Invincible Iron Man #3: Review

Jul 2008

Matt Fraction, Salvador Larroca

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Story Name:

The Five Nightmares Part 3: Pepper Pots at the End of the World

Review & Comments

Rating:

Invincible Iron Man #3 Review by Rob Johnson (March 22, 2012)

The Obadiah Stane saga ran in the original Iron Man series from #163 to #200. The Stane shown in this flashback is attired like a businessman, unlike the flashy style he sported back then. And he doesn't have the unexplained jewel in his forehead.

The Iron Man Official Index says that the Raiders Iron Man refers to are a bunch who debuted in IM#145 and only appeared twice more:- in IM#226 and in a crossover Avengers West Coast Annual #7/IM Annual #13. But the remote-controlled robots in this issue don't look anything like the original manned suits.

The doctor who operates on Pepper Potts here will return in #14 where he will be named as Dr Lisk.

Deputy Director Dum Dum Dugan (or a least the Skrull pretending to be him) leaves this series now to get ready for Secret Invasion. But the other Deputy Maria Hill will hang around for a while longer.

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Synopsis / Summary / Plot

Invincible Iron Man #3 Synopsis by Rob Johnson

Ezekiel Stane's suicide bombers have just blown up the StarkDynamics party in Taipei, taking the top floors of a skyscraper with them.

Stane and Tony Stark are the only survivors. Stark lives because he summoned up the Extremis armour in time. Stane is badly injured, but alive because of his implanted Repulsor technology and other enhancements.

Pepper Potts also survived because she had left the building. But she has been crushed by falling debris.

Iron Man wants to arrest Stane. But his SHIELD deputy Maria Hill tells him he doesn't have jurisdiction in Taiwan. And anyway he has no proof that Stane was responsible.

Stane's enhanced body quickly recovers and he breaks out of hospital to be picked up by his girlfriend Sasha.

Pepper has dangerous fragments near her heart and spine. Stark suggests using the same technique that saved him during Iron Man's origin. He proposes to implant a magnet in her chest to keep the shrapnel at bay while she recovers enough to have it removed.

Stark tells SHIELD the story of his rivalry with Zeke's father Obadiah Stane. Obadiah took control of Stark International while Tony had succumbed to alcoholism. Tony fought his way back out of the gutter, and Iron Man defeated Stane in the Iron Monger armour. Stane then committed suicide.

In turn SHIELD say that there's no trace of Ezekiel Stane in the world's databases. He's obviously been keeping himself hidden.

Iron Man returns to the bomb site and destroys sensitive technology he doesn't want falling into the wrong hands. he also finds evidence that the bombers were similar to those in Tanzania and Manila in the last 2 issues.

The Taiwanese send remote-controlled robots to arrest him on suspicion of being responsible for the explosion. Iron Man recognises the technology as based on old enemies of his called the Raiders. He lures them into international airspace and then shoots them down.

Pepper's implant surgery is successful. Meanwhile Zeke Stane has developed a battle suit to save him from the side-effects of his own enhanced abilities.

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