Iron Man (vol. 3) #33
Power, Part 1: Heroes
Tony Stark and Rumiko Fujikawa are out for a romantic evening. After dinner and dancing, they two return to Stark’s apartment in Stark Tower and spend the night together.[1] When Tony wakes up in the morning, Rumiko is gone but she left a message for him on her pillow asking him to call her in the evening as she has a surprise planned.
With nothing pressing to do that day, Tony decides to turn on the TV to see what’s happening in the world. The top story is a hostage situation at a bank. The mayor is meeting with the media, telling them that the situation is tense but people need to be patience and perhaps pray for some divine intervention.
Tony decides to do something about the situation by suiting up as Iron Man. As he flies to the bank he dimly reminds himself that he still needs to upgrade this old suit of armor.[2] However, when Iron Man arrives on the scene, the officer in charge doesn’t want his help and tells him to stay back while the NYPD deals with it. Iron Man complies but soon learns from the media that the bank robbers involved are all teenagers. That’s when Speedball comes bounding in and leaps into the bank before anyone can stop him. Seconds after he has gone inside, the robbers begin opening fire. With a SWAT team still three minutes away, the cop in charge has no choice but to allow Iron Man to go in, but he’s not happy with it.
When Iron Man flies inside, he sees that Speedball has been forced to stand down because one of the robbers is threatening to shoot an old lady. Iron Man blasts the gun out of the hostage taker’s hand with his repulsors. Speedball is unhappy to see Iron Man, particularly since the Avenger tried to kill him and the New Warriors the last time they all met.[3] Iron Man realizes that this was his sentient suit of armor, but finds it hard to try and explain , nor is this the time for one.
That evening Tony and Rumiko are taking a limo out to the Brooklyn Shipyards. This is the location of the latest exclusive party being held by Doctor Maximus Power. Tony is highly suspicious Max Power and his parties. Rumiko explains that they are highly exclusive and only those who can afford to pay the “donation” fee are invited. These “donations” go to research, development, and construction of the Power Research Facility for Human Development. This makes Tony even more skeptical. They arrive in costume, with Tony dressed like Captain America while Rumiko dresses as the Invisible Woman. After paying the “donation” they enter the party is also dressed as various superheroes and one man who is either the real Doctor Doom or a really good impersonator.[4]
Soon Max Power shows up and addresses his guests. Tony is surprised by his chalk white skin and strange mane, which looks more like fleshy outgrowths than hair. Tony wonders if this is another costume.[5] After his opening speech Power asks for a volunteer. A portly man dressed up as Quicksilver volunteers and is invited up to join Max on the stage. Given a pill, the Fat Quicksilver swallows it and is suddenly given powers similar to Speedball. Max tells the others that he has enough pills to go around to give each one a unique set of powers. Suddenly, it becomes clear to Tony why Power keeps these parties on the down low.
Seeing this as a safety hazard, Tony slips out to the back alley and summons his armor. It is delivered to him thanks to the hover device built into his briefcase. Tony quickly changes into Iron Man but, by the time he gets back inside, everyone has all taken their a pill and have been granted superhuman powers. Iron Man tries to stop people from hurting themselves but the patrons start attacking him. Max Power tries to get control of the situation by telling them to leave Iron Man as well. Unfortunately, the drugs are also laced with something that gives the user a sense of euphoria as well to loosen their inhibitions.
That’s when Iron Man is attacked by Rumiko Fujikawa herself. Having taken a pill, she has gained powers similar to the Absorbing Man. In her drug induced state she blames Iron Man for the troubles caused in her relationship with Tony Stark and has decided that she is going to smash him to pieces.
Recurring Characters
Iron Man, Max Power, Jocasta, Rumiko Fujikawa, Speedball
Continuity Notes
Tony is depicted here with a bandage over his chest. This is because he is still recovering from having his heart replaced with a mechanical one in Iron Man (vol. 3) #30.
Tony recently went back to wearing an older suit of armor after his most recent one became sentient, as seen in Iron Man (vol. 3) #26-30. This was due to the Ultron Imperative per issue #48. Tony’s internal monologue also mention his recent adventure with the Sons of Yinsen, as seen in Iron Man (vol. 3) #31-32 and Annual 2000.
It was the sentient armor, as we saw in New Warriors (vol. 2) #9.
Per Official Index to the Marvel Universe: Iron Man, this is not the real Doctor Doom. Just someone who is really getting into character.
It’s not, Iron Man (vol. 3) #35 reveals that Max Power is an alien that has been exiled on Earth by his own people.
Topical References
The label on Tony Stark’s bed sheets is Guess. Guess is a brand of clothing best known for their jeans if anything else. To be honest, I don’t recall then ever being in the bed sheet game, but I GUESS you learn something every day. At any rate, the brand was at the height of its popularity around the time this comic was published. Its reference here should be considered topical as it is a real world brand.
The TV in Tony’s apartment is depicted as a CRT model screen. This should be considered a topical reference as this is an obsolete technology.
The bank being held up is referred to as the Bank of Manhattan. An institution by that name has existed in New York City in one form or another since 1799. The current incarnation of this institution is referred to as JPMorgan & Chase Co. To some New Yorkers it is still colliquilly referred to as the Bank of Manhattan.
The mayor of New York City is depicted as Rudy Giuliani. This should be considered a topical reference as he was mayor from 1994 to 2001.
Tony’s limo is depicted as an early 2000s model Jaguar limo. This should be conisdered topical as Jaguar is a real world car company.
The price of admission to one of Max Powers is $10,000. Tony reacts as though this is a huge amount of money. Adjusting for inflation it would be worth of 17k in 2023 money. Still, this wouldn’t be considered a lot to someone as wealthy as Tony Stark would be today unless he was a total skinflint.
Maximum Security Reading Order
Maximum Security: Dangerous Planet #1, Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 2) #22, 23, 24, Iron Man (vol. 3) #32, 33, 34, Peter Parker: Spider-Man #23-24, Captain America (vol. 3) #36, Maximum Security #1, Thor (vol. 2) #30, Uncanny X-Men #387, Black Panther (vol. 3) #25, Captain Marvel (vol. 4) #12-13, Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #21, Iron Man (vol. 3) #35, Bishop the Last X-Man #15, Maximum Security #2, Thunderbolts #45, 46, 47, Marvel Knights #6, Gambit (vol. 3) #23, X-Men (vol. 2) #107, X-Men Unlimited #29, Avengers (vol. 3) #35, Maximum Security #3