Iron Man #45
Beneath the Armor Beats a Heart
Battling a robot version of the Night Phantom, Iron Man’s power begins running low. He pleads with Marianne Rodgers to flee so that she doesn’t die along with him. That’s when Marianne reveals that she knows that Tony Stark is really Iron Man and refuses to abandon the man she loves. Hearing that Marianne loves him despite his double-identity and weak heart is enough to give him the strength to continue fighting. When the Phantom tosses him aside, Iron Man then plays possum long enough for the robot to turn and leave, allowing the hero to finally destroy his attacker.
Meanwhile, at Stark Industries, Simon Gilbert has called a shareholders meeting. As chairman of the board at the company, he has decided to parlay Tony’s recent negative press in order to seize control of the company. While Stark maintains majority stock in the company, the others agree that Tony needs to be removed. They all agree that Gilbert will be a suitable replacement, but Simon reminds them that they cannot put it to a proper vote until Tony finally arrives. This entire proceeding is observed by the mysterious Mister Klein, who is pleased with these proceedings as everything is going according to his plans.[1]
Unaware of what’s been going on, Tony has returned to his apartment to take a show in preparations for a date with Marianne Rodgers. Tony has never felt so in love with anyone before and since she accepts him for who he is, Stark is considering taking their relationship to the next level. Marianne Rodgers is also getting ready for their date, and is hoping that Tony will make the next step in their romance. Tony’s best friend, Kevin O’Brien is also thinking about Marianne Rodgers. He feels horrible for his sudden feelings for the woman as he sees this as a betrayal to Tony. Kevin’s thoughts are interrupted when he gets a phone call warning him of what the shareholders are trying to do. At that same moment, word reaches Tony Stark and he becomes frustrated that an ouster would have to happen now. When Marianne arrives, Tony decides to ignore the problem for no. Kevin O’Brien arrives just as Tony is asking Marianne to marry him.
Later, Simon Gilbert is continuing to rally the other shareholders to support his coup. That’s when Kevin O’Brien — now calling himself the Guardsman — comes crashing in through the window and offers his support as they will also have to contend with Iron Man as well as Stark. That’s when a group of anti-war protestors appear outside the facility and begin protesting. To test the Guardsman’s skill, Simon orders him to go outside and deal with the protestors. By this time, Marianne Rodgers is having another one of her precognitive flashes and tells Tony that there is trouble at his plant. With Marianne’s full support, Tony changes into Iron Man and heads there to see what’s wrong. Going outside, the Guardsman is pelted with eggs, fruit, and bricks and responds by unleashing a repulsor blast on four of the protestors, seemingly killing them. This inflames the rest of the crowd even more, much to the dismay of an increasingly disorientated Kevin O’Brein.
That’s when Iron Man arrives on the scene and tries to reason with the crowd but they are far too agitated. Meanwhile, Kevin wanders back into the building, still horrified by what he has done. Simon Gilbert orders O’Brien to go back outside and kill Iron Man. The idea of replacing the hero appeals to the increasingly unhinged Kevin O’Brien. While outside, Iron Man can’t get through to the protestors and decides fleeing is the best course of action. The Guardsman comes back out a few minutes later and manages to drive them off just as police arrive on the scene. Iron Man then arrives inside and tries to convince Kevin that the armor they design is having some kind of negative effect on his mind. Unwilling to listen and having convinced himself that Tony had stolen Marianne away from him, Kevin begins attacking his friend. Luckily, Iron Man is better skilled in combat and knocks Kevin out before anyone else gets hurt.
With the protestors returning to the scene, Iron Man goes outside to prevent them from clashing with police. Unfortunately, the protestors continue hurling things at Iron Man and the cops. When one of the officers is struck in the face with a rock, the other officers prepare to meet the protestors with force.
Recurring Characters
Iron Man, Night Phantom, Marianne Rodgers, Guardsman, Mister Klein, Simon Gilbert
Continuity Notes
A footnote here states this story pre-dates Klein’s destruction in Daredevil #84. Mr. Klein comes from a distant future. Klein was sent to the past to ensure certain events came to pass, such as making Daredevil partner with the Black Widow, see Daredevil #79-84. He had also been working to have Tony Stark and Iron Man labeled anarchists by the US government, as detailed in Iron Man #41-44. What Klein and Baal are trying to accomplish is never really explained. Their future exists as an alternate reality, the Daredevil entry in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #3 identifies it as Reality-71778.
Topical References
One of the protestors calls Guardsman’s attack on them “Another Kent State!” This is a reference to a protest at Kent State University on May 4, 1970 where a Vietnam War protest turned bloody when the National Guard opened fire on the protestors while trying to disburse them. The dialog implies that Kent State had happened recently within the context of this story. Any references to Kent State should be considered topical.
