Iron Man (2026 series) #2

Last issue Madame Masque and AIM kidnapped the winner of the Tony Stark Award for innovation along with the other contestants. Tony realised that an old nightmare might be coming true and contacted Captain America to warn him and swore to rescue the kidnapped.

Now his voiceover describes to Steve Rogers an old clash between Iron Man and MM. The daughter of old foe (and Maggia boss) Count Nefaria, Whitney Frost was a frequent adversary and they truly had a love/hate relationship. In this case Masque stole 1 of his briefcases containing an IM armour to sell to the highest bidder. They fought and as often happened wound up in bed together. He told her that when he built his 1st armour in the cave of his captivity (see his origin in Tales Of Suspense #39) the experience changed him into the hero he is. But his nightmare was that someone else would go through something similar and create a weapon of a villain. But he created a contingency plan for that scenario.

Now we see that he and Cap are at the Latverian Embassy in New York fighting Dreadknight and his new gang of Dreadsquires. Now that Dr Doom has gone (after the One World Under Doom event) these true Latverians think that Latveria should be theirs. Stark's mind isn't fully on the battle because he needs Cap to tell him everything about the current AIM. Steve says they seem disorganised, and all he can do is provide a current list of their known bases. But he (and I) expect Tony already knows all this.

In mid-fight Tony gets a call on his private line from the waitress Luna Lucia from the Award party who says she got the number from his personal chef Anna Ameyama who's an old friend of hers. Cap tells him to get his mind back on the battle while she arranges a date with him. Then Tony rejoins the fight which the duo soon conclude. Stark takes time out to admire a new innovation in DK's armour. Steve says he's worried about his old friend because he's been through a lot in the last few years(/series). Tony says he's OK and they'll have coffee once he's rescued the geniuses from Madame Masque. When he jets off Cap calls the folks we saw at the end of last issue and tells them they have to keep an eye on IM.

The Award winner Adam Ware is dragged by AIM troopers into a large room with a barred door where we see the other kidnapped young geniuses. He recognises 1 as Melrose Morrison from a talk on biodegradation. Others introduce themselves by their fields of work. They start to chat but Fixer (Norbert Ebersol) appears and tells them not to make friends. 1 guy stands up to him who Fixer identifies as Chuck Armstrong who's designed weapons that can be hidden in plain sight (but he *looks* like the guy who said his speciality was human subconsciousness). Adam tries to warn him to keep quiet but Ebersol has troopers zap the pair with cattle prods as an example to the others. Then he has them escorted to their rooms.

He tells us that AIM has gathered tech from Arcade, Mojo and Mysterio to create traumatising scenarios which they hope will cause at least 1 of them to react like Stark and become a super-genius weapons manufacturer for them. Fixer asks why they need to do that when they've got *him*?! (He considers himself Stark's technical superior.)

Now we head to Stark's new personal workshop in the old New Mexico Gamma Base (where the Hulk was born). Melissa May and Pepper Potts are working there. Pepper's contacted the families of the missing people, without letting them know that they were all kidnapped because they were Tony's protegees. She thinks Tony's not told them everything. May is compiling information and tracking him at AIM sites all over the globe (1 with dinosaurs as troop carriers). He's not found MM and the prisoners yet, but May is monitoring comms channels hoping his activity will cause someone to let slip where their target is. And she's found a lead.

Stark himself has gone to Madripoor, the lawless island nation. He walks into a strip club run by Grizzly because his 'source' tells him someone of interest is here. The owner gets 3 bully boys to throw him out but he makes short work of them and Grizzly (like most Avengers he's had martial arts training by Captain America). Then he heads for the real boss's private quarters - a sumptuous room in the style of Ancient Rome which is nearly all a large swimming pool. There MODOK (the giant head with limbs) is lounging being fed grapes and wine by scantily-clad females while others relax or swim and yet others are polishing his helmet (not a euphemism and he's not wearing it at the time).

Tony demands to know where Masque is. George Tarleton says their partnership dissolved after the recent All-New Venom series and he doesn't know where she or AIM are now. MODOK gets snarky and Stark calls his armour to him and it assembles around him. Iron Man threatens the big head, but then AIM troops storm the place and MODOK claims they're here to kill *him*. (So next issue they're going to have to team up.)