Iron Man #249
The Doctor’s Passion
Doctor Doom, a dictator in exile, is about to judge the performance of his private orchestra.[1] However, his judgement is interrupted when a strange artifact suddenly appears in the room. Sensing a great amount of power coming from the device, he heads off to examine it to find how to harness its power.
Meanwhile, in California, Iron Man is the guest of honor at the grand re-opening of the Sage Hill Mall, one of Stark Enterprises new business acquisitions. It’s during this ceremony that another device appears out of thin air identical to the one that appeared before Doctor Doom. Unsure if this is some kind of threat, Iron Man tells everyone to remain calm and takes it back to Stark Enterprises to examine the device. After scanning the device in his private lab, he determines that it is not a threat. Changing out of his armor, Tony walks down to the Advanced Analysis Laboratory and gives it to his team of scientists for further examination.[2]
Back at Doctor Doom’s refuge he is given the analysis of his device and is surprised to discover that it cannot be carbon dated. That’s when he is informed that a similar device appeared in Los Angeles and is in the possession of his old foe, Iron Man.
Later, Tony goes to see Doctor Erica Sondheim who gives him a clean bill of health after the biochip surgery.[3] Tony is then driven back to his mansion by his current girlfriend, Rae LaCoste. Not long after Rae leaves, a limo with diplomatic plates pulls up at Tony’s home. It is Doctor Doom and he meets with Tony and offers to buy the device off of him. Annoyed by Doom’s arrogance, Tony refuses to do so, Doom leaves telling him he’ll have a day to reconsider.
Suspecting Doctor Doom will try to take the device by force, he has the entire Stark Enterprise facility evacuated the next day so he can defend it as Iron Man should Doom attack. The only employee who refuses to leave is Jim Rhodes, whom Tony tasks with guarding the device. He gives him remote that will blow up the device should Doom get past him and then heads outside.
Soon, the Stark Enterprise campus is swarmed by Doombots and while Iron Man is busy fighting them off, Doctor Doom infiltrates the head office. Knowing that he is no match for Doom, Jim tries to destroy the artifact but it is impervious to the explosives. Doom then recovers the device and flees. After Jim goes out and helps Iron Man destroy the last of the Doombots he tells Tony what happened. Able to track the artifact’s energy signature, Iron Man arrives at Doom’s rented villa just as he combines the two devices. At first it does nothing until Doom and Iron Man are close enough. Suddenly, the two foes are swallowed up in a cloud of impenetrable darkness. When the darkness clears, the two men and the devices they were fighting over have vanished.
Recurring Characters
Iron Man, Doctor Doom, Erica Sondheim, Garrison Quint, Rae LaCoste, AIM, Hydra
Continuity Notes
At the time of this story, Doctor Doom has been deposed as ruler of Latveria. When Doom was seemingly killed in Fantastic Four #260, his heir Kristoff Vernard was installed as the new Doctor Doom in issue #278. When the real Doom turned up alive in Fantastic Four #288 he will make multiple failed attempts to reclaim his throne. He will not succeed until Fantastic Four #350.
Tony takes real joy in being able to walk spend some time unable to walk after being shot by Kathy Dare in Iron Man #242. He was confined to a wheelchair until he was cured using an experimental biochip last issue.
This miracle cure turns out to be something far more insidious. It’s later revealed that the biochip was part of a long con by rival Marrs Corporation to try and take control of Tony’s body, as detailed in Iron Man #258-266. Ultimately, their attempts to control Tony cause extensive nerve damage that he will fake his death in Iron Man #284 through 290 until he is fully cured.
