Synopsis / Summary / Plot
Iron Man defeats Advance Genocide Mechanics troops at their base in the Congo, and then confronts their leader, a MODOK-lookalike called MODOG (Mobile Organism Designed Only for Genocide). After a brief fight he hurls MODOG into space, and the AGM base is mopped up by SHIELD forces. But they also conclude that AGM wasn't responsible for the technology used by the Tanzanian terrorists last issue.
In Manila the local super-group The Triumph Division (Red Feather, St George, Mighty Mother, Anitun, Fighter One, The Wishing Man and The Great Mongoose) are being honoured for their heroic work during the recent tsunami. But they are blown up by suicide bombers posing as monks.
Ezekiel Stane is behind it, in the pay of a religious zealot. He implants Iron Man-like Repulsor technology in men, as we saw last issue he has in his own body. But he is using the technique now to create suicide bombers. The technology uses the power in the human body to produce a short burst of energy that exceeds what Iron Man can do, but kills its bearers in the process.
Iron Man, Pepper Potts and War Machine investigate the Manila bombsite, and confirm that the bombers used Repulsor tech like the Tanzanian terrorists. Iron Man attends the funeral for Triumph Division. Thor is also there for fellow rain god(dess) Anitun. There is still tension between them.
Stark and Pepper attend a StarkDynamics gala do in Taipei, Taiwan. Tony flirts with Pepper in the lift, but at the party he ignores her in favour of a host of other girls. When he tells her to fetch champagne refills for his admirers (recovering alcoholic Tony abstains of course), she complies, but throws the drink in his face and storms out.
Zeke Stane approaches Stark at the party. Stark doesn't remember his brief meeting with Stane in The Order #10. But Stane didn't identify himself at the time. Now he tells Stark his name, just before his men invade the room and blow it up.