Appearing in 1st story
Featured Characters:
- Iron Man (Tony Stark) (Main story and flashback)
Supporting Characters:
- Mrs. Gillespie (Cassandra Gillespie's mother) (Only in flashback)
- Cassandra Gillespie (Main story and flashback)
- Howard Stark (Only in flashback)
- Friday (Voice only)
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Giorgio Gillespie (Photo)
- Alexander Gillespie (Photo)
- Avengers (Mentioned)
- Tony's biological father (Mentioned)
- Victor von Doom (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
- Humans (Main story and flashback)
Locations:
- Earth (Main story and flashback)
- Europe (Main story and flashback)
- Spain (Only in flashback)
- Gillespie Estate (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
- United Kingdom (Only in flashback)
- England (Only in flashback)
- London (Mentioned)
- Cambridgeshire (Only in flashback)
- Cambridge (Only in flashback)
- Cambridge University (Only in flashback)
- Cambridge (Only in flashback)
- England (Only in flashback)
- Bulgaria
- Sofia
- Monument to the Soviet Army
- Sofia
- Spain (Only in flashback)
- United States of America, North America (Mentioned)
- Europe (Main story and flashback)
- Hell (Mentioned)
Items:
Synopsis for 1st story
Twenty years into the past, Tony Stark wakes up in an unknown mansion with the wounds he sustained during the scuffle with Hydra nursed. He explores the residence and finds the mother of Cassandra Gillespie in the kitchen. After being startled by Tony, Mrs. Gillespie shares with Tony some details of her life. She was an orphan who had had no place in the world until she met her husband Giorgio, and his father welcomed her to the family. Mrs. Gillespie had spent her entire life hoping to do the same for her daughter, and feels she found that possible with Tony.
Tony later talks with Cassandra in the balcony about the events that had transpired last night. They were in the Gillespie's family home in Spain, and they had arrived in a private plane to treat Tony with a private doctor. Cassandra thanks Tony for his bravery and kisses him. Two days later, Tony had returned to Cambridge when his father Howard suddenly appeared to take him back to America. Howard scolds Tony for being involved with the daughter of his competitors, believing that she was using him.
In the present in Bulgaria, Cassandra confronts Tony for crossing her path while he was looking for his true parents, threatening to hurt the people close to him if he ever returned. Tony warns Cassandra that he won't let her continue illegally trading weapons with terrorist, and during their discussion, she implies to know the identity of Stark's biological father.
Cassandra leaves in a helicopter, and Tony uses a zero-point energy bubble which drains most of his suit's energy to get Cassandra's Mandroid off him. The Mandroids continue blasting Iron Man as Tony tries to reach Cassandra's helicopter. The power cells of his suit eventually deplete as Tony looses sight of the helicopter when it cloaks itself. The Mandroids continue attacking Iron Man, and, as his suit can no longer power the shields protecting him, they breach his armor's hull.
Solicit Synopsis
• The mystery of Tony's real parents reveals some truths behind the history of the Marvel Universe that have been kept hidden for decades.
• Can Tony unravel the mystery before deadly history repeats itself?