Tales of Suspense #99
At the Mercy of the Maggia!
Iron Man is trapped aboard a Maggia submarine with his armor at low power. Unfortunately, he is in the middle of a life-or-death battle with Whiplash. Taking a gamble, he cranks up his repulsor rays to full blast. While this desperately depletes his remaining power he succeeds in knocking Whiplash out. However, the sudden strain on his heart is so painful that Iron Man blacks out.
Meanwhile, Jasper Sitwell has just learned that Morgan Stark abducted Iron Man and is now searching for him. He is contacted by Nick Fury who tells him that Morgan has been sighted at Kennedy Airport with some Maggia goons. With his souped-up sports car, Jasper races to the airport to stop Stark from getting on a plane. As he speeds down the Long Island Express Way he attracts the police who give him chase. Since this is a matter of vital importance, Sitwell steps on the gas and leaves the police eating his dust. He arrives in record time and stops Morgan and the Maggia thugs before they can board their plane out of the country. Jasper quickly incapacitates the Maggia men with his marital arts skills. Morgan, ever the coward, quickly tells Sitwell that Iron Man is being held at a Maggia sub hidden beneath an illegal gambling ship out in international waters. With this information, Sitwell joins a boat load of passengers taken to the gambling ship. Once aboard the casino ship, Jasper wonders how he is going to find Iron Man.
By this time, in the submarine below the gambling ship, Whiplash has whipped Iron Man into submission. However, before he can kill the Avenger his employer, the Big Men, decides that they should experiment on Iron Man instead. Iron Man is then put on a magnetized operating table as the Big M uses a laser to try and burn through the metal of the hero’s helmet. The heat from the laser starts becoming unbearable. Luckily, the vessel is attacked by another submarine carrying the remnants of Advanced Idea Mechanics. Following their recent defeat at the hands of Captain America, AIM seeks to regain its reputation by attacking the Maggia.[1]
The attack causes both the gambling ship and the submarine attached to it to start taking on water. The Big M decides to abandon ship and flees the lab with Whiplash, leaving Iron Man stuck to the operating table. As the room slowly starts filling with water, the Golden Avenger wonders how he is going to get out of this situation alive.
… This story is continued in Iron Man and the Sub-Mariner #1.
Recurring Characters
Iron Man, Whiplash, Jasper Sitwell, Morgan Stark, Maggia (Big M), AIM, Nick Fury
Continuity Notes
AIM was previously defeated by Captain America in Tales of Suspense #92-94.
Topical References
Jasper passes an exit labeled “Pan American No. 4”, which is in reference to Pan Am Airlines. This company ceased operations in 1991.
Morgan Stark and other passengers are depicted getting on a plane by walking out onto the tarmac. This should be considered topical as a major international airport like JFK has since installed concourses that allow passengers to board a plane without having to go outside.
The Man Who Lived Twice!
Captain America has come to Wakanda to assist the Black Panther in stopping some invaders from using his country as a base to operate their orbital death ray. Having fallen into a trap pit, Captain America is shocked to see that the mastermind behind this scheme is apparently his old foe Baron Zemo. As they are tossed a rope to climb out, Cap can hardly believe this is the real Baron Zemo since he had died recently in a rockslide.[1]
The two heroes are surrounded by armed men. The man claiming to be Baron Zemo claims he survived his last encounter with Captain America and his plans for taking over the world. However, Captain America refuses to surrender and fights free of his captors. He is joined in battle by the Black Panther who also breaks free. However, the tide of battle quickly turns when Captain America is struck by a missile that gives off a blinding flash of light. Elsewhere in the jungle, SHIELD’s Agent 13 has convinced another group of Zemo’s minions that she is the female spy known as Irma Kruel.[2] They take her down to their secret underground lair just in time as their leader is running another test of his death ray, which cuts a swath of destruction across the Wakandan jungle.
By this time, Baron Zemo has brought Captain America and the Black Panther to his base. The pair are unable to act because the missile that was used on them used a hypnotic strobe effect to make them passive. Still able to talk, Captain America and the Black Panther goad Baron Zemo into explaining his world domination plot in detail. It’s the typical “I built a death-ray and I’ll use it to cripple the nuclear weapons” type stuff. This is done to give Cap and the Panther time to shake off the effects of the hypno-lights. However, when they try attacking again they are swarmed by Baron Zemo’s men and knocked unconscious once more.
That’s when “Irma Krul” is brought in to meet the Baron. He decides to test her loyalty by handing “Irma” a gun and ordering her to shoot Captain America in the head. Agent 13 finds herself in the impossible position where she may have to kill the man she loves in order to maintain her cover.
… This story continues in Captain America #100.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Baron Zemo (Gruber), Black Panther, Sharon Carter (unidentified)
Continuity Notes
Baron Zemo did indeed die in Avengers #15. This man is later revealed to be a man named Franz Gruber in Captain America #100, one of Zemo’s former henchmen. Gruber is unnamed in this story arc. His name is given in the Avengers and Thunderbolts novel published in 1999. Per the Official Index to the Marvel Universe: Iron Man, Captain America, and Avengers all confirm that this name is considered part of continuity even if the novel might not be.
Sharon Carter’s real name is not mentioned here. It is finally revealed in Captain America #103.
