As he is entangled in magnetized steel cables and at the mercy of his enemy, the Mandarin, Iron Man tries a bluff, reminding the villain that Tony Stark is still at large in the castle. The Mandarin goes off to organize a search, giving the armor enough time to recharge itself. Iron Man easily snaps the cables then and follows the Mandarin until he comes to the massive chamber where the villain is keeping the captured American missiles. At this moment the US is launching another rocket and the Mandarin powers up his Interceptor Ray to snatch this one too; the Armored Avenger leaps out and destroys the ray but the Mandarin informs him that once begun the ray cannot be stopped. Iron Man flies out and pushes the missile out of the path of the beam but is caught in the ray himself and drawn back to the castle; as he is pulled through the window he tears loose a large stone which he hurls into the ray’s power plant causing it to explode. The enraged villain unleashes the full might of his power rings as Iron Man beats a hasty retreat. He steps on a trap door and is dropped down a chute….
Meanwhile, back at the Stark office, Happy Hogan is miserable with all the decisions and headaches that come with being an executive but Pepper Potts will not allow him to leave….
As he sees he is heading down the chute toward an acid pool, Iron Man takes advantage of the quick recharge to smash through the wall and head back toward the enemy. A massive weight on a spring suddenly drops from the ceiling and forces the hero clean through the floor (leaving an outline!). Iron Man turns to see the Mandarin one hundred feet high but he is not afraid to attack—but the giant villain is merely an illusion created by mirrors; luckily the hero’s armor saves him from injury. On another side is an army of duplicate Mandarins but again, only one is real. Using sonar, Iron Man locates the authentic villain and decks him with a punch. Iron Man then races back to the missile room and sends the stolen rockets back to the American base, leaving the Mandarin to stew in a rage.
After assuring the Pentagon that the threat has been neutralized, Tony heads back to the office where Happy takes all the credit for keeping things running smoothly, to Pepper’s annoyance. As she and Tony cuddle up in the back of the limo, a jealous Happy takes a bumpy road but they end up with a flat tire. And while Happy is fixing it, Tony and Pepper take advantage of the lovely moonlit night.
Tony Stark hosts an in-depth look at Iron Man’s armor and its capabilities. Includes a glamour pin-up of Pepper Potts!
> Tales of Suspense (1959 series) comic book info and issue index
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