The Caribbean Connection

While on a vacation in the Caribbean, Tony Stark’s yacht was stolen by Force with Bethany Cabe still on board, absconding with both in a massive submarine. Searching the ocean depths as Iron Man, Tony is unable to find any trace of the sub. With Jim Rhodes injured on a life raft, Iron Man decides to break off the search and return to his private island. There he contacts the authorities who promise to do whatever they can to find the boat thieves. When learning her business partner and friend was kidnapped, Ling McPherson expresses her concern for her safety. Tony assures her that he will find Beth no matter what. He then retires to his private lab so he can work on a way of finding his missing girlfriend.[1]

Meanwhile, Bethany has been brought aboard the vessel of Force's employer. She is surprised to learn that this man is none other than Justin Hammer.[2] Hammer explains that he has been forced to steal yachts along the Caribbean ever since Iron Man foiled his last scheme. After showing her around his massive submarine, Justin then shows off his latest plot: He has been stealing yachts owned by wealthy vacationers in the region in order to use them to smuggle drugs back into the United States. He then concludes his tour by introducing her again to Force, giving Hammer the opportunity to brag about the upgrades he had made on the villain’s battle suit. He then orders her locked in a room until they can find someone to extort for ransom.[3]

Back at Tony Stark’s private island, the inventor has finished building a device that will allow him to scan the ocean for signs of human life. He quickly zeros in on Justin Hammer’s submarine. Unfortunately, he also gives himself away and Force responds by sending his troops in mini attack subs to deal with the Avenger. When this fails, Force exits the ship in order to deal with Iron Man directly.

As the battle between Iron Man and Force rages on, SHIELD has descended on Allowntown, Iowa to investigate the sudden death of its entire population. Unsure of the cause, they have quarantined the entire town. Nick Fury takes point on this mission out of fear that whatever killed the people here could kill thousands or millions more next.[4]

Back in the Caribbean, Iron Man continues his life-or-death battle with Force. A situation growing more desperate as the Avenger’s power supplies are running low. When Force grabs him in a bear hug, Iron Man manages to knock his opponent out by slamming his fists on either side of Force’s head. Boarding Justin Hammer’s ship, Iron Man fights his way past the guards in order to access the ship’s electrical systems and recharge his power supply. While Iron Man hunts for his foe, Bethany Cabe breaks out of her room and helps free the other prisoners.

When Iron Man confronts Justin Hammer, the crooked businessman reveals that he has already deployed the yachts carrying his illegal merchandise. Knowing he can’t beat Iron Man in a fight, Hammer decides to sink his own vessel, knowing that Iron Man will have to let him escape in order to save the people trapped on board. Realizing that Hammer is right, Iron Man scours the ship but finds no trace of any of Beth or the other prisoners. With the ship sinking fast, Iron Man flies to the surface and is surpised to see that Beth managed to get everyone out by stowing away on the stolen ships. Soon the authorities are contacted and within 24 hours, Tony and his friends are back to their vacation.

Recurring Characters

Iron Man, Justin Hammer, Force, Jim Rhodes, Bethany Cabe, Ling McPherson, Nick Fury, John Ehrmann

Continuity Notes

1. Here it mentions that Bethany had just recently survived an earlier kidnap attempt by Madame Masque. See Iron Man #137-139.

2. Bethany recalls how Hammer once hacked Iron Man’s armor in order to murder a foreign ambassador and frame the hero for murder. This was chronicled in Iron Man #124-127.

3. Once again a footnote here reminds readers that prior to last issue, Force was last seen in Sub-Mariner #68.

4. The cause of death in Allantown is later determined to be caused by a misdirected microwave transmission from a Roxxon solar collecting space station. See Iron Man #142-144.

Topical References

• When seeing Force’s fleet of undersea vehicles, Iron Man jokingly wonders if George Lucas is filming the next Star Wars movie. This should be considered a topical reference. Not for the mentioning a “new Star Wars” movie since Disney now owns and currently milks that franchise along with Marvel Comics, but the reference to George Lucas. While Lucas was involved with all Star Wars movies at the time this story was written, that is no longer the case. The filmmaker went into semi-retirement in 2012 after selling the Star Wars franchise to Disney. His only involvement in the franchise now is as a “creative consultant”, which is to say he does very little than collect royalty cheques. At 77 years old at the time of this writing (January, 2022) his involvement will become even less pronounced as he enters his twilight years.