Iron Man #12

The Iron Man armor is killing Tony Stark! Tony’s staff sends him to the Basel Stress Clinic…and the consequences are dangerous.

While being held up by War Machine, Tony thinks of the first War Machine, namely Rhodey. Rhodey had fought valiantly as War Machine, eventually returning and joining the West Coast Avengers. Then he was pulled into a time stream. He returned with a new armor, the Eidolon Warwear. That armor was lost too and War Machine eventually retired. Tony thinks who this new War Machine might be.

As War Machine gets distracted by Warbird, Tony knocks him off balance with his repulsors. Warbird seizes the chance to launch her attack. But War Machine is more powerful than her and blasts the buildings around her to hell. Tony tries to attack, but War Machine blocks him. Warbird doesn’t listen to Tony and attacks War Machine herself.

But War Machine is really there for another reason. As ordered by Sunset Bain, he is there to destroy Astrodyne Systems for her gain. She is angry that tony ignored her requests for another smaller company. She directs War Machine to be a little extra destructive. War Machine obeys.

As War Machine targets the main building, Iron Man saves the inmates. Suddenly Tony hits upon a plan. He requests Warbird to hold off War Machine for a little while, and flies away. WarBird calls him cowardly. War Machine takes the chance to hurt her.

Tony flies back to his estate. He ignores requests from Dr. Forster to stay put, saying that Warbird needs him. Meanwhile, Happy goes to answer the door and finds a lady named Hannah Donleavy waiting to meet Tony. Happy says that Tony is busy, and she says that its always the case. Anyway, she’s thankful to Tony for funding her institution. She recognizes Happy from his boxing shows and asks him to come down and greet the kids of her institution.

Iron Man flies back to the battle, only to find War Machine almost choking Warbird. He rams him and fits a negator on the War Machine armor. But what he expects doesn’t happen. War Machine rips off the device and slams Iron Man into the ground. Then he flies away.

Tony tries to chase him, but doesn’t get far. He stalls in mid air and starts falling, but Warbird catches him and takes him to his home. Then she goes away. Pepper, Happy and Dr. Foster tend to him.

The next morning, Sunset Bain calls Tony. She drops enough hints to assure him that she was behind the Astrodyne massacre. Tony starts readying himself, but he tumbles to the ground with his armor. Dr. Foster comes forward and puts him online with Dr Hank Pym a.k.a. Antman. Hank tells him that his armor is causing extensive damage to his body tissues and retarding their growth. Tony must never wear the armor again.

That night, as Tony sits outside in the wind, Warbird comes down to greet him. She says that Pepper told her where she could find him. He says that he is being sent away to a clinic for rehabilitation. Warbird says that she’s sorry for treating him badly, when he was trying to help her. She promises to buy Tony dinner and flies away.

The next day, when Tony and Happy arrive at the Basel clinic, a certain doctor gets interested. He shows a transformation, a transformation into The Controller.