Tales of Suspense #79
Disaster!
Tony Stark has returned to America to discover that his company has been shuttered, his assets frozen, and that there is a warrant out for his arrest. This is due to the fact that he has not appeared before congress to reveal Iron Man’s identity.[1] A fugitive of the law, Tony wonders what to do next, and decides to go pay a visit to Pepper Potts.[2]
With the battery in his chest plate running low, Tony beings to rush fearing that if he changed into his armor on the street he might get caught. When he finally arrives at Pepper’s apartment building he discovers that the fire exit is unlocked and uses the cover to change into Iron Man. Unfortunately, nobody answers when he knocks at Pepper’s door. Iron Man next tries Avengers Mansion, but nobody is there when he calls.[3] He then tries Happy Hogan’s apartment and discovers that he is not home either.[4]
Debating what to do next, Iron Man wanders to the water front. There he decides to turn himself over to the authorities and address congress. That’s when he spots a submarine emerge from the water nearby. This craft is carrying the Atlanteans known as Warlord Krang and Lady Dorma. They have fled to the surface world after Dorma agreed to marry Krang in order to spare the Sub-Mariner’s life.[5] Krang decides to show his superiority by destroying Iron Man and begins attacking the Golden Avenger with his sub’s onboard weapons. Iron Man fights back, but his armor is severely damaged in the battle.
Meanwhile, Lady Dorma refuses to be a party to murder and begins trying to force Krang to stop. This allows Iron Man to recover enough to blast the submarine with his repulsor rays. With their vessel damaged, Warlord Krang makes a strategic defeat.
Needing to repair his armor, Iron Man breaks into the closed down Stark Industries factory to begin making repairs. However, moments after he arrives he is confronted by the Sub-Mariner.
Recurring Characters
Iron Man, Krang, Dorma, Sub-Mariner
Continuity Notes
Senator Harrington Byrd had been pushing for Tony to reveal Iron Man’s identity to congress since Tales of Suspense #72. When Tony was kidnapped by the Mandarin in issue #76, Byrd did all of the above.
Tony mentions how he loves Pepper and had been pushing her away because of his condition. Tony has had shrapnel in his heart since Tales of Suspense #39 making him believe he is on borrowed time. Pepper has been attracted to Tony since her first appearance in issue #45. Tony has been actively trying to push Pepper into dating Happy Hogan since issue #50 even though he had grown to love her.
At the time of this story, the Avengers away battling the Black Widow, Swordsman, and Power Man in Avengers #29.
Tony wonders if Happy still has amnesia. Happy had figured out Tony Stark was Iron Man in Tales of Suspense #70. Injured during Iron Man’s battle with Titanium Man, Happy was in a coma for a time. When he finally came out of it in Tales of Suspense #76, he woke up with amnesia.
For more on the Warlord Krang/Lady Dorma sub-plot see Tales to Astonish #81. Their skin is white is because they both took a potion that allowed them to breathe on the surface. A side effect of this potion changed their typically blue Atlantean skin tone to that of a Caucasian surface dweller.
The Red Skull Lives!
Captain America spots some costumed assassins in the middle of a busy Manhattan street and leaps in for the attack. When they start getting away, Cap asks a nearby police officer for help. However, neither the cop or any of the other bystanders on the street can see the assassins or their getaway ship. Thanks to their hypnotic helmets, they were able to render themselves invisible to everyone except for Captain America. This was all according to the plan as these two men — Germans named Wolfgang and Horst[1] — as they wanted to throw Captain America’s sanity into question.
This is all part of a scheme by their master, the Red Skull, who comes in to berate them for their unkempt appearances. He reminds them how they survived the final days of World War II, how during the bombings of Berlin they were all trapped in underground bunkers and were kept alive in suspended animation by an experimental gas. The Red Skull remembers being buried alive during his final battle with Captain America. They remained buried for decades until they were recused by the scientists of THEM a group of scientists bent on world domination.[2] THEM not calls themselves Advanced Idea Mechanics, and the Red Skull has pledged allegiance to their leader, the Grand Imperator, only for the time being. This is because they have provided the Skull with the technology needed to get revenge against Captain America, but the Skull will only work for them as long as it suits his purposes.
Meanwhile, Captain America has gone to see a psychologist to make sure that he isn’t losing his mind. The Red Skull’s minions then arrive and begin attacking. As soon as Captain America starts fighting back, the villains flee again. Thanks to the hypnotic helmets, the doctor only sees Captain America trashing his office. When it’s recommended he seek help, Captain America agrees but it’s not the type the psychologist is suggesting. With the second phase of his plan complete, the Red Skull sends on of his operatives to finish off Captain America once and for all.
While at the headquarters of Advanced Idea Mechanics, their operative Count Royale is shown AIM’s latest creation, the Cosmic Cube.[3] They tell Royale that the Cube has the power to alter reality on the whims of whoever wields it. Such a powerful weapon makes the Count awestruck and he warns them that such a powerful weapon should not get into the hands of the Red Skull. This warning is ignored and Royale is sternly reminded that the Skull is their ally.
By this time, news of Captain America’s violent outbursts has reached the media and people are giving him wide berth on the street. One man, a retired veteran, isn’t afraid of the living legend of World War II and even approaches Cap to ask for an autograph. The man tells how Captain America’s action in Anzio during the war was a great inspiration to his family and that his son also became a soldier. As the pair have a conversation, one of the Red Skull’s minions approaches. This time he has set his hypno-helmet so that he is invisible even to Captain America. He prepares to shoot the man in the head in order to frame Captain America for murder.
However, Captain America — and everyone else for that matter — can still see the operative and Captain America knocks him out with a single punch. He reveals that the hypno-helmet didn’t work this time because suspecting that someone was toying with people’s perceptions he sought out the help of Tony Stark. Stark constructed a scrambler device which Cap hid behind the letter A on his mask. When the assassin lets slip that the Red Skull is back, Captain America is more than ready to renew his age-old battle with his greatest foe.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Red Skull, AIM (Bornag Royale), Wolfgang Brenner
Continuity Notes
Only their first names are given in this story. Their full names are Wolfgang Brenner and Horst Lederer per the entry on Germany in Marvel Atlas #1.
The Red Skull’s final wartime battle with Captain America was chronicled in Tales of Suspense #72. Those events were expanded upon in Captain America #298 and Captain America Annual #13. For more details on the experimental gas that put the Skull in suspended animation, see Fury #1.
Reference is made of Count Royale’s recent clash with SHIELD. See Strange Tales #146.
Topical References
It is stated in this story that World War II ended about 20 years prior to this story. This should be considered a topical reference relative to the date of publication. As the Sliding Timescale pushes the Modern Age forward the span of time between World War II and the Modern Age gets longer. I explain this in more detail here.
The man who approaches Captain America on the street states that he fought in World War II, that he fought in the European theater of war, and saw Captain America in Anzio. He also says that his son is currently a soldier fighting in the Vietnam War. These should all be considered topical references relative to the time of publication. Modern readers could assume this man heard stories from a family member about Cap’s presence at Anzio. One could also assume this guy’s son fought in the Sin-Cong Conflict instead of Vietnam, per History of the Marvel Universe #2.
