Iron Man #26
Duel in the Dark Dimension!
Somebody has kidnapped Pepper Potts and has demanded that Happy Hogan bring them the Freak. Unaware that he was the Freak himself, Happy has gone to Tony Stark for help. Tony insists on rescuing Pepper as Iron Man, but Happy thinks this will put Pepper’s life at risk. When the argument goes nowhere, Tony knocks out Happy so he can confront Pepper’s attacker directly. As Iron Man, Tony heads to where Happy was instructed to bring the Freak. As he flies to that location, he thinks about the times that Happy was transformed into the Freak after being exposed to cobalt radiation and hopes to avoid another such transformation.[1]
Trying to ramp through the front door of the ship, Iron Man is surprised when he passes harmlessly through it instead. Inside, he finds Pepper has been contained in a glass cage. However, before he can free her he is confronted by her kidnapped, the Collector.[2] He warns the hero against attacking him as a device monitoring his heartbeat will trigger a device that will kill Pepper. To the Avenger’s surprise, the Collector has already captured Happy Hogan, having deduced that he was indeed the Freak. Before the Collector can transform Happy, Iron Man offers to get him something of equal value in exchange for Happy and Pepper being released. Intrigued, the Collector asks Iron Man to travel to the so-called Dark Dimension and recover a powerful weapon called the Solar Sword.[3]
Iron Man is then teleported to this other dimension and warned against treachery. As Iron Man uses his vario-beam to scan the landscape for clues, he is attacked by strange winged creatures that lurk in the outer darkness. They believe that he is one of their foes, a Bearer of the Light. Iron Man is swarmed these creatures until he is rescued by a warrior calling himself Val-Larr, who wields the Solar Sword as a weapon. The sword is able to project beams of light that drive the creatures away. For his help driving away the Shadow Demons, Val-Larr considers the new stranger as a friend. Wanting to know more about what just happened, Iron Man asks who they were fighting. Val-Larr explains that his domain has been terrorized by a evil sorcerer named Shar-Kan who transforms his victims into Shadow Demons, creating an ever growing army. As these creatures are all vulnerable to the light, Val-Larr and his people kept safe in cities that are protected by light. However, Shar-Kan has destroyed every city but the kingdom of Lumina, Val-Larr’s home. His people created the Solar Sword as their last line of defense against the invading hordes.
When Val-Larr brings Iron Man to Lumina, the Avenger demands that he hand over the Solar Sword. This leads to a clash between the pair that is observed by some Shadow Demons who head back to tell their master. As Shar-Kan and his legions attack Lumina, Iron Man wrests the Solar Sword away from Val-Larr and returns to the Collector’s ship. Although he agrees to free Happy and Pepper, the Collector tries to destroy the three humans. However, he does not anticipate that the Solar Sword is too powerful to control in natural light. Iron Man quickly grabs the Collector and forces him outside the ship and makes him return the Solar Sword. With his weapon back, Val-Larr fends off Shar-Kan and his invaders who retreat to fight another day.
With the danger passed, Iron Man and his friends are returned to Earth. There, Happy has no memory of how the Collector attempted to change him back into the Freak and Pepper thanks Iron Man for the rescue. Seeing how happy Pepper and Happy are together, Iron Man vows to ensure they remain that way for as long as they live, promising to always protect them.
Recurring Characters
Iron Man, Collector, Happy Hogan, Pepper Potts
Continuity Notes
Happy was transformed into the Freak twice, first in Tales of Suspense #74 and again in Iron Man #3.
The Collector reminds Iron Man of their last encounter. This was in Avengers #51.
As Official Index to the Marvel Universe: Iron Man points out, it’s not clear if this is the same Dark Dimension that is home to Doctor Strange’s foe Dormammu. It seems unlikely.
