The Daily Think

The “Armor Wars” storyline originally appeared in “Iron Man” #225-232, published from December 1987 to July 1988. It was written by David Michelinie and Bob Layton, with artwork by Mark D. Bright. I recently picked up my original back-issues and re-read the story from start to finish because it is one of the most compelling Iron Man stories in the history of Iron Man.

BASIC GIST
The storyline revolves around Tony Stark (Iron Man) discovering that his advanced technology and armor designs have been stolen and misused by various individuals and organizations. Disturbed by the potential dangers of his technology falling into the wrong hands, Stark sets out on a mission to reclaim and destroy the stolen armors.

ISSUE BY ISSUE RECAP

Iron Man 225
Tony discovers his armor technology and secrets were stolen by Spymaster, so he needs to confirm. He works with Scott Lang the Ant Man to break into Hammer Industries to plant a microchip into the computers. Tony does unfortunately have to coerce Scott into breaking the law, which puts him in jeopardy of going back to jail and taking time away from Cassie his daughter. After a successful heist and hack, Stark finds out the list of targets with his technology which starts with Stilt-man. After a quick victory, Iron Man drops a device which destroys the technology and fries all the circuits. Iron then gets to the villains Mauler and Controller and neutralizes their armor/technology as well. At this point Iron Man has started the Armor Wars.

Iron Man 226
Next Iron Man takes on a trio of villains named the Raiders, and then takes on Stingray, a government employee. Attacking a government super soldier leads Tony Stark to fire his alter ego Iron Man from Stark Enterprises.

*Big note of difference between Iron Man of the Comics and Iron Man of the Movies from Disney is that Tony Stark does not publicly reveal that he is Iron Man in the Comics. So He has a seperate identity that only the Avengers know he is Iron Man.

Iron Man 227

Iron Man starts out by taking out the Beetle and then gets a visit from Nick Fury and his Agents of SHIELD. Tony convinces them that they should use the Mandroid battle armor suits that have Stark’s technology in it so he could isolate and take them out which he does easily. The Issue ends with Steve Rogers visiting him not as Captain America, but requesting a design…a new Shield.

Iron Man 228
Tony helps build a powerful new Shield for Steve Rogers who is in his guise as the Captain (black costume with some tinges of red and white.) Tony’s next target is the Vault, a super villain prison protected by armor suited soldiers named the Guardsman based on Starks technology. Rhodey infiltrates the Vault pretending to be Electro and manages to escape his cell to let Stark in…and the Captain quietly follows. After rendering all the Guardsmen with his inhibitor, Iron Man crosses against the Captain who he temporarily paralyzes. They catch each other’s eyes, knowing that Stark has betrayed his trust, very similar to the Captain America Civil War betrayal.

Iron Man 229

Tony travels to Russia to take out the Crimson Dynamo and the Titanium Man. In a battle suit built for speed and stealth, he is outclassed by Titanium Man, until he manages to blast him with boosters causing his armor to ignite and what essentially looks like a murder. It doesn’t take long for the news to travel to the Avengers, who are forced to fire Iron Man from the West Coast Avengers.

Iron Man 230
The government has decided to green light the Firepower armor suit to combat the Iron Man threat. Tony starts to drink again, and eventually meets the government agency building the Firepower program. Iron Man then challenges Firepower and is getting his ass handed to him. With the help of Rhodey, Iron Man tries to escape but is blasted with a nuclear bomb that destroys Iron Man, dropping a blood soaked helmet onto the battlefield. The End of Iron Man.

Iron Man 231
Tony recovers after a rough battle and resumes his role as CEO of Stark Enterprises. Firepower however is still under control of Edwin Cord and is being used to harass Starks Supply lines. Firepower talks some trash to Tony which leads to him going into recluse mode, and to the drawing board. The Genius of Tony Stark comes out as he begins working on a new Iron Man suit. Upon completion of the traditional Yellow and Red Iron Man suit, he quickly dispatches Firepower and his last opponent using his technology has been rendered defeated. Iron Man then goes home to get the long awaited goods nights sleep he has not had since the beginning of the whole Armor Wars ordeal.

A MUST COLLECT FOR IRON MAN FANS
Overall, the Armor Wars was one of the best Iron Man stories it delves into themes of responsibility, the consequences of technological proliferation, and the limits of Tony Stark’s control over his inventions. It explores the ethical dilemmas faced by Stark as he battles to protect his intellectual property and prevent his technology from being used for nefarious purposes. Alot of the themes used in the Disney Marvel films.