Masters of Silence

Origin

The Masters of Silence are a group of high-tech assassins that honor the way of the samurai and are hired by the CEO of Akane Fusion named Rei Takahashi to eliminate Tony Stark. Mr Takahashi's company is in financial ruins because of faulty safety valves they purchased from Stark Enterprises. He calls Mr Stark a dishonorable business man for selling substandard equipment and hires the Masters of Silence to exact vengeance for his treachery. The three members Inazuma (Lightning), Kaze (Wind) and Kaminari (Thunder) find Tony Stark without honor and deserving of death.

Tony Stark is staying at the Stark Enterprises Medical Facility severely incapacitated because his armor life-support malfunctioned. He is wearing a remote armor interface that is linked to his nervous system that allows him to control his Iron Man suit from his bed. The Masters of Silence infiltrate the medical facility with their psychic invisibility skills allowing them to cloak. They engage the Iron Man suit and manage to destroy it but realize it was empty. They enter Tony Stark’s medical room and attack him but realize it was a hologram. Tony Stark set a bomb trap that went off allowing him to escape so he can reach his manufacturing lab. He builds the War Machine armor to prepare for the Masters of Silence. The Masters of Silence find Tony Stark entering his facilities when they attack him and his guards. Once they enter the building they realize they are inside a holochamber and that Tony Stark was a LMD- Life Model Decoy.  They engage the real Tony Stark inside his War Machine armor. During the fight Jim Rhodes contacts Nick Fury and asks him to provide any information regarding Stark Enterprises and their business partners. Rhodes realizes that the Masters of Silence are damaging the War Machine armor and provides a distraction. He creates giant images of robotic droids to back up Tony Stark. Rhodes then tells the Masters of Silence that Tony Stark was framed and that they have been deceived. The Masters of Silence are ashamed for nearly killing an innocent man. Tony Stark offers them to repay that debt of honor by striking back at those that deceived them. The Masters of Silence agree to fight with Tony Stark and strike back against Justin Hammer.

The Masters of Silence and War Machine attack Justin Hammer’s artificial island complex. Hammer’s defenses are concentrated on War Machine while the Masters of Silence provide stealth back up with their cloaking abilities. Hammer even employs the Mandroids to stop War Machine but that fails. Hammer tries to escape but is confronted by the Masters of Silence and War Machine. The group enters Hammer’s office and wants an explanation how Stane International got involved in this mess. Hammer says he owns Stane International after Obadiah’s passing. War Machine then tells Hammer he needs to exonerate Tony Stark from defrauding Akane Fusion and to sell his portfolio of Stane International holdings to Stark Enterprises for the sum of one dollar or deal with the Masters of Silence. Hammer agrees to the terms and the Masters of Silence restore their honor. 

Creation

The Masters of Silence was created by Len Kaminski and Kevin Hopgood in 1992 and first appeared in Iron Man # 281.

Story Arcs

The Masters of Silence would reunite with Iron Man to battle a demon called the Face Thief. This demon escapes its confinement in a piece of art and kills a wealthy industrialist named Creighton McCall. Tony Stark and the Masters of Silence realize that the Face Thief took the identity of Creighton McCall and his daughter  Meredith McCall was in danger. The Face Thief would reveal its true form to Meredith after she scratches her father's face. Kaze would enter the room and battle the Face Thief. Kaze is gravely wounded when the demon slashes his neck with a sword. Meredith manages to escape when Iron Man and the rest of the Masters of Silence come to battle the Face Thief. Meredith would see some guards laid out in the hallway and takes some firearms. Meredith enters the fight and sprays the demon with bullets. Inazuma admires Meredith for her bravery and fighting spirit. Iron Man would blast the Face Thief with everything he had on max output causing significant damage. The Face Thief is badly hurt and escapes. Kaze would pass the warrior spirit within him to Meredith McCall as she volunteered to walk the path of vengeance with the Masters of Silence.