The Red Rage of the Red Ghost

Tony Stark has been nabbed by the Red Ghost’s Super-Apes while attending a charity party. Posing as Iron Man, Happy Hogan tires to prevent his boss from being captured only to be sent falling to the ground from the roof of Tony’s penthouse. The fall knocks Happy out and when he wakes up it as Pepper is sending away medics. Happy is sore but insists that he is fine. Pepper’s concerns are interrupted when Michael O’Brien comes knocking. O’Brien is a police detective who is convinced that Tony Stark murdered his brother, Kevin.[1] He has dismissed this kidnapping as a staged even to throw him off the trail. When Pepper refuses to entertain Michael’s insane theory, he vows to bring Tony Stark to justice. After Michael leaves, Happy struggles to stay on his feet, prompting Pepper to demand he see a doctor right away.

Meanwhile, Tony has been brought to the Red Ghost’s hideout where he is shocked to discover that the Russian scientist is trapped in an immaterial form.[2] Kragoff has kidnapped Tony after his hired men failed to steal the plans for Stark International’s Cosmitronic Cannon, a device Ivan believes can restore his corporeal form. He now demands that Tony use his lab to build a version of the device from scratch. After examining the equipment, Tony says it is inadequate to do what is asked and the proper tools needed can only be found at Stark International. The Red Ghost agrees to take Tony there, but warns him against any treachery as his Super-Apes will kill him without hesitation.

Once they get past the security fence, Tony gets to work making modifications on the Cosmitronic Cannon. Although he succeeds in restoring the Red Ghost to normal, he also rigged up a smoke bomb that allows Stark to slip away and change into Iron Man. This leads to a clash with the Red Ghost and the Super-Apes. This time, the powerful simians are facing someone far more skilled and are easily defeated. Along against Iron Man, Kragoff tries to turn intangible despite Iron Man’s warnings. The Red Ghost is horrified to discover that the transition won’t stop and cannot maintain his cohesion and eventually fades away to nothing.[3] With the Red Ghost defeated, Iron Man puts a call in to SHIELD so they can collect the Super-Apes.

The next day when Tony shows up for work he fills in Pepper and Happy on what happened after his was kidnapped. Happy is glad he survived the experience but vows never to put on the Iron Man armor again. Assuring everyone he is fine, Hogan goes to leave but suddenly collapses to the floor.

Recurring Characters

Iron Man, Red Ghost, Super-Apes (Miklho, Peotor, Igor), Happy Hogan, Pepper Potts, Michael O’Brien

Continuity Notes

1. Kevin O’Brien was driven mad by his Guardsman armor and died in battle against Iron Man in issue #46. Michael has been trying to prove Tony murdered his brother since issue #82.

2. The Red Ghost has been trapped in this form since Defenders #8.

3. This is not the end of the Red Ghost, he will manage to pull his body back together and restore himself to a solid state in Fantastic Four #197.