Burn, Hero — Burn!

Iron Man is caught in an explosion at Stark International. After getting staff clear he puts out the flames.[1] This is yet another act of sabotage, leaving Iron Man to wonder who is targeting his company and why.[2] Once inside the privacy of his office, Iron Man changes out of his armor and begins to ponder the current crisis at hand.

This aren’t Tony’s only issues, as Abe Klein and Krissy Longfellow have reported back from court after a rival company made patent claims on designs that Tony has been working on.[3] It seems unlikely that this is a coincidence, leaving Tony to wonder if they are dealing with a mole in the company.

As Krissy and Abe pull onto the Brooklyn Bridge back to Long Island, they get stuck behind a military convoy that is suddenly attacked. Hearing the noise over the phone, Tony quickly changes into Iron Man and races to the scene. The attack on the convoy is caused by the Melter, who is seeking to steal the military’s new miniaturized nuclear weapons. He is prepared to deal with Iron Man with his brand new chest mounted melting ray.[4] After taking significant damage from this weapon, Iron Man is then knocked over the bridge and into the East River. Forced to dump his armor in order to prevent himself from sinking to the bottom and drowning, a naked Tony Stark is recovered from the river later that evening. The crew accept the flimsy excuse that Tony fell overboard his private yacht and agree to bring him back to shore.

Back in the city, Michael O’Brien goes over the material that Harry Key stole from Stark International. He is annoyed that none of the paperwork prove his belief that Tony Stark murdered his brother, Kevin, and covered it up.[3] Deciding that Harry is utterly useless, Michael decides to take matters into his own hands.

By this time, the Melter has retreated back to his hideout at a light house located at Montauk Point. There he contacts the military to give his ransom demands for the return of the nuclear weapons he stole. The deal is interrupted by the arrival of Iron Man, who appears to have come wearing his old golden armor.[5] when the Melter blasts Iron Man, he cleaves he hero’s arm right off. Still, Iron Man keeps pressing forward, even after the Melter blows off most of his limbs and head. When he totally destroys his advancing opponent, the Melter is furious to discover that he wasn’t fighting the real Iron Man, but a robot. While the Melter is distracted, the real Iron Man ambushes him from behind. In the ensuing battle, the Melter is knocked out a window and falls into the waves below.[6] With his foe defeated, Tony muses how he was able to trick his foe with a remote control suit of armor and using the Melter’s pathological hatred against him.

Recurring Characters

Iron Man, Melter, Abe Klein, Krissy Longfellow, Michael O’Brien, Harry Key

Continuity Notes

1. Here, Iron Man mentions some of his recent activities with the Avengers. Namely the mysterious return of Wonder Man in Avengers #151 and their battle with the Living Laser in Avengers #153 and Giant-Size Avengers #1. (incorrectly attributed to Giant-Size Avengers #6, which doesn’t exist)

2. The last explosion at Stark International was in Iron Man #89. It was set off by Harry Key, a crooked private detective. Iron Man #103-107 reveals that this is part of a complex plot orchestrated by Mordecai Midas to take ownership of the company.

3. Kevin O’Briend was driven mad by his Guardsman armor and died battling Iron Man in issue #46. Michael has been trying to prove that his brother was intentionally murdered since issue #82. He enlisted the aid of Harry Key in issue #89.

4. The Melter mentions the last time he and Iron Man faced each other. That was in Iron Man #72.

5. This is the first model of Iron Man armor ever produced. Constructed in Tales of Suspense #39, Tony wore it consistently until he upgraded to the first version of his now trademark red and gold armor in issue #48 of that series. Mention is made about how the Melter has previously fought Iron Man in this armor in the past. These battles include the Melter’s first appearance in Tales of Suspense #47 and later when Tony was forced to wear it against him in issue #90 of that series.

6. Although apparently falling to his demise here, the Melter survived and will turn up again in Defenders #64.

Topical References

• Krissy Longfellow is depicted as talking to Tony on a car phone. This should be considered a topical reference as designated car phones have since become obsolete in part due to the advent of the cell phone.

• When discussing ransoms, the Melter states that he is seeking 6 million dollars from the military. This dollar figure should be considered topical. Adjusting for inflation 6 million in 1976 money would be 28.6 million as of this writing in July 2021.