In this episode:
Mike and Ed discuss both the reveal that Tony Stark is still alive, and his subsequent assassination from a space laser. Tony’s will leaves all his assets to Iron Man, which puts the suspicion for the laser attack squarely on the Avenger’s head (at least in terms of motive), but the show summarizes the motives of other potential assassins (there are many!) Maybe more importantly, who has the ability to kill from a distance like this, and who will they target next? Are all of our best scientists at risk? Is solving this attack Reed Richard’s number one priority? If not, why not?
Behind the comic:
Stan attempts to pull off pathos in this issue and the panels spend some time with people like Happy Hogan, who is broken up by Tony’s apparent death. Meanwhile, Stan lets the implications of these events sit for a while. The issue ends with Iron Man being a captive of the Mandarin, and the next issue is the full origin of the villain - which means that Tony Stark “stays dead” for a full two months in the comic continuity, before returning from the dead in early March.
In this issue:
Pepper Potts and Happy Hogan announce they are quitting and are unhappy that Tony Stark is missing and Iron Man has basically taken over the company. They speak to the police about the matter, and the newspapers find out about it, finally noticing that Tony Stark is missing and that Iron Man is now a suspect in his disappearance. Tony Stark, who is actually Iron Man, decides to deal with the situation. He decides the best way to do that is to appear to Happy as a sick Tony Stark who explains that Iron Man is in charge of the company on his behalf. Happy then supports the perspective that everything is legitimate. Meanwhile, the Mandarin uses a killer ray to attack the Earth. Specifically, to attack Iron Man, who escapes, although the news report that Tony’s home has been struck by a deadly ray of unknown origin. Tony Stark’s closest friends realize that and accept that Tony Stark is dead and Iron Man has taken over the company. Meanwhile, Iron Man fights the Mandarin and ends up being captured. The episode ends on a cliffhanger.
Assumed before the next episode:
People are dumping StarkCorp stock.
This episode takes place:
After people find out that Tony Stark was killed by a fricking space laser.
Episode 173: Laser Assassinations (Tales of Suspense #61, part 2) -- December 1964