Iron Man (vol. 3) #5
Into the Fire
A technology convention on Isle Suerte, a resort paradise for the wealthy, have come under attack from a terrorist organization called Flaming Sword, led by Firebrand, an anti-capitalist with a huge hate on for the wealthy.
Things have gotten even more deadly now that Firebrand has reignited the once dormant volcano at the center of the island. While Iron Man carries people to safety, his allies — Rumiko Fujikawa and Jim Rhodes — assist local officials with the relief effort. As they are helping people, Morgan Stark — Tony’s cousin who is in charge of Stark-Fujikawa — pleads with Iron Man to evacuate him from the island. Iron Man refuses and then takes to the air so he can fly out of the radio dampening field and contact the outside world.
He contacts Pepper Potts at Stark Solutions and learns that she has contacted the US Rescue Operations are on their way. She has also been able to look up what available data she can find on the new Firebrand. She informs Tony of his affiliation with Flaming Sword and operations that he has previously been involved in. She has also learned that Firebrand’s harness — which regulates his powers — were provided to him by the Arm’s Merchant. However, she finds no connection between Firebrand and the mystery client that the arm’s Merchant has been dealing with that Iron Man has been trying to uncover recently.[1] Pepper also fond a connection between Firebrand and an energy-research firm in Boston. That’s when she gets incoming transmission from an unknown source. It is relevant to Firebrand so Pep sends it to Tony to investigate.
Before signing off, Iron Man attempts to talk to Pepper about her recent divorce from Happy Hogan. However, she doesn’t want to talk about it and disconnects the call.[2] Pepper expresses her disapproval that Hap — who also works for Tony now — telling their boss that they have been divorced. Hogan defends himself, saying he had to tell Tony the truth after he offered to fly the two of them to Isle Suerete for a couples vacation. When she accuses him of trying to get Tony to get their marriage back together, Happy says he did no such thing. Growing angry over these accusations, Happy decides to leave the office and blow off some steam.
Meanwhile, Iron Man goes over the data on Firebrand sent to him by Pepper. He learns that he was a man named Richard Dennison, who was involved with an eco-terrorist group called Terra Tactics. They sabotaged Project: Firebrand at the an alternative-energy research project.[3] However, while making their escape, Dennison was shot by one of the security guards. When their bombs blew up the project, Richard was bombarded with the experimental super-charged plasma the lab was working with. This transformed Dennison into the heat-generating being that he is today. Driven insane by the process, Richard was kept in a containment unit because there was no other way of regulating his new powers. This unit was later stolen by Flaming Sword who then outfitted him with the high-tech harness that he now wears to control his powers. Although this information tells Tony everything he needs to know about Firebrand, it offers no clues as to who send him the information, or why.
That’s when Iron Man hears gunfire on the ground and heads down to investigate. There he finds Jim Rhodes and the local authorities clashing with the other members of Flaming Sword. What he can see is that the terrorists are actually looting the place, contrary to Firebrand’s anti-capitalist leanings. The fact that Flaming Sword is jeopardizing so many lives for money angers Iron Man and he lashes into the terrorists. Realizing that they are no match for the Avenger, they call in Firebrand to defend them. As Iron Man clashes with the super-powered menace he tries to convince Firebrand that Flaming Sword is just using him to enrich themselves. Firebrand refuses to listen, calling Iron Man a liar, and manages to overpower the hero by overheating his armor. With Iron Man down, Firebrand turns his attentions back to blowing shit up.
When Tony gets his suit back up and running, he is more determined to not only stop Firebrand, but also shut down the volcano he revived. For assistance, Tony puts in a call to volanic expert Ramona Napier, whom he has worked with in the past.[4] When he asks her how to stop the volcano, she says that it is a difficult task since its not as simple as plugging the top as this would just cap pressure and cause lava to explode out someplace else. She says that the job is impossible unless one could find somewhere else to channel the lava. This gives Tony an idea and he promises to take Ramona out for dinner to thank her for her help.
Re-engaging Firebrand, Iron Man remotely hacks into the villain’s harness and forces it to reconfigure it into a massive blaster that Iron Man can use to dig a new channel for the lava to flow. While Iron Man succeed in tunneling down to the core and creating a new lava channel into the ocean, he loses Firebrand in the explosion.[5] With that the island and the locals are no longer in any danger.
After changing out of his armor, Tony meets up with Jim Rhodes and congratulates him for fighting off Flaming Sword. Rhodey then attempts to explain his presence on the island, but before he can they are interrupted by Rumiko Fujikawa. She is also commended for helping the locals get first aid during the crisis. That’s when they see Morgan Stark, Tony’s cousin, and the resort manager arguing over what happened. Morgan wants to get off the island ASAP but the resort manager is pleading with him to stay and enjoy some more time on the resort in order to make up for their terrible experience. While Morgan wants to do nothing of the sort, Tony agrees to stay when the resort manager expresses how grateful he is for Iron Man saving the island.
Meanwhile, in Eastern Australia, the Black Widow has fled from some gunmen into a nearby forest. Pulling out her cell phone she puts in a call to Stark Solutions and gets Pepper Potts. Natasha tells Pep that she needs to talk to Tony Stark urgently![6]
Recurring Characters
Iron Man, Firebrand, Rumiko Fujikawa, Morgan Stark, Jim Rhodes, Happy Hogan, Pepper Potts, Ramona Napier, Arms Merchant, Black Widow, Socrates
Continuity Notes
Iron Man has been looking into the Arms Merchant’s operations to figure out who he is providing high-tech weapons to since Iron Man (vol. 3) #2-3. We’ll learn that he has been working for the Mandarin this whole time in issue #9-10.
Happy and Pepper had been married since Tales of Suspense #91. However, after years of rocky marriage the two ultimately got divorced. The sordid details of which were all explained last issue.
The name of the company involved in Project: Firebrand is not revealed here. Iron Man (vol. 3) #7 identifies it as Power Source, Inc.
Ramona Napier was hired on to test a vehicle that could venture into the heart of an active volcano, as seen in Captain America Annual #9. This was part of the Terminus Factor even which also took place in Iron Man Annual #11, Thor Annual #15, Avengers West Coast Annual #5, and Avengers Annual #19.
Firebrand didn’t perish and will turn up again in Avengers (vol. 3) #0.
As we’ll learn next issue, Natasha is investigating the disappearances of notable scientists. They are also being used as part of a plan being orchestrated by the Mandarin.
Topical References
The file on Richard Dennison states that he was born on August 15, 1968. This date should be considered a topical reference relative to the date of publication. Modern readers should interpret this to mean that Dennison was born about 30 years prior to the events of this story rather than a specific date.
When Firebrand threatens to make Iron Man pay for using him like a tool, Tony quips “will you take my platinum Amex card?” This should be considered a topical reference as Amex — short for American Express — is a real world credit card company.
The Black Widow is depicted using a cell phone that uses an pull out antenna to pick up signals. This should be considered topical as this technology is now obsolete.