but is made in Marvel Legacy: The 1970s Handbook and the Black Lama profile in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #1.
Although not implicitly stated in any handbooks, the fact that these references are made suggests that Reality-7511 might be a timeline that is fixed to a particular time-period rather than operating on a Sliding Timescale like that of Earth-616. The best examples of universes like this are Reality-148611 aka the “New Universe” which is locked into the 1980s.
I think it’s reasonable to assume that Reality-7511 — while vastly different than history in the real world or the Marvel Universe — is a reality set in the 1970s.