Synopsis / Summary / Plot
A future Dr Doom has come back in time to claim the power of the Moon-metal phlogistone that his current self ignored. Doom used magic to overwhelm Iron Man, but Tony Stark realised that most of it was illusion (even if magic-powered), and saw through it last issue. Now it's a more-personal contest.
Doom has travelled back in an armour suitable for this time (not wishing to risk Stark getting his hands on his future tech - is the writer's excuse), so their armours and force-shields are well-matched. But Tony senses Victor's magic probing his weaknesses. So he gambles all on a close-range repulsor blast delivered by punching von Doom in the face.
But that Doom turns out to be another illusion. And another 1 makes Stark think his AI won't obey him. Doom can only make Stark believe small illusions now, but they are disconcerting enough to allow the Latverian monarch to get his own punches in.
But Doom has now dropped the illusion that masked input from the outside. They can see the action at the Latverian Lunar Embassy where the giant version of the robot Udarnik is still fighting Doombots. The 'bots' attack causes his body to break apart. But the resulting swarm of spider-robots tears them apart.
Cora Birch and a remote-controlled Iron Man armour are watching that. Now that communications are restored she and Tony can talk via the IM suit, even while he's fighting Doom. She can't understand why he's started a war that could accidentally shatter the forcefield that keeps in the air they breathe in this Moon colony. And she's also concerned about Udarnik casually killing Doombots who are now considered by some as sentient AI's. Tony brushes all this aside.
Back at the grudge match Doom is winning as Stark frequently wastes his attacks on more false Dooms. Victor claims that he originally intended to destroy Tony's mind and then swap bodies and live as Stark (not a tactic I think Doom's ego would ever really contemplate). But now he'll content himself with just killing Iron Man.
Doom also says that he's from the future of an alternate present, because he doesn't want to risk killing his own past self. But he says phlogistone will give him the power to rule all the alternate timelines. He claims to know that phlogistone can convert iron into more phlogistone - which Stark objects is scientifically impossible, it would involve creating energy. Doom says it's not science, it's magic.
Doom intends to use the device (which he has on him) that he once used to drain Silver Surfer's cosmic power. He'll use it to absorb the cosmic power of phlogistone, and then make more phlogistone from which to get more cosmic power. This exponential cycle will soon make him a god.
Victor has abandoned illusions, and the 2 are now fighting armour to armour. But a blast/punch combo breaks the chest node which keeps Tony alive.
Outside Udarnik and his spider-drones have reduced Doom's Embassy tower to moondust. But more Doombots are fighting the Symkarian Knights of the Circle. 1 of them, codename Gawain, is killed. Arthur and the rest fight wih increased anger. The remote Iron Man is running on autopilot, keeping the crowd away and ignoring Cora.
The real Iron Man has power left for 1 sneaky move. His gauntlets fly free and force their way through Doom's shield. They grab him by the throat, not in a futile attempt to throttle him but to drain his armour of power.
Doom admits defeat and then returns to the future, leaving his armour behind. And the remaining Doombots collapse.