Iron Man #213
Fortune’s Child
Following the death of his father, Jerry Fortunov has taken up the mantle of Dominic Fortune to avenge his death.[1] The search takes him to a local playhouse where members of organized crime are posing as actors in a performance of Wagner’s Ring Circle. One of the goons reveals that Simon Steele was the one that put out the contract on his father and provides the location of Steele’s mansion.
Exiting the theater, Jerry is recording a message for his wife explaining his actions when he is confronted by Clytemnestra Erwin. She tries to convince Jerry that he is getting in over his head and tries to relate with him since her own brother was murdered not very long ago.[2] Unfortunately, her words fall on deaf ears as Jerry believes he has to make up for not taking his father seriously in the past.
Concerned for Jerry’s well being, Clytemnestra returns to Tony Stark’s private lab to get his help. There Tony and Jim Rhodes are testing a new metal alloy for their space station. When she explains the situation, Tony agrees to go out looking for Jerry as Iron Man. He catches up with Jerry before he can reach Simon Steele’s mansion and tries to talk him out of going after him. Iron Man tells Jerry that if anyone was responsible for his father’s death, it is him as he failed to stop Steele’s operative, the Iron Monger. Jerry however, still doesn’t want to listen and tells Iron Man to butt out of his personal business. Iron Man pretends to comply, but uses his new cloaking system to follow Jerry in secret.
Little do they know is that Jerry’s father, David Fortunov, is still alive. Simon Steele faked his death and now holds him prisoner in his mansion. When Steele checks on David he brings a young woman that David believes is his long lost lover, Sabbath Raven.[3] He can hardly believe that she hasn’t aged a day since he last saw her and asks why she is with one of their old enemies. She retorts by saying that a lot happened in the years since he abandoned her but doesn’t go into much detail. After explaining how he faked Fortune’s death, Simon Steele warns his old foe that when he is done with him, David will be pleading for a quick death. As Simon and Sabbath begin the preparations for the next part of their plan they are informed by security that David’s son is on his way to the mansion. Pleased, Steele tells his men to prepare an appropriate welcome.
Meanwhile, on the road, Jerry Fortunov almost gets into an accident with a passing fuel truck after hitting an oil slick. This causes the truck to drive off the edge of a cliff, forcing Iron Man to stop following Jerry and rescue the driver. Unfortunately, the driver was injured in the fall and Iron Man has to rush him to a hospital.
At that moment, back at Stark’s office, Clytemnestra receives a voice mail from Jerry telling her his plans. Fearing for his safety and unable to reach either Tony or Jim, Cly decides to head up to Simon Steele’s mansion to try and stop him. She arrives just in time to stop him from sneaking onto Steele’s property and while the two argue they are ambushed by armed guards who take them prisoner. Jerry and Clytemnestra are taken down to the basement where they are keeping Jerry’s father prisoner. Inside, the guards are shocked to see the room is empty. On the bed there is a note that reads “so long suckers!” but this is only a raise as David has been hiding in the exposed pipes in the ceiling above and ambushes the guards. Jerry is happy to see that his father is still alive and they both agree to work together to stop Simon Steele.
By this time, Iron Man has returned and seeing Cly’s car parked outside Simon’s mansion pours on the speed. He smashes into Steele’s underground complex as a gun battle errupts between the Fortunov’s and Steele’s men. Although Iron Man’s arrival gives them the edge, the Avenger is quickly incapacitated by a electronics scrambler installed by Sabbath. In the ensuing battle, Jerry takes a bullet intended for his father. As the battle rages, Clytemnestra gets into the control room and knocks out Sabbath and shuts down the scrambler, allowing Iron Man to rejoin the battle. Although the fighting is quickly ended, both Simon Steele and Sabbath manage to escape. David then rushes to his son, who tells him that he is proud his father is Dominic Fortune, before dying of his wounds.
The next day, Dominic Fortune is on the go again, vowing to track down Simon Steele and avenge the death of his son. Before leaving he Clytemnestra did some digging around and discovered that the woman he thought was the original Sabbath Raven is actually her daughter, who had her with Simon Steele’s brother.[4] After Fortune leaves, Clytemnestra tells Iron Man that this experience has taught her that Jerry’s sacrifice had helped her reconcile with the loss of her brother and she is ready to devote herself to working with Tony and Jim on their new company from now on.[5]
Recurring Characters
Iron Man, Dominic Fortune, Simon Steele, Sabbath Raven, Iron Monger, Jerry Fortunov
Continuity Notes
David Fortunov, the original Dominic Fortune, was seemingly killed last issue.
Here, Cly recounts how her brother was murdered by Obadiah Stane in an explosion. This happened in Iron Man #198. This story incorrectly cites issue #199, which was the issue his body was identified, not when he was actually killed.
Dominic Fortune and Sabbath Raven were partners dating back to the 1930s. For more on those adventures see Marvel Preview #2, Marvel Super Action #1, Hulk! #21-25, Marvel Premiere #56, Marvel Super-Heroes (vol. 2) #3, and Astonishing Tales: Dominic Fortune #1-5. Fortune has been led to believe that Sabbath is still alive back in Web of Spider-Man #10. Dominic and Simon Steele’s pasts are both locked into the 20th Century and it is difficult to reconcile due to the Sliding Timescale. As of this writing (January, 2022) an explanation has not been forthcoming. I present a theory on how this is possible in my summary for last issue.
The story of Sabbath’s relationship with Heinrich Von Lundt and the birth of her daughter, Elena Von Lundt is explored in more detail in Web of Spider-Man #71-72.
This turns out to be bold faced lie as we’ll learn in Iron Man #216, when it is revealed that the real reason Cly is staying on in order for the perfect opportunity to kill Tony Stark in order to avenge the death of her brother.
Topical References
Jerry is depicted using a pocket tape recorder to make a message for his wife. This should be considered a topical reference since this is an obsolete technology.
References to World War II happening forty years prior to this story should be considered topical. As the Sliding Timescale pushes the Modern Age forward in time, the length of time between it and the end of World War II will continue to expand.
