The Dragon Seed Saga Part III: Dragon Lord

The situation in China’s Valley of the Dragon has grown grim. The Chinese government had enlisted the aid of Iron Man to defeat the Mandarin and Fin Fang Foom in exchange for access to a scientist that could potentially cure Tony Stark’s ruined nervous system.[1] Fearing for his friend’s safety, Jim Rhodes went out to fight the massive dragon in Tony’s Iron Man armor. When he faired poorly against the monster, Tony used his remotely piloted Iron Man armor to try and rescue his friend. Unfortunately, the delay in a satellite relay puts Tony off his game and when things are looking grim, he is forced to retreat.

Moments later, a group of five eight other dragons arrive to join Fin Fang Foom. Upon their arrival Chen Hsu, a wizard who has been mentoring the Mandarin this whole time, drops his human guise revealing himself to be a dragon as well. As the dragons celebrate their centuries long reunion, the Mandarin gives a partial explanation for his part in all of this.

Years earlier, the Mandarin had ventured into the Valley of the Dragon and found an ancient alien ship hidden in a cave. Inside, he found the ten rings of power that he now uses.[2] He later kidnapped scientist Ho Yinsen — the scientist who helped Tony create his first suit of Iron Man armor — in the hopes that Yinsen could unlock the full potential of the weapons, but Yinsen died before he could carry this out.[3] The Mandarin explains that his goals were always world domination and a desire to shape the world in his own image. That’s when they are rejoined by Chen Hsu and his fellow dragons who all resume their human forms. Chen Hsu then reveals that he and his people have been stringing the Mandarin along for their own intended goals.

Chen Hsu explains that he and his people come from an alien world called Kakaranathara which exists in the Greater Magellanic Cloud. A race of dragons, Chen Hsu’s people had developed a utopian society devoted to the sciences and art. A peaceful world, there was want of nothing. Chen Hsu and his followers found their home utterly borning and craved a world where war, violence, and destruction were common. Taking a space ship, they left Kakaranathara and learned of the planet Earth. Seeing how violent Earth’s early civilizations were, the rogue Maklians intentionally crashed their ship in what is now China’s Valley of the Dragon. The aliens were instantly hunted and had to fight for their lives. They eventually lost six of their number before they learned how to disguise themselves as humans and infiltrate Earth societies. Over the convening centuries, they learned the ways of humans and began acquiring wealth and power as they bided their time. Concluding his time, Chen Hsu says that the time of their conquest is now and that they intend to take back the Mandarin’s power rings.

Meanwhile, Tony’s suit of remote Iron Man armor arrives at his hotel room in Beijing. However, before Stark can suit up and go back to the scene of the battle in person there is a knock at the door. Answering it, he is surprised to see that his visitor is Su Yin. She has come to tell him that there might be a slim hope to repair his damaged nervous system. Tony is overjoyed and tries to make romantic advances on Su Yin. She is equally attracted to Tony and they kiss, but pushes him away right after. She tells Tony that despite the fact that she has feelings for him she also loves her husband and leaves before she does anything else she might regret. The news that Su Yin is married leaves Tony speechless.

Back at the scene of the battle, Chen Hsu thanks the Mandarin for his loyalty and asks him to relinquish his power rings to the Dragon Lords. However, the Mandarin refuses to surrender the weapons, having decided that they are his and his alone. Since he will not give the rings willingly, the Dragon Lords use their mental powers to try and psionically remove them from the Mandarin’s fingers. However, the Mandarin’s will power is greater than them and he is able to resist the pull and fight back. As the Dragon Lords resume their true forms, they are suddenly ambushed by the true Iron Man who has arrived on the scene to put an end to the conflict once and for all!

Recurring Characters

Iron Man (Stark), Iron Man (Rhodes), Mandarin, Dragon Lords (Chen Hsu, Chi Chan, Wu Pong, Fin Fang Foom), Su Yin

Continuity Notes

1. TL;DR: Tony was shot in through the spine in Iron Man #242 leaving him disabled from the waist down. He cured himself with an experimental bio-chip in issue #248. This chip was used by the Marrs twins as a backdoor to override Stark’s nervous system with an artificial one that allowed them to take control of his body. Iron Man uncovered and foiled this plot over the course of Iron Man #258-266. Tony’s condition will persist until Iron Man #290.

2. Ho Yinsen was a prisoner of the mercenary Wong Chu and seemingly sacrificed his life to give Tony time to get his Iron Man armor up and running back in Tales of Suspense #39. The Mandarin’s involvement in this affair was revealed in Iron Man #267-268. Although everyone believes Yinsen had died that is not the case: It is later revealed in Iron Man (vol. 3) #31, Yinsen survived getting shot and was taken away by Sun Tao, one of Yinsen’s students. Sun Tao left him after hearing what he thought were Yinsen’s dying words. However, Iron Man Annual 2000 reveals that Yinsen was pulled forward in time moments after he was shot by Doctor Midas.