Iron Man #147
Holocaust at High Noon
Blacklash has come to kill Vic Martinelli, the head of security at Stark International. In the ensuing battle with Iron Man there is a chemical explosion that sets the entire facility on fire. Caught between fighting his foe or saving lives, Iron Man uses his repulsors to pin Blacklash under a pile of rubble before racing off to help others.
In one of the buildings are a group of school children who are on a tour of the facility. While the public relations director Arthur Pithins panics under pressure, vice president Yvette Avril keeps her head together. Using a water cooler to soak the children in water, she then leads them to the nearest exist. Unfortunately, the door is blocked by burning rubble. Thankfully, Iron Man arrives in time to rescue them.
By this time, fire fighters have arrived on the scene, but the entire facility is a raging inferno. Realizing that his secretary — Bambi Arbogast — is among the evacuees, Iron Man races off to look for her. He finds her in the head office trying to collect as many important documents despite the fact that the building is in fire. Telling her that people are more important than any document, Iron Man rescues her.
As this is going on, Martinelli has gathered a team of security officers to deal with Blacklash. However, the criminal gets loose and drives them back with his high-tech whip. Changing tactics, Vic orders everyone to flee. When Blacklash follows after him, Martinelli leads her to a nearby firetruck and uses his shotgun to blast a fire extinguisher. When the chemical foam temporarily blinds his pursuer, Vic manages to get away. With the situation getting out of control, Blacklash decides to retreat, as he can get Martinelli another time.
Meanwhile, Iron Man comes up with a quick method to put out the fires. Going to the nearby shipping yard, he rips open a tanker car and fills it with water from the nearby Long Island Sound. He then flies over the facility and uses the water to deluge the fire. With the crisis over and paramedics helping the injured, Iron Man slips away to change back to Tony Stark. Tracking down Vic, Tony wants some answers. The two go back to Vic’s office where he reveals the truth about why Blacklash was after him.
Vic explains that his birth name was Vince Martell. After serving in the military, as a member of the military police he went to school on the G.I. Bill and got a degree in architectural engineering. His first job was working for the Center City Construction Company and after three years working for them he discovered that one of the buildings was build with substandard materials. When the building collapsed, it killed twenty seven people. After that, he discovered that Center City was a front for the mob and they tried to threaten him to keep quiet. Instead, Vince became an informant for the police and testified in court, sending his bosses to jail for 20 years. However, doing so upended his life as he had to enter the witness protection program. He left his wife and Philadelphia and adopted the name Vic Martinelli. He ended up getting a job at Williams Innovations until he discovered they were a front for the Maggia and moved on.[1] From there, Vic used his credentials to get a job for Stark International as head of security where he hoped to finally lay low. Unfortunately, his cover was blown when Arthur Pithins had a photo of the Stark security team published in a magazine.
After finishing his story, Vic tells Tony that he is resigning and prepares to leave so he can restart his life somewhere else. Tony stops him, because Martinelli has been the best head of security he has ever had he promises to sort things out so Vic can continue working for him.
Meanwhile, Blacklash — aka Mark Scott — returns to his home and spends time with his girlfriend. When the mobsters in Philadelphia call to express their disappointment that he didn’t kill Martinelli, but he assures them that he will complete the job tomorrow. The next day, Blacklash returns to Stark International and witnesses work crews trying to secretly move Vic Martinelli’s possessions off site. When he attacks, Iron Man is waiting for him. This time, the villain uses the bow-lash hidden on his cape to bind Iron Man’s arms. However, when he snares Iron Man with his whip, the Avenger activates his rocket boots and flies through a wall, knocking Blacklash out. Iron Man then drags Blacklash back to his employers and warns them that Vic Martinelli is off limits and if they go after them again, he’ll make life miserable for the mobsters.
The next day, Tony and Vic fix up the security office. Tony has come with the photo that got Vic in trouble to begin with and had it framed. Putting it up on the wall, Tony says that it is a good momento and a few family photos makes you feel at home. Finally feeling like he belongs somewhere, Vic couldn’t agree more.
Recurring Characters
Iron Man, Blacklash, Maggia, Jim Rhodes, Vic Martinelli, Arthur Pithins, Yvette Avril
Continuity Notes
Williams Innovations went out of business in Avengers #9. However, the company’s assets were picked up by the Maggia in Marvel Premiere #55.
Topical References
Vic states that he was discharged from the military in 1971. This date should be considered a topical reference. Modern readers should interpret this as meaning that Vic left the military 10 years prior to this story.
