Delurking for a question

[freakydarling.livejournal.com]

So I've mostly just been passively observing, but now I have a question that I need help with for something I'm working on. I've read a LOT of comics, but a lot of them were read back when I was woefully unaware of Iron Man/Captain America being such a completely logical and awesome pair... I wasn't really paying attention. I'm starting from the absolute beginning again, but I'd rather not wade through decades of the stuff to find out...

Has anyone ever seriously risked their life for Tony? Obviously I'm most interested in Steve but really anyone...

Tony is constantly risking his life in extreme, very near-death kinds of ways. Obvious examples are the Red Zone and the Blond!Tony incident where he blew out his heart with his gauntlets to save Steve. But there are many cases over years...

I know that Cap has SAID he'd put his life on the line for Iron Man in the past (good old Pink Superstar shirt scene) and there's all that carrying drunken Tony out of a burning building business, among other incidents. But burning buildings are sort of mediocre for Avengers, and I'm not counting that as a hardcore Tony-level risk of life.

Anything? There must be something. It seems incredibly sad to think that there isn't at least one, given the circumstances.

Thank you!

Comments

[mardahin.livejournal.com]

Awesome question, and one I'd really like to know the answer to, too!!

Ho Yinsen

[helva2260.livejournal.com]

The only one I can think of is during Tony's initial abduction and injury, when Yinsen died buying time for Tony to get the Mark I armour up and running.

...Small wonder Tony's got such a huge PTSD/survivor's guilt complex.

No, wait, do I vaguely remember something about Happy Hogan getting kidnapped and/or tortured for information about Iron Man, back when he was one of the few who knew? Help? Anyone?

Re: Ho Yinsen

[freakydarling.livejournal.com]

Ooh I'll have to watch for the Happy Hogan thing. I'm still at the "no one knows" stage in rereading. THANKS! And the funny thing is I SOMEHOW completely forgot about Yinsen. Poor Yinsen.

Re: Ho Yinsen

[elspethdixon.livejournal.com]

Tales of Suspense, issues 84-86. The Mandarin attempts to kidnap Iron Man via a teleportation device and gets Happy instead (Tony was hospitalized after a nearly dying of a heart attack, and Happy decided to put on the armor and go fly around in it to put paid to some of those persistant "Iron Man is actually Tony Stark" rumors, reasoning that since everyone knew Tony was flat on his back in the hospital, a couple of sightings of Iron Man right then would convince people that it couldn't possibly be him). Happy pretends to be Iron Man once captured, refusing to sell Tony out even though the Mandarin is melodramtically pontificating about how he's going to kill him (then Tony checks himself out of the hospital, builds a replacement suit of armor -- since Happy's got the regular suit -- and comes to rescue him).

Happy getting kidnapped is probably balanced out by Tony dragging himself out of a hospital bed and going off to fight the Mandarin when he can barely stand, though.

Happy also nearly dies saving Tony's life in a battle with Titanium Man in Tales of Suspense #70.

Happy seems to think of it as his job to look afer Tony -- he initially got hired as Tony's chauffer after pulling him out of a burning race car after pre-Vietqhanistan Tony had crashed it.

[johanirae.livejournal.com]

*thinks thinks thinks*
... Man, I can only think of one random SHIELD agent during the haunted arc, but that barely counts O_o.

[freakydarling.livejournal.com]

Hey that's someone! Man this is kind of depressing though. I did find Rhodey SAYING he would die for Tony, though, so that's something.

[elspethdixon.livejournal.com]

Has anyone ever seriously risked their life for Tony?

In Tales of Suspense #70, Happy Hogan ran into the middle of a battle with Titanium Man to bring Tony a piece of circuitry he needed in order to keep his chestplate from giving out (Tales of Suspense!chestplate = movie!arc reactor). He got zapped by one of Titanium Man's weapons in the process and nearly died.

Happy also pulled Tony out of a crashed and burning car back in Tony's pre-Iron Man days -- it's how they met, and How Happy got his job (Tony hired him on the spot).

That's the only one that immediately comes to mind, though. Tony generally beats people to the punch when it comes to the risking-one's-life game: he's out there trying to get himself killed for them before they even get a chance to try and protect or save him.

*uses carrying-Tony-out-of-a-burning-building icon anyway*

[freakydarling.livejournal.com]

brilliant! those are both exactly what I was looking for... and even an issue number so I can actually go read it right now! I read Tales of Suspense very piecemeal and skipped around, I obviously missed that! Thanks!!!

I love Tony's hiring practices. People show up to correct his math, save him from a car crash, help him escape a Vietnamese prison camp... he gives them jobs :)

Anyway, one should flash the Romance Novel Cap-carrying-Tony image whenever possible for whatever reason... they should make greeting cards of that picture!

[pandanoai.livejournal.com]

i forget who said it, i think it was elspeth... tony is a fundamentally lonely person who really wants to connect with people. if he likes someone he either flirts with them or offers them a job.