Iron Man #210
Happy’s Story
Since leaving the employ of Tony Stark, Happy Hogan has been trying to support his family by working as a boxing coach. However, despite his best efforts, the Hogan family has fallen on hard times. When Happy decides to call Tony to ask for a loan, his wife — Pepper Potts — tells him not to do it. She reminds him that their association with Tony Stark and his Iron Man alter-ego has put their lives at risk in the past. However, Happy points out that having Tony out of their lives hasn’t made them any safer, as evident when they found themselves recently kidnapped by Obadiah Stane.[1]
The thing is, Happy has just found a young boxer named Jake Jordan who has the potential of being a big contender. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have the money needed to give the kid a start in the boxing circuit. So, despite Pepper’s reservations, Happy calls Tony Stark to ask for a loan. Tony is happy to hear from his old friend and agrees to mail Happy a blank cheque for however much he needs to get Jordan’s career off the ground. Hogan is ecstatic by the news because he believes this will be his ticket to making enough money to properly support his family. He soon begins training Jordan for his first big match.
After signing Jordan on as a client, he reveals to the young boxer that he got funding from Tony Stark. As it turns out, Jake is a big fan of Iron Man and Happy regales him with stories about how he used to help Iron Man out all the time.[2] Jordan hopes to one day meet Tony Stark and see his new business. After Jake successfully wins his first big match, Happy believes with victories like this, he will be able to pay Tony back in no time.
He gives Tony Stark an invite to the next match, and after a day of working on his new space station, Tony invites Jim Rhodes to tag along with him. At first, Jim is reluctant to come along as he doesn’t want to take away from Tony and Happy’s reunion, but Tony insists that he come along because Jim is as much of a friend to him as the Happy and Pepper. That evening’s boxing match is another victory for Jake Jordan, and Tony invited Happy and Jake back to his home to show off his latest work. It’s pretty late in the evening by this point and Happy and Jake agree to stay the night. When Tony and Hap have some time alone, Tony offers to give Happy more money as he feels that his friend undersold how much money he’d actually need. However, things go a little sour when Tony expresses his concern over Jake’s ruthlessness in the ring. Happy takes offense to this, insisting his boxer has what it take to be a champion and nothing more.
That evening, Happy feels bad for snapping at Tony and gets up to go and apologize. Looking around to see if Tony is still awake he sees that the door to his private lab is wide open. Inside, he catches Jake photographing Tony’s plans for his latest inventions as well as the schematics for his new suit of Iron Man armor. As it turns out, Jake is really the Spymaster who had been hired by Advance Idea Mechanics to infiltrate Happy’s life and reconnect him with Tony in order to steal secrets. When Spymaster threatens the life of Pepper and his children, Happy realizes he can’t do anything to stop “Jake” and goes back to bed.
However, the Spymaster’s ego proves to be his undoing as he sets off a hidden alarm when closing Tony’s filing cabinet. It draws out Tony who attacks Spymaster as Iron Man. However, the villain manages to incapacitate the Avenger in a magnetic field. Happy, not wishing any harm to come to his friend, ambushes Spymaster from behind. This buys Tony enough time to break free from the magnetic field. However, Happy is seriously injured before Iron Man can take Spymaster down.
Happy is then taken to the hospital where he is expected to recover from his injuries. When Pepper comes to see him, he apologizes for screwing up again but she forgives him. However, when Tony comes to see how Happy is doing, Pepper stops him outside of her husband’s room and blames him for what happened and tells Stark to stay out of their lives from now on. Hurt by this, Tony realizes that she is right and even though Happy will probably hate him for not visiting, decides that it is for the best and leaves.
Recurring Characters
Iron Man, Spymaster, Happy Hogan, Pepper Potts, Jim Rhodes, AIM
Continuity Notes
Happy and Pepper’s long standing relationship with Tony Stark is a long and complicated one:
Per Iron Man: The Iron Age #1, Pepper worked for Stark Industries around the time that Tony took over the company. Happy was later hired as Tony’s chauffer in Tales of Suspense #45.
During this period of time, Pepper found herself in a love triangle as both Tony and Happy attempted to win her affections. During this period of time, circa Tales of Suspense #70, Happy learned that Tony was also Iron Man.
Ultimately, Happy won Pepper’s affections and the two got married in Tales of Suspense #89. They left Tony’s employ shortly thereafter.
Pepper returned to work with Tony in Iron Man #57 and would also learn his secret identity in issue #65. After taking issue with Pepper working for Tony again, he started working for the company again as well in Iron Man #70.
During his years of association with Tony, Happy had been injured on the job and put through experimental procedures that mutated him into a monster called the Freak in Tales of Suspense #74-76, Iron Man #3-4, 26 and 84-85.
The last time was the straw that broke the camel’s back and Pepper decided that, for their own safety, she and Happy needed to steer clear of Tony Stark and Iron Man from then on. See Iron Man #88.
Despite this, the couple were recently targeted by Obadiah Stane, a ruthless business rival of Tony Stark, and needed to be rescued yet again. See Iron Man #198-201.
Happy mentions the time he helped Iron Man defeat the Titanium Man. This was back in Tales of Suspense #69-71.
