Appearing in "I Don't Know...Maybe It Was Utah"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- B.O.S.S. (Voice only)
- Jim Rhodes
Antagonists:
- Switchback (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Vic Martinelli (Voice only) (Deceased)
- Chet the Gorilla (Mentioned)
- Victor von Doom (Referenced)
- Reed Richards (Referenced)
- D.B. Cooper (Mentioned)
- Weapon X (Mentioned)
- Source Control (Mentioned)
- Avengers (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
Locations:
Items:
- Iron Man's Briefcase
- Iron Man Armor Model 70
- Adamantium
- Madbomb (Mentioned)
Synopsis for "I Don't Know...Maybe It Was Utah"
Brief Synopsis[]
A commercial plane where Tony Stark is flying is attacked by a thief called Switchback, who steals a briefcase from a passenger. Stark suits up as Iron Man, but Switchback detonates an electromagnetic pulse and dives out. Once he ensures the plane will make it to safety, Iron Man goes in pursuit of Switchback after learning what he stole top was secret weapon plans. The thief fires adamantium projectiles at Stark, one of which pierces his right boot. Tony crash-lands in the desert of Utah, and finds himself unable to take flight without risking an explosion due to his damaged systems.
Tony tracks down Switchback, and he attacks Stark with a swinging battering ram. Iron Man knocks him down with a repulsor blast in return, but falls into a pitfall when approaching Switchback, and his opponent leaves him there to contemplate on his situation. After nightfall, it starts raining heavily. Switchback returns to the pit, where Iron Man is still standing, and offers to let him out in exchange for his armor. Stark appears behind Switchback and kicks him into the pit, revealing that he got off the suit, stood on it to reach the hole's edge, and had left it as a decoy. He also went over Switchback's loot and discovered it was the plans for a Madbomb. As he is restrained by the remotely-controlled armor, Switchback reveals he works selling weapons for Source Control. Tony has his armor return to him, and leves Switchback to fend for himself.
A few days later, Jim Rhodes meets up with Tony at his brownstone. Stark looked into Source Control and learned that it's a thriving black market network for high-powered weapons and technology. He intends to go on a covert mission to buy everything in their inventory to dismantle it himself. He suggests enlisting Vic Martinelli to act as a frontman, but Rhodey breaks out the news that Vic is dead.
Detailed Synopsis[]
A commercial plane soars through the sky, and Tony Stark thinks to himself that he won't be using a personal jet for a while. He states that it feels good about people, and that the busyness was a strategy for a welcome distraction he discussed in rehab. As he sits on a first-class seat while reading a newspaper, with a middle-aged blonde woman as his co-passenger, Stark thinks that he needs to remember that rehab is a completely different reality from the real world. A stewardess approaches Tony's seat with a cart full of alcoholic beverages and offers a drink. Tony looks at the myriad of bottles with a stern look before asking for tomato juice. The lady next to him asks for a Chardonnay, stating she wants to celebrate the fact she's sitting next to Iron Man. Tony lets out a single sardonic hah. As Tony is listening to a voice mail from Vic Martinelli asking for his help, the lady turns to him and expresses relief that he didn't kill Chet the Gorilla, whom Tony fought last, with his "laser hands." Tony reciprocates, and surmises that Chet was simply confused and got "a little too upset about some things," to which the lady assures Stark that happens to the best of people. When he asks her to elaborate, she explains she means bad decisions, and Tony agrees with her. She mentions that she used to teach at State University, and vaguely reminisces about two great students, one of whose machine blew up in his face, and she doesn't remember what became of him. Tony hems with amusement as he looks at his drink. The lady cheerfully tells Tony that she believes the student must have picked himself back up, since he was too smart and too driven not to. Tony tells her that she's sure he did, in some capacity, and takes a sip of his drink as the lady reiterates that mistakes happen, but assures him that it usually all works out in the end.
A voice behind Tony suddenly tells everybody to stay calm. The passengers scream in panic as a masked man wearing tactical clothing makes his way toward Tony, telling him that there is no need to be a hero. The man is holding a weapon in one hand, and in the other a handcuffed briefcase with its chain broken, yanked out of a passenger sitting behind him. Tony lunges out of his seat, and pulls his briefcase out of the luggage compartment while ordering B.O.S.S. to begin his armor's magnetic assembly. The A.I. obeys as Tony opens the briefcase. The assailant opens fire at Tony, but his armor is already almost fully wrapped around him. One of the bullets ricochets off Tony's armor and hits the overhead console just above her, startling her. Iron Man tears off the man's rifle in half, and tries to goad him into surrendering. The villain pushes a button on his belt, and it discharges an electromagnetic pulse which knocks Iron Man back. As Tony hits a wall, the plane begins to plummet. The captain and the co-pilot struggle with the controls as the latter comments that the radio and the instruments are dead. The masked man tells Tony that this is on him before blasting off a door and diving out of the aircraft. As Iron Man recovers, B.O.S.S. announces to him that the armor is rebooting and it will take eleven seconds until being fully operational. Tony asks about the plane, and B.O.S.S. states that its two engines are nearing full power. Tony makes his way through the seats, ordering the passengers to put on their oxygen masks and remain in their seats with their belts fastened. He also asks B.O.S.S. to patch him into the cockpit frequency. Inside the cockpit, the pilots are struggling and the cabin manager is trying to hold onto both of their seats. As the co-pilot exclaims that he has control, Tony introduces himself through the radio. When the co-pilot asks who he is, the cabin manager clarifies he's Iron Man. Stark asks if they have control of the plane, and the captain states they're about to stabilize altitude. While helping a little kid put on his oxygen mask, Tony offers his help to assist with the landing from the exterior. The man whose briefcase was stolen approaches Iron Man, telling him he can't let the assailant take what he did. When Tony asks what is it, the man hesitantly discloses that they're top secret weapon plans. Tony asks the captain for confirmation that he can land, and he states that they're cleared at Salt Lake City. The captain promises Iron Man he will land the plane, and Tony thanks him.
Iron Man dives off the plane, wishing to himself that the thief had stolen baseball cards. Tony then takes flight and wonders if he is in Utah. Stark spots the thief on a parachute, and has B.O.S.S. record his biosignature to keep track of him. The man suddenly turns around and fires five cylindrical projectiles off his wrist. Before Tony can order evasive maneuvers, the projectiles are about to meet him, and one of them pierces his right calf. Tony screams in pain, and B.O.S.S. warns him that the armor's jet boot system is compromised, so it's engaging its flight control auto-shutdown. Tony crashes into the ground and bounces down the terrain into a pond. B.O.S.S. detects the water and informs Tony it's potable. After groggily holding his head, Tony sits up to observe the projective lodged into his leg, and the surrounding armor shattered. B.O.S.S. analyzes the injury and identifies the projectile is made of adamantium. Iron Man holds the object in his hand, sarcastically commending the use of material. He gets up, still in pain, and B.O.S.S. suggests him to tourniquet his leg. Tony assures it he can pull that off. Stark contemplates the deserted landscape, and asks B.O.S.S. where he is. The A.I. replies his armor's navigation systems are offline, but states that the compass system is operational. Tony tears off the portion of his pants peeking out of the armor's broken leg, makes a tourniquet and secures it in place with his armor's panels. As he looks into the horizon, Tony asks B.O.S.S. if the armor has flight capabilities. The A.I. warns Stark that the fuel lines are perforated, and igniting the jet boots risk the detonation of the hydrogen stores. Tony recapitulates that he only has the compass, and B.O.S.S. informs him he's facing North-northeast. Stark has an epiphany, and orders B.O.S.S. to reassign the magnetic North to the biosignature he stored in flight, assuming the thief is still close enough. Tony's HUD responds. From atop a rock formation, the thief sighs when he spots Tony walking toward him, and asks to himself if they're really going to do this. He zooms into Tony using his goggles and curses out billionaires.
Iron Man walks up a wooded terrain. He complains that it's hot, and B.O.S.S. informs him the current temperature is 96 degrees Fahrenheit (35.56 °C). Tony expresses that it feels like the armor's A/C system is failing, and the A.I. confirms he's correct. Standing above on a rock, the thief addresses Iron Man and welcomes him to "his world," sarcastically asking him how his devices are holding up. Tony pretends to be enjoying himself. Without looking, the thief swings an axe at a rope tied to a tree behind him. A spiked battering ram swings from above and hits Iron Man in the torso, puncturing his chest plate and sending him flying into a tree. As Iron Man is leaning back on the ground, the thief crouches over him and mockingly assess that Tony is more of an "indoor kid." After Stark asks his assailant what to call him, insulting him in the process, the thief states that when he was in the Weapon X Program, he was called Switchback. Tony expresses that this connection explains his use of adamantium. Switchback leans closer to Tony, pointing at his suit with a knife, and tells him that he'd like his armor now. Iron Man jokingly wonders if a switchback isn't just a curvy road. He fires his repulsor blasts from below, knocking back Switchback. As he walks towards the villain, Tony brags about his repulsors, but the ground below him suddenly collapses, and he falls into a pit. Switchback taunts Tony from the surface, and walks away.
It's nighttime, and Tony is still sitting in the pit. In his internal monologue, he expresses that this situation sucks. He contemplates trying to fly, but points out it could cause an explosion. He notices that Switchback is still registering on his compass, and suspects the villain is waiting to starve him out. Pressing his hand on his armor, Tony dismisses his own thoughts about how morphine could help him with the pain in his leg and chest. A lightning appears in the sky and it starts raining. Tony looks up, sarcastically expressing that it must frequently rain in the desert southwest. He recites to himself the first verse of the Serenity Prayer, and rhetorically wonders if he resists the natural order of things a lot. The rain begins to slowly fill the pit, and Tony wonders if anyone else from rehab is stuck in a hole alone at this same moment. He takes off his helmet and drinks the raining water, deducing that sadly the answer is probably yes. Inside a cave, Switchback is reading a file that he took from the briefcase, close to a camp fire. Expecting the rain to last for hours, he assumes that Tony will drown in the pit, so the armor is going to smell. Switchback walks into the rain and leans into the pit. He tells Tony that he will pull him out if he loses the armor, and informs him that there's a highway thirty miles due East. Inside the pit, Iron Man is looking up silently and motionless. Switchback jokes that the armor could have a scuba function, and goads Tony, asking him if he hurt his ego. Tony's silhouette suddenly appears behind Switchback, telling him that it's hard to tear a man down when he's already hit rock bottom. Stark kicks Switchback into the pit, throwing his taunt back at him, and orders B.O.S.S. to use the armor to restrain him. Leaning into the pit, Tony recalls that in recovery, they say one steps off the shoulders of the ones strong enough to support them. Tony explains that his armor's shoulders were not only strong, but also tall enough for him to grip the edge of the pit. He also reveals that he checked out Switchback's cave after he stepped out, and went over what he had stolen: the plans for a Madbomb. However, he calls Switchback too woodsy to build one. The villain clarifies that he only sells weapons. When Tony points out the discrepancy between wanting money and his nature loving, Switchback tells Stark to wake up, and that he is using money to prepare. Tony asks for what, and he replies it's for the end. He tells Tony to get used to "roughing it in the wild," since that's all it's going to be soon. Switchback maintains that weapons are the only shared currency, and states that he learned that the hard way in Weapon X, but Source Control made it literal. He states that money and violence turn life as its known into ashes. Tony orders B.O.S.S. to return the armor to himself, and walks away as the suit begins to form around him. Switchback asks Tony if he's going to leave him there. Tony mockingly reminds him that he is just a city boy, and assumes that since the wilderness is Switchback's world, he will be fine. Stark also mutters the name Source Control to himself.
Days later, back in New York City, Tony convenes with Jim Rhodes at brownstone. He thanks Rhodey for heeding his call despite their recent history, and Rhodey states that the situation sounded important. Both are standing in the middle of Tony's apartment, and Stark is using crutches since his right leg is in a cast. Tony tells him that he is buying a Madbomb. Rhodey drily tells him that makes total sense. Stark explains that he has been looking into Source Control, which is a thriving black market network for high-powered weapons and technology, and that he has just encountered one of its operators in Utah. Rhodey reveals that he has heard of it, and Tony interjects to tell him that he plans to put every dollar he owns into buying everything they have for sale. Rhodey asks sarcastically if Tony is looking to get kicked out of the Avengers again, and he expresses that he needs to shut down Source Control bloodlessly, that he can't go in wearing bright red and gold or with his full team. He stresses that it needs to be a covert operation; that he will buy the weapons from behind a curtain and then dismantle them without ever going off. Rhodey sits down on Tony's sofa, and warns him that, from what he has learned, it will cost him. Tony assures him that it will be worth it. Jim faults Tony for still feeling that he needs to go at it alone, despite everything that has happened. Tony points out to Rhodey that he called him, since he's the person he trusts the most, and that he has learned to ask for help, as long as Jim is willing to give it. Rhodes stands up and agrees, but only because he likes the idea of avoiding direct conflict. Tony clarifies that he is sure there will be fights at some point, and expects to get hurt himself. Tony states that they will need a third person, a trustworthy frontman to make the purchases. Stark warns Rhodey that he's not going to like his pick. He states that he was thinking of Vic Martinelli, and mentions that he owes him a call. Rhodey turns his head as he tells Tony that Vic called him as well. He explains that it's through him that he learned of Source Control, and that he had gotten hold of something bad, but was too scared to disclose what. Tony expresses gladness that that means Vic is already inside Source Control, but Rhodey stops him in his tracks to break the news that Vic is dead.
Solicit Synopsis
Notes
- As per its corner box legacy numbering, this issue corresponds to Iron Man #646.
- When Tony Stark's co-passenger expresses relief that he didn't kill Chet the Gorilla with his "laser hands," an editor's note cites last issue.
- The two State University students Tony's co-passenger vaguely reminisces about are Victor von Doom and Reed Richards. The events about Victor's device exploding and scarring him were first revealed in Fantastic Four #5.
- When Iron Man falls for Switchback's trap, the villain mockingly tells him to watch out of the deadfall. However, his trap is a pitfall, not a deadfall. A deadfall consists of a heavy weight positioned to fall on an animal.
- After Tony discloses with Rhodey that he plans on buying a Madbomb from Source Control, Rhodey sarcastically asks him if he intends to get kicked out of the Avengers again. Iron Man was first kicked out of the Avengers in Iron Man #229 during "Armor Wars".
Trivia
- The title of this issue's story, "I Don't Know...Maybe It Was Utah," is a reference to final line of the closing monologue of the 1987 film Raising Arizona, in which the protagonist Hi McDunnough ponders on his and his love interest's ability to be good: "If not Arizona, then a land not too far away. Where all parents are strong and wise and capable and all children are happy and beloved. I don’t know. Maybe it was Utah."
- When Iron Man is tracking down Switchback on the desert, he describes the situation as a sequel to D.B. Cooper, the epithet of an anonymous criminal who, in 1971, famously hijacked a plane and then parachuted out of it with the money he had extorted in ransom.