INVADERS #36

"CRUSHED BY THE IRON CROSS!"
Writer/Editor: Roy Thomas | Illustrators: Alan Kupperberg & Chic Stone
Letterer: Joe Rosen | Colorist: Carl Gafford | Consulting Editor: Jim Shooter

The Plot: The Liberty Legion confronts Iron Cross, who holds Miss America captive. Iron Cross easily defeats the team and then has his henchmen load them into a truck, along with his prisoner, Professor Schneider. Meanwhile, Whizzer, Captain America, the Human Torch, and Namor spot a train in trouble and stop to aid it. By the time they arrive at the site of the Liberty Legion's battle with Iron Cross, all participants are gone. But Namor is able to use Miss America's still-active distress signal to trace her location.

Meanwhile, Iron Cross and all his prisoners are aboard a German submarine, where Schneider deduces Iron Cross's true identity as his childhood friend, Helmut Gruler. Gruler threatens to kill the Liberty Legion if Schneider doesn't aid him in upgrading his armor, which Schneider himself had originally created. But at that moment, Namor's flagship arrives, and the Sub-Mariner disembarks to attack the U-boat. He battles Iron Cross underwater, and the submarine suffers collatoral damage. But in addition to the sub springing a leak, the impact also awakens and frees the Liberty Legionnaires. The group subdues Iron Cross's henchmen, while Cross himself boards the ship and grabs Schneider.

Iron Cross flees to the surface with Schneider, leaving Namor behind to deal with the sinking submarine and trapped Legionnaires.

IRON MAN #118

"AT THE MERCY OF MY FOES FRIENDS!"
Script/Plot: David Michelinie | Finished Art/Plot: Bob Layton
Pencil Art: John Byrne | Letters: Irv Watanabe | Colors: Glynis Wein
Editor: Roger Stern | Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

The Plot: After repairing his armor following the previous night's encounter with Spymaster, Tony Stark travels to the SHIELD Helicarrier to attend the NATO/SHIELD defense symposium, and -- having discovered that Spymaster was armed with SHIELD weaponry -- to investigate SHIELD's involvement in Spymaster's attacks.

Aboard the Helicarrier, Tony slips away from his escort and begins to hack SHIELD's computers. This spurs the renegade agents who had hired Spymaster to go after Stark themselves. They flood the Helicarrier with gas, knocking everyone out, then toss Tony out of the craft. Coming around as he plummets earthward, Tony dons his armor and returns to the Helicarrier. He takes out most of the rogue agents, but their leader escapes and takes the unconscious Nick Fury hostage, then orders Iron Man to turn his repulsor rays on himself, or Fury will die.