Iron Man #257
Retribution
At Asano Robotics in Japan, CEO Yoshida Asano has his technicians put the final touches on a suit of battle armor of his own design. While powering the armor is a painful and explosive process, Asano emerges from the rubble of his laboratory and proclaims that Samurai Steel lives!
Meanwhile, Iron Man is back in Earth orbit to deal with a security module that was jettisoned from his space station during his recent mission. The device is still active and tries to blast him with its onboard lasers. Evading these blasts, Iron Man blows up the device so it no longer poses a threat. He then heads back to Earth as Tony Stark is due in Japan to discuss a cybernetics deal with Asano Robotics.
At that same moment, Asano has flown into North Korean airspace to test out the capabilities of his Samurai Steel armor. As expected, the North Korean military launches fighter planes and deploys surface-to-air missiles to try and blast the intruder out of the sky. Samurai Steel easily deals with all of these threats with his suit’s onboard weapons. When he returns to Asano Robotics, Yoshida’s assistant Shigeru is deeply upset that his boss would risk an international incident to test out his new device. Asano insists that it was needed to make sure Samurai Steel was operating at peak efficiency so he can get he revenge. As it turns out, Asano is a hardcore Japanese nationalist with a massive hatred towards America.
Meanwhile, Jim Rhodes is flying Tony Stark across the Pacific to Japan. Along the way, he asks why Tony is seeking a deal with Asano Robotics since they have plenty of American manufacturers he could be doing business with. Tony explains that Asano is a reclusive genius and also offered the lowest bid on a contract over anyone else. Tony explains how Asano himself is Anti-American because his family were among the victims of the atomic bomb drops on Hiroshima during World War II, and his wanting to now do business with an American company has him curious. More over, Tony feels guilty over the fact that his own family was involved in the Manhattan Project which created the nuclear bombs that were dropped on Japan.[1]
When Tony Stark arrives in Japan, Yoshida and Shigeru are waiting for him at the airport. While Shigeru is polite and welcoming, Yoshida rudely refers to Stark as a “war-monger” whose fortune was made off the back of the suffering of others. Asano then reveals how his mother was pregnant with him when the United States dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. This radiation exposure left him disabled. He was orphaned as a young man when his parents eventually died due to health complications caused by the bombs. Driven by vengeance, Yoshida mastered the art of robotics and used this to create cybernetics to overcome his disabilities. Shocked by this bluntness, Tony tries to explain that his company no longer deals in munitions, but Asano dismisses this and has Shigeru take Stark and Rhodes on a tour of his robotics factory.[2]
While on the factory floor, Shigeru apologizes for his boss’ gruff attitude. Tony admits he can understand, mentioning his family’s association with the Manhattan Project. This shocks Shigeru who suddenly warns Stark that he is in grave danger. That’s when Samurai Steel arrives on the scene and begins demanding that Stark come out to be executed. Tony gets separated from Jim and Shigeru when Asano collapses the roof of the factory. This gives Tony the cover he needs to change into Iron Man. He quickly rescues Jim, Shigeru, and the factory workers before dealing with Samurai Steel directly.
In the ensuing battle, the Asano Robotics facility is heavily damaged. Iron Man manages to hold his own against Samurai Steel whose armor is comparable to his own. However, Iron Man’s armor eventually gets damaged, cutting power to a number of its defensive weapons. With his foe at his mercy, Yoshida removes his helmet to show Iron Man his true face. It is hideously deformed due to his pre-natal radiation exposure, something he blames on the Stark family. But, before Samurai Steel can eliminate his enemy, Shigeru gets between them and tries to talk reason with him but it falls on deaf ears. This does give Iron Man time to reconnect power to his jet boots and fly to safety.
It’s then that they all realize that the battle has damaged the on site nuclear reactor and it is now at risk of reaching critical mass. Horrified that he has created a threat as deadly as the atomic bomb, Asano comes to his senses. He then rips the reactor from its mooring and flies into space where it harmlessly explodes, seemingly killing Samurai Steel in the process.[3]
In the aftermath of the battle Shigeru offers his apologies, Jim — who is helping Iron Man get to his feet — tells him to save his apologies and pray for his former boss, as they are leaving Japan right away. As Rhodes helps Iron Man away from the scene, Tony Stark can’t help but cry seeing the products of his family’s past sins.
Recurring Characters
Iron Man, Jim Rhodes
Continuity Notes
This story states that it was Howard Stark that was involved in the Manhattan Project. This becomes difficult to reconcile due to the Sliding Timescale (see below), but is not impossible. That said, Tony refers to Howard as his father when he is actually his adopted father. Tony won’t discover that he was adopted until Invincible Iron Man (vol. 5) #17. It’s later revealed in International Iron Man #6-7 that his biological parents were SHIELD agents Amanda Armstrong and a man known only as Jude.
Stark Industries made its fortune on building munitions. However, years into Tony’s operation of the company, he ultimately decided to move away from weapons manufacturing in Iron Man #48 in order to focus on technology that would better humanity.
As of this writing (August, 2022) Samurai Steel has remained among the deceased.
Topical References
This story states that Samurai Steel was the son of someone who survived the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in World War II. This should be considered a topical reference as it becomes increasingly impossible to explain how someone born in 1945 could still be alive today since, as of this writing (August, 2022) that’d make Asano in his late 70s. I address this issue in greater detail below.
Another issue here is the statement that Tony’s adoptive father, Howard Stark, was involved in the Manhattan Project. A statement that is muddy at best due to various reasons and could also probably be considered a topical reference. See below (again) for more detail.
Theories: Asano Family Tree
As I stated above, as the Sliding Timescale pushes the Modern Age of the Marvel Universe forward it becomes increasingly impossible for Yoshida Asano to still be alive if he had been born in 1945 shortly after the bombing of Hiroshima. As of this writing (August, 2022) he would be in his 70s now. While someone could still theoretically be alive, him being physically capable of operating the Samurai Storm armor becomes increasingly unlikely. There will come a point where it is impossible to justify Asano’s being physically capable, much less alive, based on the originally presented origin story.
Since this story delves into how Asano used cybernetics to overcome the disabilities caused by the pre-natal radiation, one could assume that this artificially extended his life, thus explaining how he could still be alive and vital enough to do what he does in this story.
Howard Stark and the Bomb
This story has stated in that Howard Stark was involved in the Manhattan Project. When it comes to Howard Stark being associated with World War II, Marvel has typically rendered these references as topical. The most famous example is the original of Arsenal in Iron Man #114/Avengers Annual #9. That story states that Arsenal was created during World War II. A later story about the character in Iron Man (vol. 3) #84 updates that story stating that Arsenal was created during the Cold War instead.
Where this all gets muddy is series like Citizen V and the V-Battalion, S.H.I.E.L.D. (both volumes) and Operation S.I.N place Howard Stark as being alive in the 1950s. His affiliation with the Brotherhood of the Shield and the V-Battallion could be used to explain how he survived into the Modern Age since both groups had access to exotic and alien technology that could slow the aging process.
That said, Spider-Man Family #8 identifies as Howard Stark, Sr. who is said to have built what later became Avengers Mansion in 1932. We also saw an adult Howard Stark in Astonishing Tales: Dominic Fortune #1-6 which is set in 1937. Captain America Annual #9 features a story where an adult Howard Stark and his wife Maria are kidnapped by the Red Skull before being rescued by Captain America and the Howling Commandos.
What’s worse, the Howard Stark profile in Iron Manual Mark 3 (published in 2010) doesn’t do much to explain these discrepancies. It mentions the wartime activities of Howard Stark mentioned in this story and in Captain America Annual #9, but does not mention his encounter with Dominic Fortune in 1937.
As the Sliding Timescale pushes forward, these issues become increasingly difficult to reconcile. I predict two possibilities in this case:
1) Perhaps Howard Stark, Sr. was the one active in the stories set in the 1930s and 1940s. The fact that he also marries a woman named Maria being a coincidence that isn’t too outlandish when you consider how common the name Maria actually is.
2) Perhaps Howard Stark Senior and Junior are the same man and this is how Stark has managed to operate in the public without raising eyebrows. Right around when people would start to notice that Stark wasn’t aging he simply faked his death and resurfaced as Howard Stark, Jr. Given this is how Kang fooled people when posing as Victor Timely, I don’t see how Howard Stark (given his resources) couldn’t pull off a similar stunt. Given Howard’s considerable resources and association with various secret societies and exotic technology, this doesn’t seem all that outlandish.
I would argue that point 2 is the most likely because it requires the least amount of work arounds to make sense. That said, I don't think that Tony would have been aware of this at the time of the story above and could potentially be referring to an ancestor and not his adopted father.
