Tales of Suspense #76
Here Lies Hidden… The Unspeakable Ultimo!
Having lured the Freak back to his lab, Iron Man now exposes the creature to his enervator in the hopes of changing it back into Happy Hogan.[1] This gamble comes at great risk as feedback from the device is causing Iron Man’s armor to become red hot. Luckily, the process works, and Happy is returned to normal and passes out. Tony then quickly strips off his armor before he roasts alive. After putting his suit away and dressing in normal clothes, Tony wakes up Happy in the hopes of swearing him to secrecy about his secret identity.[2]
It turns out that this is not a concern because Happy has amnesia, raising other concerns. That’s when Senator Harrington Byrd and some police officers force their way into the lab with Pepper not far behind them. Byrd has grown fed up with Tony Stark stonewalling the government’s attempts to learn Iron Man’s secret identity and is now serving a subpoena forcing him to testify in front of congress. Leaving Happy in Pepper’s care, Tony agrees to go with Byrd and the offices.
As they leave Stark Industries by car, strange lights appear in the air over them. One of these lights flies down and hits the car carrying Harrington Byrd and Tony Stark, making it suddenly wink out of existence.
At that moment, somewhere in China, the Mandarin has his work interrupted by representatives of the Chinese government. They have come to force the Mandarin to work with their government. Insulted, the Mandarin uses his power rings to drive the soldiers away. Once the soldiers have scurried off, the Mandarin continues working on the device. Back in the United States, the vanished car reappears. Inside, Harrington Byrd is shocked to discover that Tony Stark has vanished from right in front of him. This is because Stark has been teleported to the Mandarin’s fortress. Unable to find his foe Iron Man, the Mandarin has kidnapped Stark in the hopes of drawing out his old enemy, unaware that they are the same people. The Mandarin snatches away the attache case that old Tony’s Iron Man armor and throws it out a window into the moat below.
The Mandarin gloats over his latest creation that will destroy Iron Man, something he calls Ultimo. Pulling a lever at his control panel, the Mandarin summons Ultimo, whose massive form suddenly rises up from a nearby volcano.
Recurring Characters
Iron Man, Mandarin, Happy Hogan, Pepper Potts, Harrington Byrd, Ultimo
Continuity Notes
Hogan was seriously injured in Tales of Suspense #70. This required him to undergo experimental surgery in issue #74, transforming him into the Freak.
Happy figured out that Tony Stark and Iron Man were the same people during Iron Man’s battle with the Titanium Man. This took place in Tales of Suspense #69-71.
The Gladiator, the Girl, and the Glory!
A female SHIELD agent has fled with a canister of Inferno 42 during a battle between Captain America and Batroc the Leaper.[1] She is unaware that Inferno 42 has been exposed and will explode in less than a half-hour, destroying the city. This forces Captain America and Batroc to work together to recover the compound before it reaches critical mass. When the SHIELD agent tries to escape through a secret passage, it is Batroc’s powerful kicking abilities that allow them to follow after her.
Not understanding what is going on, the SHIELD agent attempts to capture her pursuers with a trap floor. Captain America evades the trap and tries to convince the woman to hand over the Inferno 42 as its deadly radiations are starting to make her sick. She continues to resist but eventually passes out. Batroc manages to get free and begins attacking Captain America in order to recover the cylinder for his employers.[2] Batroc manages to snatch the Inferno 42 and retreat back to his employer’s hideout. There they have provided a neutralizing case that will make the Inferno 42 dormant again.
As Batroc bickers with the mover payment, Captain America arrives to renew his fight with Batroc. As it turns out, what they thought was Inferno 42 was actually another plant. As Batroc and Captain America fight it out, Batroc’s employers escape. Ultimately, Batroc — realizing the battle is lost — retreats. Captain America then returns to where he left the female SHIELD agent. She is being taken to a hospital by an emergency response team. They don’t lay very good odds for her survival due to the radiation poisoning she received from Inferno 42.[3] Captain America is saddened that this woman — who looks so much like the woman he loved during World War II — has been taken out of his life so quickly after meeting her and any hope that he could meet his old sweetheart again seem like they are gone forever.[4]
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Batroc the Leaper, Sharon Carter (unidentified), Hydra (unidentified)
Continuity Notes
This SHIELD agent is unidentified in this story. Her name is later revealed to be Sharon Carter in Captain America #103.
Batroc’s employers are also unidentified. They are revealed to be Hydra in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #6.
Sharon pulls through, as we’ll see in Tales of Suspense #85.
Sharon Carter resembles the woman from Cap’s past because they are related. The woman in question is identified as Peggy Carter in Captain America #162. Their relationship is complicated. I get into it in more detail here.
