Iron Man #215
The Shattered Sky
During a routine medical check-up, Tony Stark is informed by his doctor that he is suffering from some kind of deterioration to his central nervous system that could be terminal if it is not treated immediately. Relieved to have caught this before it is too late, Tony thanks his doctor and makes arrangement for treatment. As he leaves his doctor’s office, Tony suspects that the cause must be one of the new technologies he has built into his latest suit of Iron Man armor.[1]
Tony soon arrives at the property of his brand new company, Stark Enterprises, which is still under construction. Tony is happy to be starting a brand new organization after his previous company — Stark International — was bought out by rival Obadiah Stane and run into the ground.[2] He soon meets up with Jim Rhodes and Clytemnestra Erwin to prepare for the next shuttle launch to the Stark owned space station. While they are making preparations, they are unaware that a number of spies for Advance Idea Mechanics and sneaking onboard in order to be smuggled aboard the station. Before leaving, Tony convinces Jim to bring along his own Iron Man armor in case they need it.[3]
Before the launch, Tony heads to his temporary living quarters for a quick shower. He then checks in on his secretary, who tells him that Senator Boynton hasn’t returned his calls regarding the situation in Boca Caliente. This bothers Tony as he believed that the government needs to be doing more to liberate the Central American country, after it was recently taken over by AIM.[4] After the shuttle is successfully launched into orbit, Tony excuses himself so he can change into Iron Man and join Jim at the space station.
The pair are hard at work and eventually get the new security system up and running. From the monitors they discover that a team of AIM operatives have infiltrated the space station and are stealing data about the satellite that was used in the coup of Boca Caliente. Realizing that this is the proof he’ll need to get the US government to act, Iron Man and Jim rush to stop them from escaping with it. Realizing that Iron Man is not going to give up without a fight, the AIM operatives unleash a powerful bio-weapon called Omega Bacilius which immediately begins spreading all over the space station. Iron Man and Jim are horrified by how quickly this bacteria kills an AIM operative whose bio-hazard suit was compromised in the fight. Iron Man orders Jim to get to safety while he tries to stop the spread of the bacilius.
Unfortunately, none of Iron Man’s onboard weapons are capable of destroying the virus as it continues to spread across the station. Meanwhile, Jim ends up in a clash with the AIM operatives while they are trying to escape. With only a rivet gun to defend himself, Jim finds himself in danger. Luckily, Iron Man is able to seal all the emergency doors, separating Rhodes from the AIM operatives. However, the bio-weapon is still spreading and Jim is in danger because his own environmental suit was ripped in the battle. Realizing that he can’t destroy the Omega Bacilius, Iron Man rescues Jim and they retreat back to the hanger where they discover that AIM stole their space shuttle.
Telling Jim to hang tight, Iron Man chases after the shuttle. However, the AIM operatives would prefer death over capture and detonate a bomb that kills them all, wrecks the ship, and destroys the evidence. Luckily, the blast didn’t destroy the briefcase carrying Jim’s suit of Iron Man armor. Tony quickly races back to the space station to give it to Jim so they can both safely return to Earth. Tony is deeply upset to have to abandon his newly constructed space station, however he has no other choice.
As they make their way back to Earth, Jim discovers that both the oxygen supply and heat shielding of his armor were damaged in the explosion. If they don’t act quick, he will either suffocate or burn up on re-entry. Quick thinking, Tony uses his own body to shield Jim’s body as they re-enter the atmosphere. Unfortunately, it is not enough and Jim screams that his body is on fire as smoke begins to stream out of his helmet!
Recurring Characters
Iron Man (Stark), Iron Man (Rhodes), Cly Erwin, AIM,
Continuity Notes
Tony’s current suit, the “Centurion Armor” was constructed in Iron Man #200.
Tony recounts the state of his former company, Stark International. The facts:
Obadiah Stane engaged in a hostile take over of Stark International starting in Iron Man #162 and succeeded in buying full control of the company by issue #173. It was later rennamed to Stane International
Here, Tony states that Stane ran the company into the ground, referring to how the Stane International headquarters was severely damaged during Iron Man’s final battle with Stane in Iron Man #200.
However, as revealed in Nick Fury vs. SHIELD #3, the company was kept in operation by SHIELD who covered up Stane’s death by placing a Life Model Decoy in his place.
Later, Stane International will eventually become owned by Tony’s rival Justin Hammer, as revealed in Iron Man #283. It’s bought back by Tony who makes it a subsidiary of Stark Enterprises before shutting it down in Iron Man #301.
After Tony fell off the wagon in Iron Man #167, Jim Rhodes took over as Iron Man in issue #169-170, when Tony’s alcoholism made it impossible for him to continue operating as his alter-ego. Jim later gave up being Iron Man in issue #195 when he discovered that his guilt over taking over the Iron Man identity was having a negative effect on his mental health, Tony went back to being Iron Man full time in issue #200. While Jim has kept the suit of armor he was given, he has been reluctant to wear it.
AIM took over Boca Caliente in Iron Man #207-208 using a satellite that Tony inadvertedly launched on their behalf. Since then Iron Man has been trying to get permission to liberate the island but has been stonewalled by government red tape.
Topical References
Tony is depicted driving an 80’s model Jaguar XJS sports car. This could be considered a topical reference unless you believe that Tony is a vintage car buff.
During the battle with AIM, Jim quips that one of them looks like the title character in the 1977 film Eraserhead. If you didn’t catch that this was a reference to an actual movie, that’s why this joke should be considered a topical reference.