Iron Man #211
See the Light!
While working on his new space station, Iron Man’s armor is bombarded by a strange cluster of light that makes his armor go haywire. He manages to fight free from this familiar looking energy pattern and it quickly retreats to Earth. Returning to the space station, Tony Stark tries to make sense of the situation with his friends and colleagues, Jim Rhodes and Clytemnestra Erwin. He suddenly remembers where he encountered this energy before — during his last battle with the Living Laser. Recounting how the villain’s powers were out of control, he needed to siphon off the excess energies to survive. When he couldn’t accomplish this during his last battle with Iron Man, the Living Laser shot into space where his energy form dissipated and seemingly died.[1] Curious to know the Living Laser’s true fate, Iron Man decides to investigate.
Meanwhile, in Germany, Bethany Cabe is searching for her husband Alex Van Tillburg so she can serve him divorce papers. Learning that he left his hotel room to score some drugs, she goes out looking for him on the streets in a rough neighborhood. Asking some drug dealers if they have seen Alex, they make the poor decision to try and attack her. They don’t anticipate that Beth is a trained bodyguard and she easily fights off her attackers. Continuing her search, she finds Alex on a street corner suffering from withdrawal. She tries to get him to sign the papers then and there but he runs away from her to find more drugs.[2]
Back aboard the Stark space station, Cly begins scanning the Earth for the Living Laser’s energy signature. While she is doing so, Tony tries to convince Jim to put on his own Iron Man armor and help him look. Jim declines, telling Tony that he doesn’t want to become Iron Man again now that Tony is back in the role. Taking Tony back down to Earth in their space shuttle, Jim thinks back to his time as Iron Man, he admits that he enjoyed it and did a lot of good, but is happy to put that all behind him. Still, when he lands the craft in California he has almost convinced himself to reconsider retiring figuring that two Iron Men might be useful.[3]
Meanwhile, the Living Laser reconstitutes in human form in an alley somewhere in Los Angeles. This is in front of a wino drinking in an alley and seeing how distraught the Laser is, offers him a nip of his drink. When the Laser tries to take the bottle of wine it passes through his hand and smashes onto the ground. Horrified that he is stuck in an immaterial form, the Living Laser begins to panic, drawing two beat cops onto the scene. He uses his laser powers to melt their guns and then runs through a solid fence in order to get away.
While back in Germany, Bethany Cabe continues to look for her husband. She comes upon the drug dealers she fought in an ally crowded around him and chases them off. Checking on Alex, she is horrified to discover that he is overdosing. She tries to save his life by giving Alex CPR but unfortunately it is too late and he dies in her arms.
In Southern California, Tony Stark — as Iron Man — goes out looking for the Living Laser. When he finds him, he discovers that his armor can just barely withstand his foe’s laser blasts. That’s when Jim arrives in his own suit of armor to lend a hand. Thinking that Tony is an impostor and that Jim is the real Iron Man, the Living Laser gives him chase through a forest. This distraction gives Tony enough time to fashion a sphere of highly reflective material which he and Jim then use to contain the Living Laser. While Tony admits that this is not the most humane way of dealing with the Laser, it is was the only way to contain him in such short notice and promises to do everything he can to restore him to normal.
Back in Germany, Bethany Cabe has her husband buried and vows to avenge his death. She then uses her resources to track down the men who killed Alex. Finding them in a local bar she arrives with the police to take them into custody.
By this time, Tony and Jim have rejoined Cly aboard the Stark space station. There, Tony tells them that the Living Laser has been brought to the Avengers Compound where Hank Pym is working on a way to cure him. Jim also felt good being back in the armor and hopes that he can learn all its secrets under Tony’s guidance. With everything back to normal, Tony suggests that they get back to work as there is still a lot that needs to be done.
Recurring Characters
Iron Man (Stark), Iron Man (Rhodes), Living Laser, Bethany Cabe, Cly Erwin
Continuity Notes
Iron Man’s previous battle with the Living Laser took place in Iron Man #154. While this story makes it seem as though the Living Laser was dissipated in energy form in space this whole time that is not the case. Chronologically, he appeared in Code of Honor #3 and Secret Wars II #7. The Living Laser profile in All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z Update #1 explains that his dissipation into space was actually a prolonged process that didn’t happen instantaneously.
Bethany Cabe has been trying to get her husband sober since Iron Man #154. However, all her attempts have failed to date and has been attempting to get a divorce since issue #208. For more on Alex’s drug addiction see Iron Man #128 and 153.
The dynamic between Jim and Tony is a complex one. Here are the details:
After a period of sobriety, Tony fell off the wagon in Iron Man #167. His drinking got so bad that he gave up being Iron Man, forcing Jim to take over in issue #169-170.
Eventually, Tony got sober in Iron Man #182 and was himself forced back into being Iron Man in issue #200.
In the meantime, in Iron Man #195, Jim discovered that subconscious guilt over taking over Tony’s alter-ego was affecting his mental health and willingly gave up being Iron Man.
While reminiscing about his short lived career as Iron Man, Jim recounts his battles against the Mandarin (Iron Man #181), Goliath (Iron Man Annual #7) and how he helped saved the other heroes on Battleworld during the Secret Wars after a mountain was dropped on them (Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #3)
