Synopsis / Summary / Plot
Tony Stark sits among the ruins of Stark Tower eating a burger while firemen sort through the wreckage. When Mary Jane Watson and SHIELD Director Maria Hill come to see him he complains that his burger has no ketchup.
3 weeks ago Stark returns from his Japanese adventure where he pretended to be dead for some weeks. He apologises for that and claims that he was working undercover with the Avengers and SHIELD to successfully prevent an international crisis. He thanks his staff for keeping Stark International going in his absence, and promises bonuses.
Mr Lynch, the self-appointed spokesman for the Board of Directors, doesn't believe a word - it was just some techno-ninjas. Tony accuses him of hiring the villain Ghost to break into his lab. Lynch counter-claims that Stark left the AI Friday running the shop. Stark says she did a better job than the Board would have done - it took them 2 weeks to notice he was missing. But SI stock is falling rapidly and Lynch promises a vote to oust him from control. The rest of the Board say nothing.
When he's alone with MJ and Friday we get a run through of the sequence of events vis-a-vis MJ. She started work as his PA in #7 but quit immediately in #8 when Tony abruptly went to Japan. Friday asked her to come back and help fend off the Board in #10, which she did last issue. She confirms that the company is in trouble, but Friday reminds him that his girlfriend Amara Perera believed he was dead - so Tony rushes off to mend that fence.
But when he gets to her office at MIT he finds she's gone somewhere in Europe. The Dean says she's gone to pursue her research elsewhere and he doesn't know where. And she's not answering Tony's calls. But the Dean thought Stark was here about student Riri Williams who built her own Iron Man armour. This is the 1st Tony has heard of it.
Riri has gone home to Chicago to her mother, who wants to know why her 15-year old genius daughter has dropped out of her scholarship. And why the college says she stole equipment and they might have her arrested. Riri says she only borrowed stuff no-one was using and she'll give it back when she's finished. And anyway being arrested would be good publicity for when she goes public.
Mrs Williams wants to know what her daughter is building - is it a bomb?! Riri doesn't want to show her until it's finished. But Tony Stark turns up and wants to see it now. 'It' is a suit of armour reverse engineered from Iron Man's model 41 (which according to Marvel Wiki is the suit Stark used when he was with the Guardians of the Galaxy).
Riri wants to be a superhero. Her mom is definitely not comfortable with this. Riri says she's already flown in the armour (last issue) but it really needs an AI. She asks Tony for 1, but he says he can't afford to give them away (at least not these days). But he'll take them for dinner to discuss the future.
Back in the present everyone is wondering how Tony is going to react to the destruction of his Tower by the Inhumans (Uncanny Inh #11 in retaliation for him kidnapping Ulysses in Civil War II #2). He shouts that he could destroy New Attilan if he wanted, but then calms down and adds that wouldn't bring James Rhodes back (killed as War Machine in Free Comic Book Day: CWII). He doesn't know what to do.
But then Victor Von Doom materialises in their midst. As SHIELD try to arrest him Victor tells Tony he can show him what to do, and spirits them both away.