… And the Freak Shall Inherit the Earth!

Happy Hogan has once again been transformed into the Freak. This time the creature has also absorbed a great deal of cobalt energy, making him a ticking timebomb loose on New York City. Defeated in their last clash, Iron Man has been left on the Brooklyn Bridge. With his power drained, Tony borrows a bystanders portable radio to recharge his batteries to get moving. With his the circuits of his jet boots fused, Iron Man is forced to use his rocket skates to return to Stark International to make repairs.

Pepper is relieved that Tony is still alive but is still deeply concerned about her husband. Tony assures her that he’ll do whatever it takes to return Happy back to normal. Going into his private lab, Tony begins to work on a new upgraded suit of armor that de-polarizes into a fabric-like material to allow Tony to change into his alter-ego faster.[1]

As Tony finishes his work, Roxanne Gilbert barges into his office to speak with him. She is upset that she had to learn from the news that Tony was rescued from the Red Ghost. When Tony tries to explain that he has been tied up with Happy’s injuries, Roxanne refuses to listen and storm out. Waiting for a taxi outside, Roxanne is approached by Michael O’Brien. Michael is trying to prove that Tony Stark murdered his brother, Kevin.[2] Roxanne is about to turn down his offer for a ride but her curiosity gets the better of her. Watching Roxanne get into O’Brien’s car bothers Tony, but he can’t worry about it now with the Freak still on the loose.

With no time to lose, Tony activates the ultra-sonic signals in his wrist bands causing the armor under his clothes to polarize and cover his body, allowing him to change into Iron Man in a matter of seconds. Although this is his most advanced suit of armor ever, Tony reminds himself that it is less durable due to its thin armor shielding. Iron Man then begins using a radiation scanner to pin-point the Freak’s location. He is lead to the trainyard for the city subway system where the Freak has been hiding out.[3]

Another fight breaks out between the pair until Iron Man is able to use a newly built portable Enervator device to siphon the cobalt energy from the Freak’s body. Using the subway system’s third rail as a power source, Iron Man pulls this off causing the Freak to revert back to Happy Hogan. However, these energies are sucked up by the subway car that Iron Man is using for cover. After making sure Happy is okay, Iron Man then tosses the subway car out to sea where it harmlessly explodes. As Iron Man rushes Happy back to the hospital he can’t shake a sinking feeling that something worse is about to happen.

Recurring Characters

Iron Man, the Freak, Pepper Potts, Roxanne Gilbert, Michael O’Brien, Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Len Wein, Roy Thomas

Continuity Notes

1. Tony mentions how his spare suit was damaged while being worn by Happy. Happy posted as Iron Man at a party and took a noser off the top of a building trying to save Tony from the Red Ghost’s Super-Apes in Iron Man #82-83, the injuries he suffered led to his becoming the Freak last issue.

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

3. A Daily Bugle headline here reads “Daredevil Wanted for Murder”. This is a really old paper as Daredevil was framed for murder by the Jester back in Daredevil #44-46.

Topical References

• The scene on the bridge features a number of Marvel Comics creators including Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Len Wein, and Roy Thomas. Marvel Comics creators appearing in Modern Age stories are exempt from the usual rules of the Sliding Timescale when it comes to real life people appearing in stories. All Marvel creators exist in the Modern Age in the relative prime of their lives, often outliving their real-world counterparts (such as Jack Kirby and Stan Lee)

• There is a cigarette advertisement on one of the subway trains. This should be considered a topical reference as that type of advertising was made illegal in the 1970s.