Iron Man #245
Inside Angry
On a cliffside highway in California a convoy of Stark Enterprise trucks is endangered by an avalanche. Luckily, Iron Man is there to blast the debris away so the convoy can continue on unimpeded. He then goes to a train derailment and discovers that the train engine was severely damaged in the crash. Using his armored might, Iron Man then lugs the train and its cargo the rest of the way. In the city, Iron Man saves construction crews when a crane topples off the side of a building under construction.
After these whirlwind rescues, Iron Man returns to his private lab where he now needs a machine to change out of his armor and resume his role of Tony Stark. His best friend, Jim Rhodes, is concerned with the amount of time Tony is spending in his Iron Man armor since he was shot and crippled by his stalker, Kathy Dare.[1] Even with a high tech hoverchair, Tony seems to be adjusting poorly to his new condition. He and Jim then return to his office where they discuss the coming trail against Kathy with Tony’s lawyer, Felix Alvarez. This on top of acts of sabotage that have been levied against Stark Enterprises have been weighing heavily on Tony and Jim suggests that he take some time off.[2]
Tony agrees to take a vacation in Aspen, but instantly regrets the idea since he can’t ski in his current condition. Although a woman expresses some interest in him, when other patrons in the chalet gawk at Tony’s disability she ditches Tony.
Meanwhile, out on the Pacific, a smuggling operation is attacked by some unknown assailants that are both bullet proof and powerful.
The following day, Tony returns to his lab in his Iron Man armor and Jim expresses his concern that Tony is spending too much time as Iron Man and that his company is suffering because of it. Tony agrees but his current situation is incredibly frustrating to him. Convinced to change out of his armor, Tony meets with Felix again who tells him about the hijacking at happened out at sea. Once alone with Jim, Tony recognizes the description of the attackers as the Dreadnaughts, powerful robots employed by the Maggia crime cartel, run by his ex-girlfriend Whitney Frost — aka Madame Masque.[3] Asking for some privacy, Tony uses the private number Whitney had given him in the past to call her and asks what’s going on. When Madame Masque answers she is very brisk with him and acts as though they had no past together, she warns Tony against calling again saying the number will be disconnected.[4]
That evening, Tony goes out on a date with Rae LaCoste and they attempt to attend a trendy nightclub. However, they are denied entry by the door man who tells them the club now has a membership policy. It’s clear to Rae that they are not being allowed in because Tony is in a wheelchair and she vows to buy the club and fire him for this insult. The experience sours Tony’s already bad mood and he decides to call it a night early. However, this is only so that Tony can go out as Iron Man and enjoy the mobility his suit of armor provides him.
While patrolling the city of Los Angeles, Iron Man stops a gun battle between two rival street gangs. After he is done, a local resident tells Iron Man to stop picking on people smaller than him, suggesting he deal with the “big metal guys” that are attacking a nearby warehouse. Suspecting the Dreadnaughts, Iron Man heads to the scene of the crime and offers his assistance to the LAPD. Inside, a number of criminals have been penned in by the Dreadnaughts that are trashing their hideout. Iron Man makes short work of the robots, destroying them all with relative ease. However, as the crooks are being arrested, an FBI agent named Mallard tells Iron Man that this is a Bureau matter and to butt out.
The next day, Tony Stark arrives at his office and is informed by his secretary, Bambi Arbogast, that there are FBI agents waiting for him. He thinks their visit is about the warehouse incident but is surprised to learn that they have come to see if he can identify the body of a dead woman they recently found floating in East River. Looking at the photo, Tony is shocked to discover that the dead woman is Whitney Frost!
Recurring Characters
Iron Man, Madame Masque, Jim Rhodes, Bambi Arbogast, Felix Alvarez, Rae LaCoste, Dreadnaughts
Continuity Notes
Tony was shot by Kathy Dare in Iron Man #242. The injuries were so severe that he has been confined to a wheelchair when not in his armor. This will remain the status quo until he regains his mobility thanks to an experimental bio-chip in Iron Man #248.
Last issue, Roxxon sent the Fixer to try and sabotage Stark facilities, taking advantage of Tony’s new disability.
Tony mentions his past relationship with Whitney. The pair had a relationship that lasted from Iron Man #100 onward. She ended their relationship when she was forced back into the Maggia by her father, Count Nefaria, ending with Nefaria’s death. See Iron Man #115-116.
The reason why Madame Masque doesn’t remember her past with Tony here is quite complicated. The woman everyone believes to be Whitney Frost was murdered in Iron Man #238 and replaced by another identified woman. However, Avengers (vol. 3) #32 reveals that the murdered Madame Masque and her killer are bio-duplicates of the real Whitney Frost who had gone into hiding after her father’s death and has been using these clones as proxies. The first Whitney Frost bio-duplicate took over from her creator back in Iron Man #138.
