Invincible Iron Man (2005 series) #12

Execute Program Part 6

Synopsis

By Peter Silvestro
Rating:

Tony Stark briefs Nick Fury on the five rogue Argonaut drones, launched last issue by the death of Ho Yinsen’s murderous son. A battlefield unit, a submarine one, a stealth fighter, a tunneler, and a Hulkbuster on a rampage, all failsafe measures disabled—and only Iron Man can defeat them….

Shellhead first heads to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean where Namor the Sub-Mariner is struggling against the underwater Argonaut; Iron Man swoops down and rips the gyro out of the startled machine. On an oilfield in Saudi Arabia, the Fantastic Four is in battle with the tunneling Argonaut, trying to stop it from breaching the water table. The drone smashes into the ground, taking the Thing with it, until Iron Man swoops down and pulls the mad machine high into the air, blasts it, then drops it—giving him ten minutes until it hits the ground. Shellhead is then attacked by the stealth drone, the technology of which makes it impossible to detect. He waits until it attacks again, then fires back instantly. Carrying it toward the ground, he contacts the Human Torch to meet him in the air and cut it in two with his flames. He then catches the disabled tunneler and carries it to Russia where he uses it as a weapon to destroy the battlefield Argo which was threatening a nuclear plant. In New York City, the Avengers are having a very hard time against the last drone, the Hulkbuster (no kidding?). Iron Man follows the trail of carnage until he comes upon his quarry and engages it in battle; the problem is, it is controlled by Tony’s subconscious so they are perfectly matched in a fight. Then the monster grabs Captain America and begins to crush him in its claw. Tony realizes that the only way to kill the drone is to kill himself—so he sends a 10,000-volt charge into his own heart. The two armored figures fall together….

Later, we find Tony in the hospital, the Extremis virus having kept him alive and is now aiding his full recovery. Sal Kennedy and Maya Hansen tell him that the sending unit was destroyed when Yinsen’s son died, and Extremis is now breaking down the implant until it will be harmlessly absorbed into his body. The experience of having his armor controlled by an outside agency—an evil one—has given Tony a new idea, though—the idea that, like guns, super-powered beings need to be registered….

Characters
Good (or All)

Plus: Maya Hansen, Sal Kennedy.