Tales of Suspense #84
The Other Iron Man!
After months of being hounded, Tony Stark has finally appeared before a Senate committee to reveal the secrets behind Iron Man’s armor, including the identity of the man behind the mask.[1] However, as Tony is about to reveal that he is Iron Man, he suddenly suffers a heart attack and collapses on the floor. A doctor is rushed to his side and they discover the metal chest plate that Tony has worn for years. One of the Senator’s recalls how Tony Stark was injured in Vietnam and must have been keeping the severity a secret for quite some time.[2] Harrington Byrd decides that the hearing is to be canceled and Tony rushed to the hospital. Watching the event on live television, Pepper Potts never knew the truth about her employer and openly weeps over his condition. She insists that they go to the hospital. Disappointed that Pepper still has feelings for Tony Stark, Happy Hogan joins her on a cab ride to the hospital.[3]
At the hospital, a throng of reporters are in Tony’s room bombarding him with questions about recent developments. One reporter even asks if Tony is secretly Iron Man, something that Stark outright denies, saying his condition prevents him from doing anything too strenuous. After arriving with Pepper, Happy leaves to get a newspaper and sees how people are speculating his boss is Iron Man. Fearing that they’ll figure out the truth soon enough, Happy decides that he has to do something in order to maintain Tony’s secret.
Soon, Happy dons the Iron Man armor and makes a number of highly visible public appearances while Tony is still recovering in the hospital. In one particular incident, Happy engages in an impromptu race with a kid on a motorcycle. It’s a huge learning curve for Hogan but under Tony’s guidance, he manages to master flying around in the Iron Man armor. After his latest stint, Happy returns to the hospital where Tony is staying to return the armor to Stark’s attaché case. As Tony is thanking Happy for his help, Hogan is suddenly teleported away.
The kidnapper is none other than the Mandarin, who had zeroed in on Happy Hogan because he was wearing Iron Man’s armor at the time. Thinking he has captured the real Iron Man, the Mandarin looks forward to finally destroying his foe. Back at the hospital, Tony correctly deduced that the Mandarin is responsible for Happy’s disappearance and wonders how he can save his friend.
Recurring Characters
Iron Man, Mandarin, Happy Hogan, Pepper Potts, Harrington Byrd
Continuity Notes
Senator Harrington Byrd has been pressing Stark to testify to the Senate since Tales of Suspense #71.
This of course was the injury to his heart that led to Tony becoming Iron Man. See Tales of Suspense #39.
Happy thinks to himself how he recently got his memory back and knows that Tony Stark is Iron Man. Happy put two-and-two together in Tales of Suspense #70 and was injured shortly after. After being in a coma and being briefly mutated into the Freak, Happy woke up with amnesia in issue #76. His memory came back last issue.
Topical References
The media equipment in the Senate chambers is all 60s era tech: from massive microphones to cameras that record on film. All of this shit is topical.
References to Tony Stark being injured in Vietnam during the Vietnam War are topical. A detailed explanation about these kinds of references can be found here.
It is also said that Tony’s accident happened “years ago”. This should be considered a topical reference that denotes the length of time between publications. Per the Sliding Timescale, Tony had been injured about a year prior to this story.
A news cameraman is depicted using a camera with a telescoping lense and a flashbulb.
Happy and Pepper are depicted watching the committee on a television that has an antenna on its back.
The Super-Adaptoid!
Following his battle with the Adaptoid, Captain America takes his fellow Avengers down to take a look at the mysterious shape-changing android.[1] When they take a look at the seemingly inert android, neither Hawkeye, Goliath, or the Wasp can make heads or tails of it.[2] The Avengers soon leave unaware that the Adaptoid was secretly mimicking all of their powers.[3]
Once the other Avengers have gone for the night, Captain America goes outside for some fresh air. There he is ambushed by the Adaptoid. Now calling itself the Super-Adaptoid, the android has become a massive amalgamation of all of the Avengers. Captain America lunges at his foe but is easily overpowered by the android now that it has the power of all of the Avengers.
With Captain America at its mercy, the Super-Adaptoid offers to change Captain America into a being just like itself so they can rule over humanity together. Captain America refuses this offer and starts attacking the Super-Adaptoid again. Realizing his enemy is too powerful, Cap goads the android into proving it can fly like the Wasp. Once they are high above the city, Captain America pins the Adaptoid’s wings causing both to fall. They end up grabbing onto the side of a bridge. There, the Super-Adaptoid uses his Goliath level strength to rip it apart, sending Captain America falling into the water below.
Assuming that Captain America is destroyed, the Super-Adaptoid considers its mission accomplish. Since his only mission from AIM was to destroy Captain America, the Adaptoid is at a loss as to what its next move. As he flies off to find a place to think this over, the Super-Adaptoid fails to see Captain America emerge from the water alive and well.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Super-Adaptoid, Avengers (Goliath, Wasp, Hawkeye)
Continuity Notes
Hawkeye wonders if the Adaptoid is a Space Phantom, such as the one the original Avengers fought previously. Some facts about what is stated:
Hawkeye heard about how the original team fought the Space Phantom back in Avengers #2.
Captain America refers to the Space Phantom. Actually, the Space Phantom is a minion of Immortus and comes from the timeless realm of Limbo. His battle with the Avengers was part of a larger scheme to manipulate history. The whole thing is explained in Avengers Forever #8.
Mention is made of how the Adaptoid was defeated by the Tumbler while posing as Captain America. That happened last issue.
Hawkeye mentions going to visit the Black Widow. This story follows the events of Avengers #29-30 when the Black Widow was finally free of her communist handlers and defected.