Tony Stark returns from Vietnam and his battle with Titanium Man to find his Long Island plant in turmoil. The guards are scrambling because an intruder has gotten into the facility; Tony joins them in their search for the potential terrorist and they discover him in Stark’s office. To everyone’s surprise, he is a clean-cut, boyish, bespectacled young man. He introduces himself as Jasper Sitwell, a SHIELD agent assigned by Nick Fury to add security to the vulnerable factory. He immediately annoys Tony with his earnest manner and his habit of talking too much….
Meanwhile, the Grey Gargoyle escapes from prison by means of his restored wings and immediately begins plotting once more to steal Thor’s hammer and the secret of immortality. He reads how Stark Enterprises has developed a new cobalt weapon and decides that it would be the perfect device to defeat the God of Thunder. He resumes his stone form once more and heads to the Stark plant, vaulting a wall and turning all the guards he encounters to stone. Tony and Jasper are in his lab when the villain arrives. Jasper heads out to confront the Gargoyle but finds his gas weapon has no effect on the petrified bad guy. This, however, gave Tony the time to don his Iron Man armor and confront the Gargoyle. In the battle Iron Man accidentally touches his foe and first his right hand, then his left arm turn to stone. The Grey Gargoyle seizes the opportunity to turn the hero entirely to stone. He then carries Iron Man to the roof and hurls him off, expecting him to shatter on the ground below….
Story #2A Time to Die...a Time to Live!
Writer:
Stan Lee. Penciler:
Jack Kirby. Inker:
Joe Sinnott. Colorist:
Unknown.
Synopsis
As the story opens,
Captain America is breaking down the door of the hideout of fugitive gang leader
"Gunner" Gates. He moves swiftly through the rooms, taking down a succession of hoods, determined to capture Gates himself…but why? The answer lies in what happened a few hours earlier.
Steve Rogers took
Agent Thirteen out to dinner, revealing his real face to her for the first time. At the restaurant, Steve proposed marriage…but the lovely agent turned him down, citing her oath to
SHIELD. She assured him that she loves only him, but their devotion to duty will keep them apart. Steve vowed that his next mission as Captain America would be his last. Now Cap has cornered Gates in his lair, evades the trap that was set, and defeats the gangster. Cap then unmasks to reveal his secret identity—and his retirement—to the world. The public is stunned;
Nick Fury figures there must be an angle he can’t see, but Agent Thirteen reveals the real reason, and Fury promises to release her from the service once her work is done. Meanwhile, Steve assures his pal Tony Stark that he knows what he’s doing. When Steve finally gets some time alone, countless memories whirl through his brain, as he wonders if he can ever walk away from his past.