Appearing in "The Terminus Factor (Part II of V) - If the Termini Come"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Gears Garvin
- Machine Man
- Peter Spaulding (Death)
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Doctor Larrabee, Baintronics Incorporated
- Captain America (Main story and flashback)
- Jocasta (Head only)
Races and Species:
Locations:
Items:
- Captain America's Shield (Main story and flashback)
- Captain America's Uniform (Main story and flashback)
- Iron Man Armor MK VIII
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "The Terminus Factor (Part II of V) - If the Termini Come"
A strange microbe that had infected a bear in Georgeville, Washington has transformed it into a titanium consuming robot. The robot, known as a Termini crashes into the cabin home of Gears Garvin, inhabited by Machine Man and Peter Spaulding. Machine Man attacks the thing, but the Termini eats his robotic arm. Machine Man fears that it may try and eat the disembodied head of his love, Jocasta and tries to get the head to safety. Peter Spaulding tries to run interference for Machine Man, at the cost of his own life.
Meanwhile, Tony Stark takes a tour of the Seattle plant of Baintronics Incorporated with CEO Sunset Bain. Before long, Sunset excuses herself when she discovers that some of her technicians have found the dysfunctional body of Machine Man. She has Machine Man brought down to a secret laboratory where she uses his body as a template to create her own version of Machine Man. But before long, the Termini tracks Machine Man down to Baintronics and attacks the building. Tony Stark switches to Iron Man and fights with the thing. The real Machine Man awakens and helps Iron Man fight the Termini. They disable the robot by pouring a vat of molten metal on top of it.
Shortly thereafter, a news report is broadcast revealing that dozens of shape-shifting robotic animals have emerged from Georgeville, Washington and are heading towards the city's industrial centers in search of titanium to consume.
Returning to the cabin, Machine Man learns of the death of Peter Spaulding. He vows vengeance against the Termini and is determined to destroy them at any cost.
Appearing in "Media Watch"
Featured Characters:
- Jennifer Kaylen
- Ron Win
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Synopsis for "Media Watch"
This story is a KSNN televised news report narrated by broadcaster Ron Win and Jennifer Kaylen. It details all of the events that had taken place in the primary story in this issue. The news report focuses more on the fact that the shape-shifting Termini robots are spreading out from the Seattle area and are attacking various industrial centers.
Appearing in "Mobility"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Jim Rhodes
- James Clay (First appearance)
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Rupinski
- Silverhound Bus Company
- Silvia
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Synopsis for "Mobility"
A crippled man named James Clay leads an activist group of disabled people on a protest against Silverhound Bus; a company that refuses to manufacture buses with access for the disabled. During the protest, Clay chains himself to the steering wheel of one of the buses, but the bus goes out of control nearly crashing off the side of a bridge. Iron Man arrives and pulls the bus and James to freedom. As a result of the protest, Silverhound announces plans to manufacture buses with wheelchair access.
Appearing in "The Awesome Origin of Mrs. Arbogast"
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Synopsis for "The Awesome Origin of Mrs. Arbogast"
Iron Man and Whirlwind are fighting in the skies outside Stark Industries. Their fight causes them to crash through the window of Tony Stark's personnel office. A secretarial applicant named Bambi Arbogast rushes in and begins organizing all of the papers that are strewn around during the fight. She distracts Whirlwind by telling him that there is an important telephone call for him. While Whirlwind's head is turned, Iron Man has to opportunity to knock him out. Arbogast's brave assistance lands her the job as Tony Stark's personal secretary.
Appearing in "The Devil's Playground"
Featured Characters:
- Mikey Kirlanski
Supporting Characters:
- Mister Kirlanski
- Mrs. Kirlanski
- Pre-Teen Avengers
- Wasp
- Falcon
- She-Hulk
- Vision
- Captain America
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Synopsis for "The Devil's Playground"
Mikey Kirlanski is bored, and sets out to amuse himself by dressing up as his favorite super-hero, Iron Man. He tries to rescue his buddy "Captain America" from an awful broccoli eating experience, but failing that, returns home to find himself attacked by a full of cadre of renegade Iron Man armors (Which is really nothing more than a bunch of faux Iron Man costumes in his bedroom closet).
Appearing in "Correspondence"
Featured Characters:
- Stark International
- Damage Control
- POWERPAC
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Location:
Items:
- Fax
- FiFuFi power source
- Unnamed bat-belt
- Mutant Registration Act
- Super Powers Registration Act
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "Correspondence"
- Synopsis not yet written
Notes
- The "Terminus Factor" is continued from Captain America Annual #9.
- The events from this issue take place prior to the events from Iron Man #258.
- Jocasta only appears as a disembodied head in this issue.
- Peter Spaulding dies in this issue. He inexplicably turns up alive in X-51 #6 years later. It will be revealed in Marvel Comics #1001 that the Peter Spaulding killed in this comic was an impersonator of whose existence the real Peter Spaulding wasn't even aware.
- Throughout the story, Machine Man is erroneously referenced as X-15 rather than his real designation X-51.
- Contains a cameo flashback of Captain America from Captain America Annual #9.
- Iron Man and Machine Man first met in Iron Man #168.
- Machine Man first fought Madame Menace (Sunset Bain) in Machine Man (Volume 1) Vol 1 17.
- The origin of Mrs. Arbogast takes place prior to her first appearance in Iron Man (Volume 1) Vol 1 118
- Mike Kirlanski first appeared in Iron Man #178.
See Also
Recommended Reading
| The Terminus Factor | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part I: Captain America Annual #9 | Part II: Iron Man Annual #11 | Part III: Thor Annual #15 | Part IV: Avengers West Coast Annual #5 | Part V: Avengers Annual #19 | |
Links and References
- Iron Man (Volume 1) series index at Comicbookdb.com
- Iron Man (Volume 1) series index at the Grand Comics Database Project