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Quote1 You might say I am returning a favor, Iron Man. The gift I bring is death. And it is only fair that I should be the one to bring it to you... since it was you who killed me! Quote2
The Titanium Man

Appearing in "Armor Wars II (Part I of IX) - Lo, A Spectral Enemy Rises..."

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

Other Characters:

  • Anderson
  • Professor Clemens
  • Whitman
  • Avengers (Mentioned)
  • X-Men (Mentioned)

Locations:

Items:

Vehicles:


Synopsis for "Armor Wars II (Part I of IX) - Lo, A Spectral Enemy Rises..."

Tony Stark has just completed S.E.'s first combat training center, complete with artificial landscapes. Rhodey operates a remote-control treadmill robot in combat scenario against two Iron Mans. The treadmill viciously slams one of the Iron Mans into the pavement and backs up while the second Iron Man flies over to examine it. While the two targets are distracted, the treadmill lifts up a piece of concrete flooring and slams it down on top of the second Iron Man. Iron Man burrows downward and comes up behind the treadmill, where it hoists it up and slams it into the ground. The training situation is over and Iron Man I appears to be the victor.

Rhodey exits from an outside control room and begins talking to Tony. It is revealed that that one of the Iron Mans is actually just an empty suit of armor operated by remote control. But more amazing is the fact, that the Iron Man that won the battle was actually the remote. Tony was the Iron Man who had been flattened by the treadmill. Tony is happy with the results because it means that a remote control Iron Man can easily fool people into believing that it is the real Iron Man.

Rhodey and Stark go to wash up and Tony complains about a mysterious pain that he has been experiencing in his right shoulder. But this more than just a mere muscle spasm. Miles away, a businessman named Kearson DeWitt smiles over the success of his most recent scheme against Tony Stark.

Some time later, Tony receives a message from Mrs. Arbogast. She tells him there is an emergency brewing at Nuke U, S.E.’s nuclear research facility. Tony dashes off to change into Iron Man.

Arriving at Nuke U, one of the employees is terror-stricken and complaining of a huge ghost. Iron Man flies into the facility to investigate. Pencil-thin lasers begin carving steel beams that drop down on top of Iron Man. He flies around various pieces of debris, but the lasers keep working slicing a huge section of ceiling, which comes crashing down on him. Iron Man blasts it into smaller pieces with his repulsors.

Flying deeper into the facility, he finds that the Number One reactor is dangerously close to overloading. He finds that the coolant pipes leading to the core have been severed. He shuts down the reactor and then flies off to do the same with reactors number Two and Three. He quickly seals off Reactor number Two. As he flies down the "zoomway" towards the third reactor, a large portion of the inner chamber comes crashing down on him. Striving to blast his way free, he hears a haunting voice taunting him. As soon as he clears away enough of the debris, he finds that his foe is none other than the Titanium Man.

Notes

  • The first "Armor Wars" took place in Iron Man (Volume 1) Vol 1 225-232
  • Tony's body pains have been occurring consistently since Iron Man #248.
  • First appearance of Kearson DeWitt. The full nature of his conspiracy to control Stark will not be made known until Iron Man #260. DeWitt is actually an employee of the Marrs Corporation. He has had Stark injected with a micro-implant from which he can control all of Stark's motor functions.
  • Nuke U is a Stark Enterprises-owned nuclear research facility.
  • In this issue, Tony Stark introduces his "New Testing Facility".
  • In this issue, Tony Stark utilizes MK VIII Armor powered remotely by "Encephalo Circuits". This will become an important development for Stark when he is later incapacitated and will extend his remote control of the armor with his Telepresence Armor in Iron Man #290.

Trivia

  • The tagline to this issue is "In the Grip of Death!"
  • A clue as to the true villain in this story-arc can be found in the first letter of each word in the title, "Lo, A Spectral Enemy Rises". A similar clue, yielding an identical answer, is provided in the title to issue Iron Man #259.

See Also

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