Chapter Summaries

Tony used a miniature missile against the white hockey mask man, risking the blast in the underground facility while Yinsen took cover. The explosion destroyed the opponent, and Tony collected a piece of flesh to study later.

• Tony decided to use a miniature missile to disrupt the white hockey mask man's recovery and warned Yinsen to find cover.
• Tony hurled the mask man into a wall, locked the heat-seeking missile onto him, and launched it before fleeing toward the laboratory with Yinsen.
• The missile exploded, hurling Tony into a wall while Yinsen survived in a sheltered corner.
• Tony recovered and found that the white hockey mask man had been blown to pieces and could not regenerate.
• Tony collected a piece of the man's flesh to study later.

Tony and Yinsen escaped the underground base in Afghanistan, where they found a mysterious emblem but no way to contact the outside world. After being rescued and returning to America, Tony reunited with Pepper Potts and Obadiah Stane, who warned him that Stark Industries faced a new competitor.

• Tony and Yinsen found a mural showing a white skull and six tentacles, and Tony recorded the symbol as a possible clue to the organization behind the base.
• They emerged from the base into the Afghan desert, but signal interference prevented Tony from contacting anyone, so he buried the low-energy Mark 1 suit and continued on foot with Yinsen.
• After walking for a day and night, Tony and Yinsen saw a U.S. military helicopter sent by Colonel Rhodey and passed out after being rescued.
• Tony woke in America, ate a cheeseburger, and shared a tender moment with Pepper Potts before Obadiah Stane arrived.
• Obadiah told Tony that Stark Industries' stock had fallen after his disappearance and that a competitor had appeared.

After returning, Tony learned that War God Industries had introduced advanced Power Armor and threatened Stark Industries’ dominance in the military industry. He postponed deciding how to respond and went to visit Ethan Payne, who was recovering at the company’s medical facility.

• Tony read a report on War God Industries and reacted with shock to its Humanoid Tank Power Armor.
• Obadiah explained the armor’s capabilities and urged Tony to act before War God Industries gained more ground.
• Tony considered the threat but noted that his Iron Man suit remained more advanced and that the Power Armor could not fly.
• Tony put aside the discussion and hurried to visit Ethan Payne in the company’s medical facility.

Obadiah Stan resented Tony’s decision to help Yinsen while weighing ways to seize Stark Industries and counter War God Industries. Tony searched the Mark 1 footage for a symbol and learned that it was Hydra’s emblem.

• Obadiah Stan watched Tony leave and grew frustrated that Tony was helping a stranger while Stark Industries faced mounting pressure.
• Obadiah considered extreme methods to take control of Stark Industries and recalled his failed attempts to undermine War God Industries.
• Tony checked on Yinsen and found that he only suffered from malnutrition.
• Tony gave J.A.R.V.I.S. the Mark 1 footage and asked it to identify the symbol he had seen in the desert.
• J.A.R.V.I.S. matched the symbol to a red skull-and-tentacles emblem and identified it as Hydra.

After discovering Hydra’s emblem at the Afghanistan base, Tony concluded that White Skull was connected to Red Skull and that Hydra had returned with powerful backing. He began building the more advanced Mark 2 armor, equipped with improved shock absorption and J.A.R.V.I.S.’s combat assistance.

• Tony ordered J.A.R.V.I.S. to search historical and restricted records about Hydra and its dismantling, but found that most information had been erased.
• Tony recognized Red Skull in an old photograph and connected him to White Skull, suspecting Hydra had returned under a new guise.
• Tony feared Hydra had vast resources and might have infiltrated senior military and government circles, so he decided he could rely only on himself.
• After meeting Yinsen, Tony devoted himself to developing the Mark 2, improving its stability and maneuverability with new shock-absorption technology.
• Tony equipped the Mark 2 with J.A.R.V.I.S.’s intelligent assistance system, which analyzed combat data and provided rapid feedback and tactical advice.

Tony prepared to inspect White Skull's base in Afghanistan while Obadiah worried that Stark Industries was falling behind War God Industries in the race to develop Power Armor. When Obadiah finally visited Tony, he saw Tony wearing the Iron Man suit and mistook it for Stark Industries' Power Armor.

• Tony miniaturized Mark 2 and prepared targeted defenses against another enemy with an Immortal Body before planning to inspect White Skull's base in Afghanistan.
• Obadiah watched War God Industries' Power Armor threaten Stark Industries' position and worried that Tony had made no progress on a competing design.
• Obadiah called Tony, found his number unavailable, and decided to visit him to check on his research.
• Obadiah saw Tony wearing the Iron Man suit, mistook it for Power Armor, and praised him.

Tony showed Obadiah the Iron Man suit, while Obadiah planned to use photos of it to win Department of Defense and military support. The chapter then introduced S.H.I.E.L.D. and its director, Nick Fury, whose attention was focused on the threat posed by powered individuals.

• Tony showed Obadiah the Iron Man suit, which Obadiah mistook for another kind of Power Armor.
• Tony told Obadiah the suit was not ready for mass production and explained that he was working toward remote-controlled suits that could form an Iron Legion.
• Obadiah photographed the suit and sent the pictures to support his plan to secure military purchases and help Stark Industries recover from War God Industries.
• The chapter described S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Triskelion headquarters in Washington, D.C.
• Nick Fury stood in his office and focused on powered individuals, whom he considered potential threats to society.

Nick Fury considered the dangers posed by superpowered people and the Avengers Initiative, then turned his attention to War God Industries because its Power Armor could destabilize the world. Unable to identify the company’s mysterious boss, he decided to send an agent to investigate from within.

• Nick Fury recalled how the Barin Island tragedy strengthened his resolve to monitor superpowered individuals and eliminate those who threatened public order.
• Inspired by Carol Danvers, Nick Fury created the Avengers Initiative to organize people with special abilities into a team that could handle extraordinary crises.
• Nick Fury identified Tony Stark as a promising candidate for assessment, but the emergence of War God Industries and its Power Armor shifted his focus.
• Nick Fury worried that Power Armor could reach terrorists or smaller nations and enable devastating attacks, while its defenses made it difficult to counter safely.
• Nick Fury learned that War God Industries’ boss was a mysterious Asian man, but could not determine his nationality or uncover his background.
• Nick Fury decided to dispatch an agent to infiltrate War God Industries and investigate it secretly.

Natasha joined War God Industries undercover to investigate its mysterious president, but found an exceptionally efficient workforce and struggled to advance. After taking on a major project and working relentlessly, she earned a promotion to lead the project team, along with an even heavier workload.

• Natasha arrived at War God Industries as a secretary after the senior assistant positions were already filled by Chang Wei's avatars.
• Chang Wei recognized Natasha as Black Widow and decided to make use of her as a workhorse.
• Natasha observed the company's extraordinary efficiency and found that its employees and managers were difficult to influence or outmatch.
• Natasha reported War God Industries' unusual culture to Nick Fury, who became interested in the company.
• When a major project created urgent staffing needs, Natasha worked overtime and took on her colleagues' tasks.
• War God Industries promoted Natasha to project team leader, giving her greater responsibilities and an even heavier workload.

Tony completed Mark 2’s preparations, then flew to the Hydra base where he had been held and found it destroyed by an explosion. He searched the ruins for clues and uncovered a damaged Computer Terminal, while Natasha continued her punishing work schedule.

• Natasha worked around the clock, arriving first at the office and leaving last each day.
• Tony finished preparing Mark 2, whose upgraded systems and weapons were ready for its test flight.
• Tony flew to the Hydra base and found evidence that a massive explosion had destroyed it.
• Tony descended to the underground platform and concluded that White Skull’s Hydra group had blown up the base to destroy evidence.
• Tony searched the damaged facilities, but J.A.R.V.I.S. could not scan through the walls’ special structural coating.
• Tony found a crack in the rubble and uncovered part of an old, badly damaged Computer Terminal.

Tony uncovered Hydra’s Immortal Demon Warrior Program in the underground base and realized its hidden soldiers could pose a serious threat. He returned home determined to accelerate mass production of the Iron Man suit, while Obadiah Stan showed Tony’s armor designs to Department of Defense officials.

• Tony revived the Computer Terminal and discovered that the underground base had extensive facilities and had supported Hydra research projects.
• Tony recovered a damaged file revealing Hydra’s plan to create an army of Immortal Demon Warriors from dead or living people.
• Tony recalled his battle with an Immortal Warrior and vowed to stop Hydra, but found no technical details that would let him develop a countermeasure.
• Tony returned home with the collected data and decided that mass-producing the Iron Man suit could not wait.
• Obadiah Stan presented photographs of Tony’s Iron Man suit to senior Department of Defense officials and praised Tony’s genius.

Obadiah pitched Stark Industries’ Power Armor to Lieutenant General Hogge Alwen and promised that mass production would begin soon, despite knowing Tony Stark was struggling to scale production. After S.H.I.E.L.D. learned of the deal, Nick Fury decided the agency needed Power Armor of its own.

• Obadiah described Stark Industries’ Power Armor as a flexible, intelligent suit that could improve soldiers’ protection, mobility, and combat ability.
• Lieutenant General Hogge Alwen warned Obadiah that the military required reliable equipment, not merely advanced concepts.
• Obadiah assured the general that Stark Industries was preparing for mass production and would conduct rigorous tests, training, and support.
• Obadiah privately planned to conceal production delays with excuses if Stark Industries could not deliver on time.
• S.H.I.E.L.D. learned about the negotiations, and Nick Fury worried that Power Armor troops could overwhelm the Avengers he planned to form.
• Nick Fury concluded that S.H.I.E.L.D. needed its own Power Armor.

Nick Fury and Alexander Pierce discussed the threat posed by War God Industries’ Power Armor and agreed that S.H.I.E.L.D. needed to obtain armor of its own. Pierce said he had secured the World Security Council’s support, leaving Fury eager to pursue funding.

• Nick Fury worried that War God Industries might sell Power Armor to dangerous buyers around the world.
• Alexander Pierce visited Fury, and the two exchanged drinks and discussed the need to investigate War God Industries.
• Fury said he had sent elite agents to gather intelligence on the company.
• Pierce told Fury that S.H.I.E.L.D. needed Power Armor to maintain its operational strength.
• Pierce said he had convinced the Security Council to support the effort.

Chang Wei prioritized S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Power Armor order as part of a scheme involving White Skull. Meanwhile, Tony Stark confronted Obadiah Stan and revealed that Stark Industries had no mass-producible Power Armor and that he planned to shut down its weapons division.

• Chang Wei reviewed the CIA and FBI orders, recognized them as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s cover, and chose to fulfill S.H.I.E.L.D.'s hundred-set order first for its early-delivery bonuses.
• Chang Wei viewed the Power Armor sales as groundwork for White Skull and intended to stir things up.
• Tony Stark confronted Obadiah Stan for signing a Department of Defense contract without his approval and questioned how Stark Industries could deliver nonexistent Power Armor.
• Obadiah Stan defended the contract and expected Tony to solve mass production, but Tony declared that the suit was only an emergency prototype and announced he would shut down the weapons division.

Tony Stark decided to end Stark Industries’ weapons business and shift the company toward new energy, unaware that Obadiah secretly planned to seize his Power Armor. After the board impeached Tony and made Obadiah CEO, Tony resolved to prove his plan with the Arc Reactor.

• Tony told Obadiah he intended to shut down the weapons division and transform Stark Industries, and Obadiah pretended to support him.
• Obadiah secretly planned to take Tony’s Power Armor prototype and use it to advance mass production.
• Pepper told Tony that the board had impeached him and appointed Obadiah CEO, while J.A.R.V.I.S. confirmed that the meeting records had been disabled.
• Tony reassured Pepper that he could reverse the situation and objected when she said she might work for War God Industries.
• Tony declared that the Arc Reactor would prove the value of new energy, though he recognized that old energy companies would try to block it.

Obadiah moved to secure Tony Stark’s Power Armor prototype and silence the threat to his plans. Pepper Potts uncovered evidence of Obadiah’s betrayal, but Obadiah cut off communications and paralyzed Tony at his villa, where he reached for Tony’s Ark Reactor.

• Obadiah prepared his Neural Paralysis Device and resolved to obtain Tony’s Power Armor prototype.
• Tony asked Pepper Potts to use a Trojan program to find and destroy Stark Industries’ unauthorized weapons sales records.
• Pepper Potts found a video showing Obadiah urging Raza to kill Tony, then downloaded the video and weapons sales records as evidence.
• Obadiah discovered the downloads, shut down signals in the building, and sent his men to stop Pepper Potts and recover the evidence.
• Obadiah entered Tony’s villa without J.A.R.V.I.S. raising an alarm and used the device to paralyze Tony.
• Obadiah showed Tony the Neural Paralysis Device and touched the Ark Reactor in Tony’s chest with a precision tool kit.

Obadiah stole Tony’s Ark Reactors and Iron Man suits, leaving him to die, but Tony recovered when another reactor appeared. He found his hidden basement filled with mass-produced Mark 2 Legion units and prepared to fight back.

• Obadiah praised Tony’s miniature Ark Reactor, took it, and ordered his men to carry away Tony’s Iron Man suits.
• Obadiah left Tony paralyzed and planned to fake his death as a heart attack.
• Tony began dying as shrapnel moved toward his heart, but another Ark Reactor appeared before him.
• Tony installed the reactor and regained his strength, then rushed after Obadiah.
• Tony discovered the Mark 2 Prototype and Mark 2 Final Version were gone, but found rows of Mark 2 Legion units in a hidden basement.

Tony put on a gray-black Mark 2 and flew out with two more suits while Obadiah used Tony’s gold-and-red armor to attack S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Chang Wei agreed to send Power Armor, and as Obadiah held Pepper, a bullet struck his joint and dropped her to the ground.

• Tony activated a gray-black Mark 2 and sent two other suits after him.
• Pepper gave Coulson evidence against Obadiah, and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents moved to arrest him.
• Obadiah put on Tony’s gold-and-red Mark 2, broke through the agents, and captured Pepper while Coulson fell to the ground.
• Coulson called Nick Fury for help, and Fury contacted War God Industries to request Power Armor.
• Chang Wei agreed to provide Power Armor, then a bullet struck Obadiah’s joint and Pepper fell to the ground.

War God Industries' Power Armor squad overwhelmed Obadiah's Iron Man suit and stopped Tony Stark from taking control of the confrontation. Tony reached Pepper Potts and acknowledged that he already knew about Obadiah.

• Obadiah attacked Pepper Potts, but ten War God Industries Power Armor units arrived and protected her.
• The squad used coordinated gunfire and sniper shots to keep Obadiah off balance and prevent him from flying, waking Coulson and prompting him to livestream the fight.
• Tony Stark arrived and landed when the Power Armor units trained their guns on him, then identified himself.
• Tony asked the squad to leave the Stark Industries matter to him, but the Captain of Black Squad refused to back down from his orders.
• Tony went to Pepper, who tried to tell him about Obadiah, but he said he already knew as Obadiah launched anti-tank missiles.

Obadiah was captured with specialized metal nets, but a dispute arose over who would take custody of him. After orders from the Department of Defense and the military arrived, the black squad returned Obadiah to Tony.

• The Super Soldier Power Armors trapped Obadiah in his Iron Man suit with contracting metal nets, and Tony asked J.A.R.V.I.S. to record the tactic.
• Coulson prepared to take control of the scene, but a War God Industries truck arrived to transport Obadiah.
• Tony objected to the black squad taking Obadiah, while Coulson presented his S.H.I.E.L.D. identification and was rebuffed by the squad captain.
• Tony held back after J.A.R.V.I.S. warned that intervening could provoke a conflict and endanger Pepper and Coulson.
• Orders from the Department of Defense and the military arrived, and the captain returned Obadiah to Tony before ordering his squad to pack up.