Appearing in "Kill Me Or Cure Me"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Ion, The Monstrous Menace
Other Characters:
- Oswald F. "Gears"Garvin (First appearance)
- Fantastic Four
Locations:
- Delmar Insurance Company, Manhattan, New York City
- Alternative Resources Center (First appearance) (Research Facility)
- Quality Meat market
- Baxter Building
Synopsis for "Kill Me Or Cure Me"
At Alternative Resources Center, Dr. Voletta Todd attempted to develop a "clean", cheap energy source that utilized the power in ionized gas, but was unable to confine or contain it, causing an explosion. Because they were a major client of Delmar, Byron Benjamin sent Aaron to assess the damage and see what help he could offer. As Machine Man, Aaron saved two trapped employees before finding that Dr. Todd had been transformed into an inhuman gaseous monster and as a result, she went berserk and attacked him.
He took damage and crashed while flying before "Gears" Garvin, the owner of a deserted auto yard, repaired his arm and replaced his legs with a wheel. Meanwhile, Dr. Todd, who was being referred to as "Ion", went to the Baxter Building, planning to force the Fantastic Four to kill or cure her. She fought the Thing and the Human Torch before realizing that the Fantastic Four could not cure her and fleeing. After Machine Man found her retreating into a meat market, he lured her into a freezer, where the low temperatures solidified her body. Afterwards, Machine Man left before the Fantastic Four arrived on the scene, but left instructions for them to keep Ion cryogenically sealed until a cure for her condition was discovered.