A comparison I don't think people make very often is of superhero comics and of soap operas. The reason why is because of popular conception of the audiences of these particular media not exactly crossing over. But there are quite a lot of similarities, mainly in the usage of certain tropes. Superhero comics just have more action and people in colorful costumes. One trope that is associated with soap operas is faking the dead. A character seemingly dies and is revealed to have actually survived some time later on. Comics have used that trope, too. Tony Stark has done so himself, in Iron Man #284!
The cover is a Kevin Hopgood and Joe Sinnott piece. It's really good. It depicts Tony Stark lying in a coffin in the stereotypical "dead guy" pose. Looming over him is the shadow of the Iron Man suit, perhaps symbolizing the shadow the armor has put over his life since he and Ho Yinsen built that first suit in Southeast Asia all those years ago. A nice detail is the lack of Iron Man on the corner box, just showing the Marvel Comics logo at the time.
"Legacy of Iron"
Writer: Len Kaminski
Penciler: Kevin Hopgood
Inker: Andrew Pepoy
Colorist: Mike Rockwitz
Letterer: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Nelson Yomtov
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco
The story begins with a very special news report.
Page 101, Full Page
Tony Stark has been ill for a while, and it looks like he's succumbed to it. After a long, hard fight, no doubt. James Rhodes is watching this new report on TV, and he's growing angrier at the report painting Stark as a corporate bully. In a little snapshot of the time this comic was originally published, the report even mentions rumors that Stark had contracted HIV.
We get a brief flashback of Stark dying on the operating table. One of the doctors contacts Abe Zimmer, an employee and friend of Stark's at the time. She tells him he has six minutes to collect Stark's body. Curious...
Rhodes is shown holding a press conference announcing Stark's death. We see how various figures react to this. Captain America flies the American flag at half-mast at Avengers Mansion. Bethany Cabe sheds tears. Doctor Doom, in a surprisingly human moment, toasts Stark and declares Latveria will have a day of mourning for Stark. It makes a bizarre bit of sense, since Doom and Stark have clashed a bit over the years.
The West Coast Avengers watch this on TV. Pepper Potts and Happy Hogan hug. Nick Fury laments that a man as presumably young as Stark dies while an old man like him keeps hanging on. Kathy Dare laments trying to kill him, and the Spymaster sees an opportunity.
Rhodes gets a visit from the head of Stark's legal department, and he has something for him. It's something Stark told him to leave with Rhodes in the event of his death. And now that has come to pass, there ya go.
Page 109, Panel 6
What're the odds that CD-Rom contains either Stark's attempt at a rock album, or a video game he was working on for that new StarkGaming subsidary? Sadly, it's not. It's basically a personal message from Tony to Rhodey. He wants his old friend to continue on as head of Stark Enterprises. There are competent businessmen in their positions, but he knows that SE will need a good moral rudder. He also wants Rhodey to continue something else on.
Armor looks familiar, don't it? Yes, Stark wants Rhodes to continue on as Iron Man. Rhodey understandably know what to think. But Rhodes' then-beau Marcy Pearson knows what to think. She's angry about this because she was next in line to be the CEO of Stark Enterprises. She implores Jim to not accept the position. Rhodes can't bring himself to, because it's Tony's last wish. She gives him an ultimatum: The job or their relationship.
That night, Rhodes wakes up and sees a bunch of villains rampaging on television, including a kaiju-sized Crimson Dynamo, Titanium Man, and Firepower. A crowd runs to Iron Man, but discover his armor is empty. Rhodes then sees a zombie Tony Stark saying he could have stopped this. It's clearly a sign. Rhodey heads to Stark's old office and suits up in the future War Machine suit. As his first corporate decision, he calls up Marcy and tells her she's fired.
Well, that's one way to answer that potential conflict of interest. Elsewhere, what appears to be Tony Stark is ascending to Heaven, but not quite.
Page 122, Full Page
Yup, looks like Tony isn't quite dead yet. He's just frozen.
I enjoyed this story. Yeah, Tony turned to be...okay? At the end, but it was neat seeing how the Marvel Universe would have reacted to the death of Tony Stark. It makes sense that it would be seen as big deal. Remember, Iron Man was one of the first superheroes of the Marvel Age. Right alongside Spider-Man, the original Avengers and X-Men, the Hulk, and the Fantastic Four. He would likely be seen as a major pillar of the superhero community, and his death would hit hard.
It was amusing to see Doctor Doom toast a dedication, though. But considering their battles over the years, I can imagine that the Latverian tin-plated tyrant would have an odd respect for Stark. What I also liked about this story is that it underlined one of Stark's most infamous flaws as a character: His tendency to take matters into his own hands and leave his friends out of things. I do wish they held out the reveal of Tony being in cryogenic suspension a bit longer, though. Let the fakeout last a bit.
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