Tales of Suspense #83
Victory!
Iron Man has been attacked by the Titanium Man in Washington, DC. Making matters worse, the villain has used his paralyzer ray on Pepper Potts. Quickly, Iron Man uses a live-wire from his armor to short out Titanium Man’s weapon and pull Pepper to safety. Iron Man gives in to his anger and lays into his foe for putting Pepper in harm’s way. Unfortunately, none of his attacks can do much to damage the Titanium Man’s armor. The Golden Avenger tries using a diamond drill on his foe, but it breaks against his titanium hide. This allows Titanium Man to grab the hero, but this is playing right into Iron Man’s hands. Activating his jet boots, Iron Man rockets free and shifts over to Titanium Man’s back and shoves his live wire into an open panel in the back of Titanium Man’s helmet. With his armor temporarily shorted out and heavily damaged, the Titanium Man realizes that he is fighting a losing battle and flees the scene. Hix exit is so sudden, it creates a deafening sonic boom.
The sonic boom also is what was needed to finally jar Happy Hogan’s memories and he now remembers everything, including the fact that his boss, Tony Stark, is also Iron Man.[1] Arriving on the scene is Senator Harrington Byrd, who has come to congratulate Iron Man for his victory. He is so happy, he is even willing to give credit to Tony Stark, whose Iron Man armor proved superior to his Russian counterpart. When Bryd asks where Titanium Man had gone, Iron Man suspects he headed out to sea to be picked up by his Russian handlers. Iron Man’s deduction is correct, however, the Russian submarine crew is unhappy that Titanium Man has failed them again and leave. With his jet boots out of power, Titanium Man finds himself stranded out at sea, pleading with his handlers to come back.[2]
By this time, Iron Man has departed and his alter ego, Tony Stark, has arrived on the scene. Pepper is happy to see him and hugs Tony. Stark tells Harrington Byrd that he will finally testify before congress.[3] Happy Hogan is upset that Pepper has run to Tony instead of him. Happy wonders what Tony would do if he knew that his memory is back and he remembers that his employer is secretly Iron Man?
Recurring Characters
Iron Man, Titanium Man, Happy Hogan, Pepper Potts, Harrington Byrd
Continuity Notes
Happy Hogan put two-and-two together during Iron Man’s first battle with the Titanium Man but was seriously injured shortly thereafter. See Tales of Suspense #69-71. Happy was in a coma until an experimental treatment turned him into the Freak. When Tony restored him to normal, Happy was stricken with amnesia. See Tales of Suspense #74-76.
This is not the end of Titanium Man. He’ll be recovered and repaired by Half-Face in Tales of Suspense #92-94.
Harrington Byrd has been pressuring Tony to meet with Congress to reveal the identity of Iron Man since Tales of Suspense #72.
Topical References
The news crew that films Iron Man’s battle are using old television cameras. The massive kind that has multiple lenses on rotating disc in order to change shots. Kind of silly in a day and age where newscasters can document the news on a cell phone.
The President of the United States is depicted as Lyndon B. Johnson. Stan Lee even tosses in a mangled version of a motto of Johnson’s, that men should reason instead of fighting. Johnson loved quoting this almost as much as he enjoyed whipping his dick out to intimidate people.
Enter… The Tumbler!
The Adaptoid has taken on the form of Captain America and taken his trademark shield. As it wanders Avengers Mansion, the Adaptoid is suddenly confronted by the Tumbler.[1] This skilled acrobat has broken into Avengers headquarters to pit his skills against Captain America to prove he is the superior fighter. He attacks the Adaptoid, unaware that he is not fighting the real Captain America, but an android created by AIM.
Since it has absorbed all of Captain America’s skills, the Adaptoid figures the Tumbler will be an easy opponent to defeat. However, the android quickly learns that there is a difference between absorbing the abilities of another and having the skill to use them when the Tumbler manages to steal his shield. The Tumbler then decides to give “Captain America” his life story. He explains that he was once a nobody that even the mobs weren’t interested in working with. Deciding to make himself a master criminal, the man who would later become the Tumbler joined a circus and mastered the art of tumbling, trained under the strong man, and honed his reflexes with jugglers. Now, as the Tumbler, this one-time nobody intends to prove himself to the world by defeating Captain America in battle.
As the two continue to fight it out the real Captain America, who was left tied up in a closet, struggles to get free. Meanwhile, the Tumbler overpowers the Adaptoid and tosses him through the closet door where Captain America was being kept. When a Captain America emerges from the closet, it turns out to be the genuine article. This Captain America has the years of experience and skill that he easily defeats the Tumbler in combat and turns him over to the authorities. After the Tumbler is gone, Captain America frees Jarvis, the Avengers butler, and they carry the Adaptoid down to the lab so it can be examined further. Left tied up in the lab, the Adaptoid resumes its normal featureless form and vows to carry out its mission for AIM: Destroy Captain America.[2]
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Adaptoid, Tumbler, Edwin Jarvis
Continuity Notes
The Tumbler’s real name is not revealed in this story. He is identified as John Robert Keane in Captain America #169.
This story states that AIM has been destroyed. The organization had just recently been taken down by SHIELD in Strange Tales #149. However, the organization will resurface again in Tales of Suspense #92.
