Iron Man #6
Vengeance — Cries the Crusher!
After months underground, the Crusher has finally fought his way to the surface. As Iron Man was the one responsible for doing this to him, the Crusher vows to make the Golden Avenger suffer the same fate.[1] He soon arrives at the hideout of the spies who helped smuggle him into America from Cuba. They are shocked that the Crusher is still alive. When they try to shoot him, the bullets bounce off of the Cruasher’s thick skin. He then orders the spies to use their boat to take him to Stark Industries which is along the shore of Long Island Sound.
Meanwhile, Tony Stark calls a florist to find out if Janice Cord has been receiving the flowers he has sent her.[2] While the florist shop confirms the flowers were received, Janice sent no response. This is because Ms. Cord is still has conflicted feelings about Tony Stark in the wake of her father’s death. As Tony is occupied, his SHIELD liaison — Jasper Sitwell — tries in vain to get ahold of him to confirm Tony’s attendance at a weapon test scheduled for the following day.
Back at sea, the Crusher passes the time by telling his unwilling allies how he managed to survive his last defeat at the hands of Iron Man. Exposed to Tony Stark’s centrifugal device, the Crusher ended up falling through the Earth and soon found himself in an underground cavern deep below the surface. By that point, the formula that turned him into the Crusher had worn off and he reverted back into human form.[3] There he found an abandoned civilization with a full laboratory.[4] Using the chemicals stored there to recreate the formula that turned him into the Crusher. No longer weighed down, he then dug his way back up to the surface to freedom.
By this time, the Crusher has arrived on the shores outside Stark Industries. Inside, Iron Man has Jasper Sitwell test the durability of his armor with a battering ram. With the test a success, Jasper excuses himself because he is going on a date with Whitney Frost. What they don’t know is that Whitney is actually the Big M, leader of the Maggia. She is running late for her date with Sitwell because she is trying to appease her men as they think she is taking too long to steal Tony Stark’s secrets. She blasts one dissenter with a force beam built into her compact to prove that seducing the SHIELD agent has been advantageous. However, Whitney realizes that her men will mutiny if she doesn’t follow though with their plans soon, something that is becoming harder to do because she is starting to develop legitimate feelings for Jasper.
Back at Star Industries, the Crusher comes smashing in through one of the walls. Iron Man orders Jasper to help with the evacuation as his foe is too strong for a normal person to handle. As Iron Man battles the Crusher, Whitney Frost arrives on the scene and sees that the building is being evacuated. She takes this as an opportunity to access a restricted area to steal some Starktech. Unfortunately, this makes her a quick and easy hostage for the Crusher. The Cuban scientist nabs Whitney just as Jasper returns. He insists on saving his girlfriend, but Iron Man warns him that it is too dangerous. When Jasper tries to ignore this warning, Iron Man is forced to knock him out in order to keep him safe.
Ultimately, Iron Man agrees to surrender his centrifugal device over to the Crusher. However, the villain’s fingers are too cumbersome to operate the delicate machinery and the device ends up blowing up in his face. Iron Man then grabs the disorientated Crusher and uses his jet boots to carry his foe out to sea. Dropped in the water below, the Crusher’s massive weight causes him to sink to the bottom, to his demise.[5] When Iron Man returns to the plant, Jasper is back on his feet but humiliated by the fact that Iron Man knocked him out in front of his girl. When the Golden Avenger tries to explain himself, Jasper dismisses the explanation and storms off, his damaged pride all to obvious to both Iron Man and Whitney Frost.
Recurring Characters
Iron Man, the Crusher, Jasper Sitwell, Janice Cord, Maggia (Whitney Frost)
Continuity Notes
The Crusher previously fought Iron Man in Tales of Suspense #91.
Tony feels bad for the death of Janice’s father, Drexel Cord, whose obsession with destroying Tony Stark and Iron Man led to his own death in Iron Man #2.
The Crusher never refers to himself by name, only as “El Professor” due to lazy writing. His real name was revealed to be Caldwell Rozza in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #3.
A footnote points out what the Crusher does not know: That this was once the domain of Tyrannus who, at the time of this story, abandoned his domain after being stricken with amnesia. It incorrectly attributes those events to X-Men #35, but it actually happened in the issue before. He will remain in this state until Incredible Hulk #127.
Daredevil #119 confirms that the Crusher ended up drowning.
Topical References
It is implied in this story that “El Presidente” is Fidel Castro, the former ruler of Cuba. This should be considered a topical reference as Fidel died in 2016.
