Synopsis
Iron Man (1968 series) #227 synopsis by
T Vernon
Rating:
At a celebrity charity auction, Iron Man suddenly appears to prevent the Beetle from robbing the proceeds, also stopping an avalanche caused by the fleeing villain and slamming him to the ground before applying a negator pack to destroy his armor. Returning through a secret underwater entrance to his home (because Iron Man has been officially “fired” by Tony Stark to disassociate himself from the hero's controversial actions), he and Rhodey plan the next step in his crusade to shut down all armored villains using his stolen technology....
Tony is contacted by the Avengers who want an explanation of Iron Man’s new vigilante actions (they know Tony is Iron Man) but Tony asks instead for their trust. Returning to his office he is met by Nick Fury, who demands that Tony turn Iron Man over to SHIELD. And surprisingly, Tony cooperates: he gives Fury a dossier on “Randall Pierce,” a phony identity for Shellhead that he had concocted years ago. Tony’s ulterior motive: to get at SHIELD’s Mandroids which were designed by Tony but he still doesn't want the unauthorized technology to fall into Justin Hammer's hands....
Interlude: Tony stops by to see Ling McPherson and they have a night on the town, reliving old memories and renewing their friendship.
Tony helps SHIELD “track” the rogue Iron Man to his old summer home in upstate New York and suggests that only the Mandroids be sent after him. SHIELD’s armored warriors surround the home but Iron Man has set a trap for them. After a battle in which Shellhead takes out the Mandroids, while not harming the unarmored SHIELD backup personnel, Fury accuses Stark of having tipped-off his former employee. Tony, with a bit of sleight-of-hand, “uncovers” a bug in SHIELD headquarters to divert suspicion....
Epilogue: Tony receives a visit from Steve Rogers, no longer Captain America but just "the Captain," requesting a new shield. Tony starts to think of how he can turn this to the advantage of his mission and begins to feel qualms about betraying a friend.
CharactersGood (or All)Plus: Beetle (
Abe Jenkins), Mandroids.