Old Soldiers

Answering a call for help from his old teacher Ted Slaght, Iron Man arrives at the California Poly-Technical Institute’s Experimental Materials Lab to find that a new molten parasilicate alloy has breached its vat and is spilling all over the lab. When trying to shut down the experiment, the hero is shocked to discover the liquid slag trying to bond with him. Pulling himself free, Iron Man manages to activate the manual shut down. With the danger passed, he checks the pressure injector system and determines that this was the problem. When he asks the staff who set it, he learns that it was Doctor Slaght. When he questions Ted about it, he seems absent minded about the whole ordeal.

Later, Tony Stark pays a visit to his old teacher out of his armor to catch up on old times and see how he is doing. Tony discovers that Ted had mixed up the last time they met. When he asks about the accident, Ted believes that Tony is talking about the car accident that claimed the lives of his parents.[1] When Tony clarifies that he is talking about the recent lab accident, Ted becomes very upset and acts as though this is the first time he’s hearing about the incident. Tony deduces that Slaght must be experiencing early symptoms of a cognative illness and reports his findings to the Poly-Technical Institute’s board of directors. Tony regrets to tell them this as Ted Slaght is a brilliant man whom he owes a great deal to. When Slaght learns that he is being pulled off his own project, he accuses Tony of stabbing him in the back.

The following day, Tony tries to call Ted and explain himself while on the way to the airport to take a flight to Russia, where he is due to open a new Stark Enterprises facility. Happy Hogan, Tony’s driver, is amazed by how things have changed over the years, noting that many of Iron Man’s early foes were Russian spies. While Tony admits that he had ideological differences with the Russian government in the past, recent political changes have given him an opportunity to enter the country and help those who were most impacted by these changes. When they arrive at Tony’s private jet, Bethany Cabe introduces Tony to his new pilot, Joan “Ace” Sheppard. They are soon joined by Natasha Romanov, aka the Black Widow, who has come to act as Tony’s interpreter and guide in Russia. On the flight out, Tony and Natasha reminisce on old times and Natasha’s time as a Russian spy. It’s here that Tony admits that he had a fondness for the Widow’s original costume, which makes Natasha laugh.[2]

Meanwhile, Titanium Man — upset that his country is going into business with Tony Stark — has broken into the tomb of former Russian leader Vladimir Lenin. Standing over Lenin’s body, the Titanium Man airs what he views are mistakes made by the current Russian government. He has romanticized the days of Lenin’s communist Russia and its glory days during the Cold War. He feels as though his country has lost its way and everything that he has fought for is dead. The Titanium Man decides to not let this continue happening and vows to stop it.

As he takes to the air, Russian military picks him up on radar. Military officials are concerned about what the rogue operative will do and order General Valentin Shatalov be brought in to deal with this situation.

The following day, as Tony Stark makes an address at the grand opening of the new Stark Enterprises facility outside of Moscow, the Titanium Man attacks. The Black Widow quickly springs into action and helps Tony get to cover so he can change into Iron Man so he can deal with their attacker. Iron Man tries to convince his old enemy that their countries are not at odds with each other anymore and that they have no reason to fight. Titanium Man refuses to listen and is eager to destroy his old enemy.[3] The battle takes a turn when Titanium Man causes the side of the building to start collapsing. Iron Man races in to push people to safety from the falling debris but is stunned when struck by it himself. This allows Titanium Man to overpower Iron Man. Holding the hero in his grasps, Titanium Man prepares to rip Iron Man limb-from-limb.

Recurring Characters

Iron Man, Black Widow, Titanium Man, Happy Hogan, Bethany Cabe, Ted Slaght

Continuity Notes

1. As revealed in Iron Man #288, Howard and Maria Stark seemingly died in a car accident many years ago when Tony was still a young man. About that:

   • Here, Howard and Maria are referred to as Tony’s biological parents. Years later it is revealed that Tony was actually adopted. See Iron Man (vol. 5) #17 and International Iron Man #6-7.

   • S.H.I.E.L.D. #5 later revealed that Howard worked for a secret organization called the Brotherhood of the Shield. The organization had come up with a contingency plan to fake Howard’s death should the need arise, using a car accident as part of the ruse. As of this writing, it is yet to be revealed if Stark actually faked his death or not.

2. Some facts about the past relationship between Tony Stark/Iron Man and the Black Widow are detailed here:

   • Natasha started her career as a Russian spy, and frequently attacked Stark Industries in its early days, starting in Tales of Suspense #52. She eventually defected from Russia in Avengers #30.

   • Tony mentions Natasha’s original Black Widow costume. She didn’t start wearing a costume until Tales of Suspense #64. One of its defining characteristics was that it included fishnet stockings. Natasha ultimately scrapped that look in Amazing Spider-Man #86.

3. There are multiple references to the first time Iron Man and Titanium Man fought in this story. That iconic clash occurred in Tales of Suspense #69-71.

Topical References

• In this story, Tony states that he and Ted last met when they were called in to consult on the Challenger explosion. Tony goes on to state that it was Ted and Rick Feynman who discovered the flaw in the shuttle’s O-Rings that caused the shuttle to explode during launch. In real life, the Challenger explosion took place on January 28, 1986. Feynman was part of the investigation that discovered its root cause. All mentions of these events happening “a few years ago” and that Tony and Ted were involved should be considered topical. Modern readers should interpret this to mean that Tony and Ted were enlisted to investigate a shuttle disaster that is unique to the Marvel Universe and not any real world incident.

• Tony’s prognosis is that Ted Slagh is suffering from an early on set of Alzheimer’s Disease, a neurodegenerative illness that is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly. While this is currently a major illness with no known cure as I write this (August, 2022) the reference to a specific real-world illness should be considered topical to account for future medical breakthroughs that might result in a cure for the illness and thereby unintentionally age this story. Modern readers should interpret Tony’s diagnosis to a unspecified neurodegenerative illness rather than a specific one.

• This story is framed as though the fall of the USSR happened a few years prior. The former Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. All references to that happening in the recent past should be considered topical. Modern readers should assume that Titanium Man is upset about softening relations between the USA and Russia that have nothing to do with the Cold War.

• The leader of Russia is depicted as Boris Yeltzin in this story. Yeltzin was President of Russia from 1991 until 1999. This should be considered a topical reference, particularly since Yeltzin has been out of office for decades and that he died in 2007.

• Iron Man states that the current year is 1995. This year should be considered topical as it is relative to the date of publication.