Synopsis / Summary / Plot
Tony Stark has been missing suspected dead for weeks. Actually he's in Osaka with James Rhodes, and he's heavily disguised via advanced biotech. He's going by the name Richard Franco and last issue did something to hopefully bring him to the attention of a supervillain he's after. Last issue ended with a knock on his door.
Tony tells Rhodey to hide as the bad guys get impatient and break the door down. A bunch of masked ninjas with light-sabres burst in led by an unmasked female 1 who introduces herself as Zhang. She tells him to put on a Spider-Man mask with the mouth and eye-holes sewn shut. And they take him away.
Luckily Rhodes had his War Machine jet boots on, and was hovering outside the window. Now he flies off.
Tony is elsewhere with his hands tied behind him. The mask is removed and he faces the female ninja and the woman named Tomoe (who stole his Iron Man armour in #8). She is grateful for the aid he gave Yukio last issue, and she's checked Franco's (presumably faked) background as an ex-navy Seal and ex-SHIELD.
Meanwhile in New York Mary Jane Watson is at a loose end after she quit her job with Stark after a few hours in #8. She sees her ex Spider-Man swinging past. She also see news headlines about the problems at Stark Industries now the boss is missing.
When she gets home she finds a package in her mailbox. In her apartment she opens the box to find a device with a button labelled "Push me". She does and Stark's AI Friday materialises.
Friday has been running the company while Tony's away (as she usually does anyway). But the Board of Directors don't trust her and are planning to switch her off. She wants MJ to come back and help. But 1st MJ wants to know where Tony is. All Friday is allowed to say is that he isn't dead.
Tomoe gets 'Richard Franco' to prove his talents against some of her ninjas. Satisfied she explains she is an Inhuman created by the Terrigen cloud. She can control technological artefacts and goes by the name Techno Golem. She can take technology away from someone and make part of herself for a while. She absorbed the Iron Man armour in #8, and claims to have killed Tony Stark.
She and her ninjas have driven AIM, Hydra and others out of Japan. Now she intends to expand to other countries. She wants him to become part of her organisation. And his 1st job will be to kill James Rhodes.
Now we cut to a different armoured figure. Precocious genius Riri Williams is test-flying the suit she has built. She contacts her room-mate (and superhero fan) Sharon to ask what a female Iron Man should be called. They go through the obvious Iron Lady, Iron Woman, Iron Maiden. Meanwhile Riri is having trouble controlling her flight, and realises the armour needs an AI like Shellhead's.
Rhodey goes to the ANAD Avengers and tells them what's going on. He wants them to be ready to help. But the nature of the enemy is such that they can't rely on technology, only on their natural skills. (So Vision is out then!) If the worst comes to the worst they'll avenge Tony's death.