Chapter Summaries

Mark rescued Banner from the military and sheltered him aboard the spaceship, but Banner was later placed on the Federation's wanted list while Payne Aerospace was ordered to compensate the agents' families. To uncover who targeted the company, Mark sent Jasper Barnes to infiltrate the Federal Security Bureau, and Alice began accessing its internal network.

• Mark escaped with Hulk before General Ross's helicopters arrived, and Hulk later reverted to Banner aboard the spaceship.
• Mark sheltered Banner on the ship, where Banner studied Kree technology while Mark returned to the Space Station.
• The Federal Court found Payne Aerospace not criminally liable but ordered it to pay the agents' families fifty million dollars, and Banner was placed on the Federation's wanted list.
• Mark ordered Alice to investigate who had targeted Payne Aerospace, and she selected Jasper Barnes for an infiltration mission.
• Jasper entered Federal Security Bureau headquarters in broad daylight and connected a network adapter to its internal network.
• Alice detected Jasper's connection and began searching the bureau's network for whoever had ordered the case against Payne Aerospace.

Mark and Alice uncovered and eliminated Halls, the mastermind behind the attempt to seize Payne Aerospace’s spacecraft, but the government continued secretly monitoring the company. When Tony announced he was traveling to Afghanistan to demonstrate the Jericho Missile, Mark called to persuade him to cancel, but Tony dismissed the danger.

• Alice discovered that Halls had orchestrated the operation against Payne Aerospace and planned to steal the spacecraft’s alien technology, while Preston served as his scapegoat.
• Mark ordered Alice to monitor Halls and Preston, and she caused both men to die in staged traffic accidents and erased evidence of her involvement.
• Federal agencies investigated the deaths, searched Payne Aerospace, and secretly surveilled Freeman until the agents withdrew three months later.
• Alice told Mark that Tony was traveling to Afghanistan to demonstrate the Jericho Missile, and Mark called Tony to warn him about the danger.
• Tony told Mark that the military would escort him and brushed off his concerns.

The Ancient One stopped Mark from warning Tony about his fated trip to Afghanistan, and three days passed during their encounter. Mark learned that Tony had disappeared after a terrorist attack, while Pepper prepared to offer a reward for his safe return and Obadiah arrived at the CEO's office.

• The Ancient One froze time and told Mark that Tony had to go to Afghanistan and endure his destined trial to become Iron Man.
• The Ancient One vanished, and Mark discovered that three days had passed and Tony had already gone missing.
• Mark watched reports that Tony had been attacked after demonstrating the Jericho Missile and that Stark Industries' stock had plunged.
• Pepper asked Happy for news, then offered a two-hundred-million-dollar reward for anyone who brought Tony back safely.
• Obadiah entered the CEO's office and expressed false-sounding sympathy over Tony's trouble in Afghanistan.

Pepper refused Obadiah's attempt to take control of Stark Industries and funded a search for Tony, while Mark failed to locate him in Afghanistan. Nearly three months later, Tony remained missing, and Pepper's hope was fading as both the military and Happy's team came up empty.

• Pepper refused to hand over her administrative authority to Obadiah and suspected he might be involved in Tony's disappearance.
• Pepper transferred two hundred million dollars to Happy so he could hire mercenaries to search Afghanistan for Tony.
• Mark searched Kunar Province three times but found no trace of Tony, then returned to the Space Station and planned to search again in three months.
• As Stark Industries' stock fell, Obadiah repeatedly tried to take power from Pepper, while the shareholders increasingly backed him.
• Nearly three months later, Rhodey told Pepper that the military had found no trace of Tony and might end its search; Happy's mercenaries had no leads either.

Mark arrived at the Ten Rings’ cave in Afghanistan just as Tony’s escape attempt was about to fail. Mark killed most of the attackers, while Raza survived and opened fire on him.

• Tony secretly built a crude armored suit while imprisoned and, with Yinsen’s help, put it on and began the final activation program.
• After Raza noticed suspicious activity, two Ten Rings members tried to enter the workshop, but Tony’s homemade bomb killed them and destroyed the door.
• Raza led dozens of armed men toward the workshop, and Yinsen grabbed a rifle to hold them off while Tony’s armor activation continued.
• Raza threw a grenade at Yinsen, knocking him unconscious, and ordered one of his men to finish him off.
• Mark arrived, used Heat Vision to vaporize many Ten Rings members, and walked toward the cave as Raza took cover and fired at him.

Mark rescued Tony Stark and Yinsen from the Ten Rings by entering their cave, where Tony used his improvised Mecha to kill Zala and his men. Mark then protected Tony and Yinsen from the gunfire outside, eliminated the remaining terrorists, and flew them toward a U.S. military base for Yinsen’s treatment.

• Mark entered the cave, stopped bullets with his Biological Force Field, and treated the unconscious Yinsen while Tony started his Mecha.
• Zala ordered his men to seize Tony, but Tony emerged in the Mecha and attacked them with its steel arms and flamethrowers.
• Zala fled toward the exit, where Mark kicked him back to Tony, who crushed him with the Mecha.
• Mark helped Tony and Yinsen leave the cave, and Tony was delighted to find Yinsen alive.
• When the Ten Rings members outside opened fire, Mark shielded the three of them and vaporized the attackers with Heat Vision.
• Mark lifted Tony and Yinsen into the air and headed for the nearest U.S. military base so Yinsen could receive treatment.

Mark brought Tony Stark and the injured Yinsen to a U.S. military base, and Tony returned to the United States to a public welcome. Back home, Tony remained suspicious of Obadiah but kept quiet and asked Pepper to arrange a press conference.

• Mark arrived at the military base with Tony in his Mecha and Yinsen, and Rhodey welcomed Tony while arranging medical care for Yinsen.
• News spread that Superman had rescued Tony, and Pepper learned from Rhodey that Tony was alive.
• Obadiah discovered Tony had survived, raged over the news, then agreed to meet him at the airport.
• Tony returned to the United States and reunited with Pepper and Obadiah, while privately suspecting Obadiah had been involved in the attack.
• Tony refused Pepper's offer to take him to the hospital and asked her to call a press conference.

Mark watched Tony announce the closure of Stark Industries’ weapons division and ordered Payne Group to buy Stark shares as their price plunged. He then helped Tony replace his Arc Reactor and learned the technology behind it before leaving Stark Tower.

• Tony announced that Stark Industries would permanently close its weapons division, but Obadiah hurried him offstage and told reporters he had been joking.
• Stark Industries’ share price plunged, so Mark ordered Talia to use Payne Group’s available funds to buy shares at the lowest point.
• Tony called Mark to Stark Tower, where Pepper explained that Tony needed help replacing the Arc Reactor in his chest.
• Mark replaced Tony’s Arc Reactor while Tony explained how the technology worked and why he trusted Mark with its secrets.
• Mark thanked Tony, promised to use the Arc Reactor technology only for himself, and left Stark Tower.

Tony built and tested increasingly advanced suits of armor, then learned that Obadiah had continued selling Stark Industries weapons in the Middle East. Tony flew to Afghanistan and arrived in Linwal Town as militants terrorized its residents.

• Pepper kept Tony's old Arc Reactor as a display piece while Tony began building a second-generation suit.
• Obadiah retrieved Tony's first suit from the military and ordered an engineer to replicate it, planning to obtain its power source himself.
• Mark built Arc Reactors and installed them in the Space Station, the Alien Spaceship, and Payne Manor as Talia's team acquired a 5% stake in Stark Industries.
• Tony tested his second-generation suit, upgraded it after it iced over at high altitude, and began completing a third-generation suit.
• Tony discovered that Obadiah had kept Stark Industries weapons flowing to the Middle East and flew to Afghanistan to confront the crisis.
• Tony landed in Linwal Town as militants threatened a boy and his sister.

Tony destroyed terrorist groups in Afghanistan, but U.S. fighter jets damaged his armor and footage of him became public, earning him the name Iron Man. Back at Stark Tower, he asked Pepper to retrieve evidence of Obadiah’s weapons shipments while Obadiah prepared to steal Tony’s Arc Reactor.

• Tony used his armor to kill the terrorists holding civilians and then flew across Afghanistan to destroy their bases.
• A U.S. base sent F-22 jets after Tony, and he escaped their missiles with his armor badly damaged.
• The U.S. Military released footage of Tony’s battles, and the media named the mysterious armored pilot Iron Man.
• Tony asked Pepper to copy the weapons shipment records from Obadiah’s computer, and she agreed to help.
• Obadiah examined the armor built from Tony’s discarded First-Generation Armor and decided to take Tony’s Arc Reactor.
• Obadiah secretly took an Electromagnetic Pulse Device and headed to Tony’s penthouse.

Mark monitored Obadiah as he entered Tony’s residence, but Tony hesitated to confront him and let him leave with the old Arc Reactor. After Pepper uncovered evidence linking Obadiah to Tony’s Afghanistan kidnapping, Tony sent the evidence to Coulson, who headed for Obadiah’s secret base.

• Mark warned Tony that Obadiah was entering his residence with a weapon, and Tony suited up in the Armor Warehouse.
• Obadiah searched Tony’s home, found the first-generation Arc Reactor, and took it; Tony removed his Mecha and let him leave because he lacked proof of Obadiah’s crimes.
• Tony revoked Obadiah’s access and tracked him with JARVIS to the Underground Research Base in Sector 16.
• Pepper told Tony that Obadiah had smuggled weapons and contacted the terrorists behind Tony’s kidnapping in Afghanistan.
• Tony directed Pepper to give the evidence to Coulson and told him where Obadiah was hiding.
• Coulson confirmed that the evidence implicated Obadiah in the attack on Tony and drove with his agents to the base.

Tony realized Obadiah had built the Iron Monger armor and flew to the Underground Research Base to help Coulson and his agents. After rescuing them from Obadiah, Tony fought Iron Monger on a public road, where the battle continued.

• Coulson found Tony's First-Generation Armor at the Underground Research Base and sent photos to Nick Fury and Tony.
• Tony recognized that Obadiah had copied his armor, then flew to the base to protect Coulson and the agents.
• Nick Fury identified Tony as Iron Man and ordered Coulson to try to recruit him for the Avengers.
• Obadiah attacked Coulson and the agents in the Iron Monger armor, and they fled the base as Tony arrived.
• Obadiah knocked Tony aside, then lifted a car with a family inside; Tony blasted Iron Monger with his Unibeam and caught the car.
• Tony dodged Iron Monger's attacks on the road as bystanders watched.

Mark rescued Tony from Obadiah’s Iron Monger and stopped Obadiah without killing him. After Tony chose to spare Obadiah, Mark refused Coulson’s invitation to join the Avengers and flew away.

• Tony lured Obadiah’s Iron Monger to high altitude, where it froze and crashed, but Obadiah soon trapped Tony in its grip.
• Mark descended and kicked Iron Monger away, freeing Tony, then used Heat Vision to disable the mecha and severely injure Obadiah.
• Tony stopped Mark from killing Obadiah, saying he had evidence to send him to prison, and Mark agreed to leave Obadiah alive.
• Coulson asked Mark to join the Avengers, but Mark refused and flew away.
• Coulson arrested Obadiah as the police arrived, while Tony left the scene in his armor.

After the battle outside Stark Tower, Tony Stark abandoned his prepared statement and publicly revealed that he was Iron Man. Later, Obadiah gave Tony his shares as compensation, but Tony refused them and decided to transfer them to Mark.

• New Yorkers demanded answers about the battle, and Stark Industries held a press conference three days later.
• When a reporter questioned his explanation, Tony discarded his script and announced that he was Iron Man.
• Tony's revelation made headlines, improved public opinion of him, and sent Stark Industries stock soaring.
• The Federal Supreme Court sentenced Obadiah to multiple life terms without parole for his crimes.
• After visiting Obadiah in prison, Tony refused his eighteen-percent stake and contacted Mark to transfer the shares to him as thanks for saving his life.

Mark received Obadiah’s eighteen percent of Stark Industries from Tony as repayment for saving his life, making Mark the company’s second-largest shareholder. As Tony’s fame as Iron Man grew, Hydra pushed the Air Force and Congress to seize his armor technology, and Rhodey warned Tony about the plan.

• Mark asked Rosalie to travel to New York and represent him in the share transfer after Tony offered him Obadiah’s eighteen percent stake.
• Rosalie and Tony signed the transfer agreement, bringing Mark’s holdings in Stark Industries to twenty-three percent and sparking public speculation about his parentage.
• Tony publicly operated as Iron Man and gained widespread attention by flying over New York and rescuing people.
• Alexander Pierce ordered Owen to persuade Congress and the military to force Tony to hand over his armor technology, and Owen recruited Senator Stern and Air Force Secretary Declan.
• Declan ordered Rhodey to join the effort, but Rhodey struggled with the order and warned Tony, who told him not to worry because he would handle it.

Tony defeated the Senate’s attempt to seize his Iron Man technology, but Ivan Vanko prepared to take revenge on him. After learning that the palladium in his blood would eventually kill him, Tony handed Stark Industries to Pepper.

• Tony refuted Stern and Declan at the Senate hearing, while Rhodey read the full military report and JARVIS exposed the military’s attempt to copy the Iron Man suit with Justin Hammer.
• The senators applauded Tony after the televised hearing, and Mark recognized that the scrutiny of Tony’s suit would continue.
• Ivan Vanko watched the hearing, activated his Whiplash exoskeleton and electric whips, and smashed the television as he prepared to confront Tony.
• Tony returned to New York and learned from JARVIS that his blood was 24% palladium and that he had at most a year to live.
• Tony summoned Pepper and made her CEO and chairman of Stark Industries.

Tony appointed Pepper as CEO and made Mark Payne the trustee of his assets, believing his palladium poisoning was fatal. Mark showed Tony a model for a new element, and JARVIS confirmed it could replace palladium, leaving Tony eager to build a particle accelerator while Nick Fury continued pursuing him for the Avengers.

• Tony told Pepper he would make her CEO, then summoned Mark and two lawyers to Stark Tower.
• Tony signed a trust agreement naming Mark Payne as trustee in case of his death or loss of legal capacity.
• Mark sketched a new element’s electron configuration and told Tony that it could replace palladium.
• JARVIS confirmed the new element was non-toxic, radiation-free, and more powerful than palladium, renewing Tony’s hope of survival.
• Tony asked Pepper to arrange for a large particle accelerator, and Mark left Stark Tower.
• Nick Fury asked Coulson whether Tony Stark was willing to join the Avengers.

After Tony refused to join the Avengers Initiative, Nick Fury sent Natasha undercover at Stark Industries to get close to him. At the Monaco race, Ivan attacked Tony with his Whiplash Exoskeleton, leaving Tony trapped beneath his wrecked car as Happy, Pepper, and Natasha rushed to help.

• Nick Fury ordered Natasha to infiltrate Stark Industries and persuade Tony to join the Avengers Initiative, so she became his legal assistant.
• Tony took Pepper, Natasha, Happy, and others to Monaco, then decided to drive in Stark Industries' sponsored race.
• Ivan disguised himself as track staff, revealed his Whiplash Exoskeleton, and cut Tony's race car in half with an Electric Whip.
• Pepper urged Happy to rescue Tony, and Natasha joined them as Happy drove toward the crash with Tony's MARK-5 portable Mecha in the car.
• Ivan destroyed two more race cars and advanced toward Tony, while Justin Hammer became interested in acquiring Ivan's exoskeleton.

Mark learned that Ivan Vanko had attacked Tony at the Monaco Grand Prix, where Tony and Natasha subdued Ivan. After discovering Ivan’s connection to the Arc Reactor and hearing that palladium was poisoning him, Tony remained confident that Mark’s New Element would provide a cure.

• Alice warned Mark that Tony was in trouble after Ivan attacked him at the Formula One circuit.
• Happy, Pepper, and Natasha helped Tony evade Ivan until Tony put on his Mecha and defeated Ivan by removing his Power Core.
• Tony asked JARVIS to investigate Natasha Rushman and learned that her identity was fabricated, though JARVIS could not find her real information.
• Tony examined Ivan’s Power Core and found that it used the same principles as his Arc Reactor.
• Tony met Ivan in prison and learned that Ivan’s father, Anton Vanko, had collaborated with Howard Stark on the Arc Reactor before Howard drove him away.
• Ivan told Tony that palladium poisoning would kill him, but Tony was untroubled because Mark had given him the New Element’s electron configuration.

After Ivan escaped prison and joined forces with Justin Hammer, Tony refused Congress’s demand to surrender his armor. Rhodey persuaded Commander Blake to delay the National Guard’s seizure so he could try to convince Tony to cooperate.

• Justin Hammer arranged Ivan’s escape from prison and recruited him to work against Tony.
• Tony returned to New York, where JARVIS discovered that Anton had been a spy, the real reason Howard had driven him away.
• Rhodey warned Tony that Congress would send the National Guard to seize his armor, but Tony refused to hand it over or ask Mr. Superman for help.
• Tony ignored Commander Blake’s ultimatum and held his birthday party at his estate while National Guard vehicles prepared to deploy.
• Rhodey convinced Blake to delay the operation for twenty-four hours and drove to Tony’s party to persuade him.