Iron Man #261
Armor Wars II Part 4
Note: This story tells two tales in tandem, with one half of each page being devoted to the Iron Man story and the second half being focused on the Mandarin. For the sake of clarity, I have told them separately.
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Iron Man
After collapsing during his fight with the Living Laser, Iron Man is rushed to the Stark Enterprises medical facility. There, doctors are unable to get any life sign readings through his armor. Since the hero is unresponsive they deem him deceased.
However, Tony Stark is still alive, only in an incapacitated state. Somehow his entire nervous system shut down leaving him completely immobilized and unable to communicate. He suspects that this may be tied into the recent troubles he has been having with the bio-chip implanted in his spine that cured his paralysis.[1] As paramedics come to pick up his body, Tony is now in a race against time before they find a way to cut him out of his armor.
That’s when he remembers his new encephalo-circuits that allow him to mentally command a suit of autonomous armor. Connecting with the remote suit of armor in his lab, he begins commanding it to come an retrieve his body. Stopping the ambulance, Tony speaks to the drivers through the autonomous suit’s com system and convinces them that the Iron Man they are hauling is actually an inert machine. Tony then commands the suit to pick up his body and fly it back to his private lab at Stark Enterprises. When he arrives, Jim Rhodes has arrived looking for him. Tony tells Jim that he is trapped inside his armor and they need to find a way to free him.
The reason why Iron Man is immobilized is thanks to the machinations of Desmond and Phoebe Marrs.[3] They have hired a man named Kearson DeWitt and a team of scientists to hack into Tony Stark’s bio-chip to take control of his body. However, despite the fact they have taken control of Stark’s body, he is not responding to their motor commands for some reason. Unfortunately, a limitation to the technology prevents them from seeing through Stark’s eyes making it impossible for them to determine what is causing interference. This angers Desmond who demands that Kearson get his act together since he has spend billions of dollars on this technology and wants results. DeWitt reminds his employers that they are dealing with Tony Stark, one of the most brilliant minds on the planet and he could have discovered what was going on and found a way to stop them. He convinces the Marrs twins to let him resolve the issue. DeWitt then orders the scientists to deactivate the bio-chip as they have tipped their hand and need to restore his mobility.
After Desmond leaves, Kearson kisses Phoebe’s hand and tells her that he hates it when her brother is abusive toward her. At first, Phoebe is touched but suddenly changes her attitude. She takes offense to his concern and tells him to keep his hands to himself and storms off. This angers DeWitt who promises to make the Marrs twins pay once he has control over Iron Man.
Back at Stark Enterprises, Tony is suddenly able to sit up and realizes that his mobility has come back. Jim is overjoyed, but Tony isn’t so happy. He points out that whatever is happening it is taking a toll on his body and fears that if the damage continues it could spell the end of Iron Man.[4]
The Mandarin
After confronting the wizard Chen Hsu in San Francisco, the Mandarin is given back the power ring that had been stolen from him.[5] The sudden increase of power causes the would-be world conqueror to collapse to the ground. With the Mandarin on the floor, Chen Hsu literally penetrates his mind with magic and uses his abilities to restore his mind which has been previously plagued by amnesia.[6] When the Mandarin wakes up, he discovers that Chen Hsu has restored his mind and lost memories and that this deficiency was due to the Mandarin transferring his mind into the rings themselves. Chen Hsu is pleased that the Mandarin’s mind has been fully restored as they have much to do.
The pair travel from San Francisco to the Valley of the Sleeping Dragon in China. There they come to a massive set of doors where two armed guards have been standing for centuries. When the Mandarin approaches the guards step away and allow him inside. There he finds the slumbering dragon Fin Fang Foom.[7] Removing small box from his pocket, the Mandarin procures a dried herb that will awaken the deadly creature from its eternal slumber.
Recurring Characters
Iron Man, Desmond Marrs, Phoebe Marrs, Kearson DeWitt, Jim Rhodes, Mandarin, Chen Hsu, Fin Fang Foom
Continuity Notes
Around this time, the Mandarin used loyal footsoldiers named the Hand (no relation to the Japanese ninjas) In Iron Man #241-242 these loyal followers would be given one of the Mandarin’s rings on mission. As we learned last issue, one of these men swapped out the ring given to him with a less powerful forgery created by Chen Hsu. In Iron Man #274, Chen Hsu is later revealed to be a member of the Kakarantharian crew that came to Earth. The rings the Mandarin now wears were stolen from their ship, as explained in Tales of Suspense #62.
Recently, Tony was shot through the spine by a jilted love named Kathy Dare in Iron Man #242. This left him confined to a wheelchair until he had an experimental bio-chip implanted in his spine to repair the damage in issue #248. He has been stricken with bouts of phantom pains since Iron Man #256. As we’ll find out between this issue and Iron Man #266 that this bio-chip was a trap set by the Marrs twins — rivals in business — to replace Tony’s nervous system with one that they can used to remotely control his body. Even after this plot is foiled, Tony will suffer lasting effects from it until he is fully cured in Iron Man #290.
Here, Phoebe says that her brother is faring better than his recent conflict with the Sub-Mariner. The Marrs twins have been combating Namro’s new business operation, Oracle, Inc. See Namor the Sub-Mariner #1-10.
Tony mentions his recent bouts of alcoholism. Tony went on two very harmful benders. The first was in Iron Man #120-128 and the other from issues #167-182. The binge drinking had negative consequences on his health and he almost died. Tony has been sober ever since.
Around this time, the Mandarin used loyal footsoldiers named the Hand (no relation to the Japanese ninjas) In Iron Man #241-242 these loyal followers would be given one of the Mandarin’s rings on mission. As we learned issue #259 that one of these men swapped out the ring given to him with a less powerful forgery created by Chen Hsu. In Iron Man #274, Chen Hsu is later revealed to be a member of the Makluan crew that came to Earth. The rings the Mandarin now wears were stolen from their ship, as explained in Tales of Suspense #62.
The Mandarin’s mind has been in a tricky situation for some time now. It all stems from the fact that Mandy’s original body died in Iron Man #70. In order to cheat death the villain transferred his mind into his power rings. When his minion Loc Do put on the rings, the Mandarin took over his body, as seen in Iron Man #98. The Mandarin has been stricken with amnesia since Iron Man #241.
Fin Fang Foom’s one weakness is a special and rare herb that can put him into a deep sleep, or wake him up. See Strange Tales #89.
