Marvel Team-Up (vol. 3) #6
Golden Child Part Six
Spider-Man and X-23 have landed in the middle of the Iron Maniac’s hideout just moments before he could sacrifice the life of a young mutant named Paul Patterson to open a portal back to his home dimension. Thinking that they were sent to attack him by Mister Fantastic, this evil version of Tony Stark attacks. Spider-Man evades Stark’s energy blasts, insulted that neither the Iron Maniac, nor X-23 know who he is. Quickly assessing that the Iron Maniac is a serious threat, both Spider-Man and X-23 agree to work together to stop him, although when Laura calls it a team-up, Spider-Man politely tells her that they don’t call it that out loud.
Meanwhile, aboard the SHIELD helicarrier, Nick Fury and the Black Widow catch Captain America as he is on his way to check on a LMD of Diamondback that was created by the Red Skull recently.[1] Captain America is disappointed that all SHIELD can do is keep her in stasis. Fury explains that there is not much they can do since they can’t deactivate her and a malfunction keeps the LMD from thinking it is anything but the real Diamondback.[2] Fury apologizes for letting something like this happen and assures Cap that they’ll find some way to repair her programming. That’s when they are called up to the main deck where SHIELD operatives have located the energy signature they were tasked with tracking. There Fury is told that the source has been detected in the South Bronx. That’s when they get contacted by Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four, who warns Nick that this evil version of Tony Stark is dangerous and will not stop until he finds a way back to his home dimension. Richards warns them that there is no telling what kind of ripple effect will be cause when Stark opens the portal. Reed would offer the Fantastic Four’s help, but his team is currently busy in the Negative Zone. When Fury asks Captain America and the Black Widow if they want to help, both accept the assignment without question.[3]
Back in the Bronx, while Spider-Man is battling the Iron Maniac, X-23 is about to free Paul Patterson. Spider-Man warns her that Paul is dangerous as well and not to free him. That’s when Captain America arrives and orders Tony to stand down. Surprised to see this world’s version of Captain America causes Tony to pause. However, when Cap tries to convince this version of Tony how good it is in this reality, Stark dismisses Steve as a threat just like this world’s version of Reed Richards and attempts to blast him. However, thanks to his reflexes, Cap is able to deflect the blast with his shield. Disgusted to see this warped version of one of his closest allies, Captain America throws his shield in the Iron Maniac’s face, breaking his mask and revealing Tony Stark’s burned face. As he is ranting and raving, Stark is then attacked by X-23, then ambushed by the Black Widow. When Captain America tries to attack againhe knocks the Star-Spangled Avenger aside and tries to blast the Widow, but Spider-Man leaps in the way of the blast.
By this point, the Iron Maniac uses his armor’s onboard weapons to take away Captain America’s shield. He then raises an antenna from his armor that sends out a nueral scrambler. While all the heroes are fighting off the pain, the evil Tony Stark then activates the device that will open a portal back to his dimension. As he’s gloating he finally recognizes the Black Widow and is once more shocked to find someone else he knew back in his home reality that is still alive here. He contemplates killing her again when he suddenly realizes that while this world is different than his own, it is still very similar and theorizes that the Titannus War hasn’t happened in this reality yet. He decides to spare his foes, figuring that they have a worse fate ahead for them. As he focuses on the charging portal, Tony is unaware that his neural scrambler has run out of power and his opponents are regaining their faculties. That’s when Spider-Man has an idea. While the Black Widow and Captain America keep the evil Tony Stark busy, Spider-Man tosses X-23 at Paul Patterson, remembering how Paul explosively teleported away when he was pierced with Adamantum. Sure enough, this gambit pays off, and Paul Patterson is violently teleported away, destroying the Iron Maniac’s portal device along the way. Everyone is shocked about Paul’s explosive departure, but Spider-Man assures them that Paul survived it last time. At that same moment, Paul materializes in Northern Canada. As he tries to figure out where he is, he’s suddenly attacked by the Wendigo.
Back in New York, X-23 has decided that Spider-Man is crazy and leaves, telling the web-slinger that everyone hates him. Captain America tells the web-slinger that he doesn’t hate him, but admits that Spider-Man can be annoying some time.[4] Dismissing this, Spider-Man then thinks about what the evil Tony Stark said before he was defeated and wonders what the Titannus War he was talking about. At that very moment, Titannus - an incredibly powerful Skrull - has beaten Sunfire to a pulp. Titannus tells Sunfire that he warned him that this was the wrath of Titannus.
Later, aboard the SHIELD helicarrier, Iron Man can’t help but come by to take a look at his evil self from another universe, who has been put in stasis along with the Diamondback LMD. Captain America tells his Tony that they are keeping his evil counterpart in stasis until Reed Richards can devise a way to send him back to his home dimension without any ill effect to their own existence. As they leave, they are unaware that the situation has been monitored by Doctor Strange this whole time. Although the immediate danger is over, he tells Wong that he suspects that this is a precursor to an even greater threat. Needing to explore this further, Strange tells Wong to put on some more tea as Spider-Man swings past the massive window of the Doctor’s Sanctum Sanctorum.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Black Widow, Iron Maniac, Titannus, Spider-Man, X-23, Paul Patterson, Nick Fury, Mister Fantastic, Sunfire, Iron Man, Doctor Strange, “Diamondback”, Wong
Continuity Notes
The details behind the Red Skull’s use of a Diamondback LMD was detailed in Captain America (vol. 4) #29-32. (a footnote in this issue incorrectly states that it was the third volume of Captain America) Nick Fury states that the Red Skull is dead here. At the time of this story, the Red Skull was seemingly murdered by the Winter Soldier in Captain America (vol. 5) #1. It is later revealed in Captain America (vol. 5) #11-12 that the Red Skull cheated death by using the Cosmic Cube to transfer his mind into the body of Alexander Lukin, the man that ordered his assassination.
At the time of this story, the real Diamondback is in a catatonic state due to mind-control nanoprobes as seen in Citizen V and the V-Battallion #1. She will turn up back to normal again in Cable and Deadpool #20.
The Black Widdow makes a comment about needing an ego boost after an “ordeal” with Matt Murdock. She is referring to the events of Daredevil (vol. 2) #61-64 in which Madame Hydra was attempting to assassinate her.
When Captain America admits that Spider-Man can be annoying, Spider-Man pretends to hurt, asking if he has no love for a fellow Avenger. If you think this story takes place after New Avengers #1, you’d be wrong. Prior to joining the New Avengers, Spider-Man had mantained reserves status with the original Avengers since Avengers #329.
