As the murderous Freak approaches the weakened Iron Man, the feedback from the Enervator is heating the hero’s armor to deadly levels of intensity. Suddenly Iron Man’s scheme works, and the Freak quickly reverts to the form of the faithful chauffeur Happy Hogan. In the nick of time, Iron Man shuts off the Enervator and changes to Tony Stark. He awakens the unconscious victim, concerned about the fact that Happy knows his secret identity (because it’s all about you, Tony) from issue #70. To his relief, Happy has amnesia and doesn’t even remember his own name. Success! Senator Byrd then bursts in and serves Tony with a subpoena ordering him to Washington to testify before Congress about Iron Man’s secret identity. Leaving the helpless Happy in care of the perplexed Pepper, Tony Stark enters a police car. Suddenly strange lightning appears in the heavens and the car carrying Tony and Senator Byrd fades from reality….
In the remotest area of China, the Mandarin is using an artificial hailstorm to drive away Red Army officials who have been demanding the autocrat’s aid in fighting the West. Mandarin returns to his original task, sending the captured police car back where he found it—minus Tony Stark, who is now his prisoner. The Asian villain explains that his primary target was his archenemy Iron Man but since the Golden Avenger could not be located by scanner, his employer would have to do. Stark has been brought there to witness the birth of Ultimo, Mandarin’s greatest creation. To minimize distractions, the villain hurls Tony’s briefcase (which contains the Iron Man armor, remember) out of the castle window and into the moat. Now, as the Mandarin slowly moves a lever into place, a gigantic figure arises from a nearby volcano….
Story #2The Gladiator, the Girl, and the Glory!
Writer: Stan Lee. Penciler: John Romita. Inker: John Romita. Colorist: ?.
Synopsis / Summary / Plot
Captain America and
Batroc break through the hidden door and enter the
SHIELD refuge in pursuit of the female agent carrying the volatile cylinder of
Inferno 42. She is confused at seeing Captain America working side-by-side with an enemy but is determined not to give up the cylinder. She throws a switch opening a trap door which drops Batroc into the basement, then faints from exposure to the radioactive element. When she comes to her senses she realizes the danger and asks Cap to save himself, but he can’t leave her. Batroc breaks through the floor, defeats Cap and recovers the cylinder. The villain returns it to his employers who deactivate the explosive by putting it in a protective receptacle. At this point Captain America enters and demands the cylinder, having faked his defeat so he could follow Batroc. In the ensuing fight, Cap quickly gains the upper hand but the conspirators escape with the cylinder and Batroc makes his getaway to fight another day. Cap returns to the SHIELD refuge in search of
the woman who reminds him of his lost wartime girlfriend and finds her being taken to the hospital with a hopeless case of Inferno 42 poisoning. She has time to whisper that she had switched cylinders again and the real one is safe in SHIELD custody, as Cap ponders whether he has lost his love a second time.