MRL - Tales of Suspense (1959) #52-53, #57

Tales of Suspense (1959) #52-53, #57 - Stan Lee/Don Rico/Don Heck

Checking the Iron Man adventures for the introduction of two future Avengers.

First, the Black Window, a soviet operative dressed like an extravagant femme fatale, who doesn’t really do much on her first story besides distracting Tony Stark a couple of times.

The real work is done by her partner, Boris. Basically, they waltz into Tony’s factory ans ask for a tour. Natasha then gets Tony to take her for dinner, while Boris infiltrates a secure area and kidnaps Anton Vanko, the Crimson Dynamo - former soviet agent who defected and is now super loyal to Tony and America. Boris then wears Vanko’s armour and starts destroying stuff in order to attract Iron Man.

Iron Man, of course, thinks it’s Vanko inside the armour and doesn’t expect to be stabbed in the back. Or, more accurately, have his transistor’s energy depleted. Boris takes Iron Man to the same submarine where Vanko is being held, and returns with Natasha to finish the job, i. e., kidnap Tony Stark.

Tony manages to re-energize his suit with a convenient light bulb and rescues Vanko. They return to the factory for a final confrontation with Boris, where Vanko sacrifices himself to save Tony, while Natasha flees.

She wastes no time trying to get back in her leader's good graces.

Tony invents an anti-gravity ray. Very useful, but he can't reproduce it. The information leaks out and Natasha steals it, by the very simple method of meeting Tony while feigning remorse. He doesn't believe her, but she acts too fast for him to react.

Iron Man is unable. to find her, despite the trail of destruction she's leaving behind. However, she meets up with a group of soviet agents and they muck things up.

The leader decides to play with the ray, which leads Iron Man to their location. Natasha regains control of the situation and drops a building on top of Iron Man.

Thinking their enemy is defeated, the group moves on to their next target: Fort Knox.

Iron Man survived the building drop, though, and saves the day by arresting the spies - except Natasha, who disappears again - and destroying the anti-gravity ray.

The next time Natasha appears is teaming up with Hawkeye.

Tony gets dragged into the little love triangle going on with Pepper and Happy. Happy asks Tony to put a good word for him, but Pepper thinks Tony is asking her out and they end up in Coney Island, where Tony ditches her because Iron Man has to emergency repair the ferris wheel.

Hawkeye is the world's best marksman, but his show doesn't seem very successful. Watching Iron Man, he thinks he could also get a colourful costume and some gadgets and become… an arch villain? At least, according to the narration. The first thing he does while out in the street is stop a jewellery thief.

Of course, the police mistake him for the robber and he runs straight into the Black Window's car.

She needs a partner to help her take down Iron Man and Hawkeye readily accepts, because she's just that beautiful and he's totally in love with her already.

She helps him getting some more trick arrows - seems like her communist overlords haven't abandoned her, although she still looks nothing like a communist spy - including explosive arrows and rust-causing arrows.

The last one really gets Iron Man on retreat mode. He manages to replace the rusted pieces and catch up+ with Hawkeye, who then sends an explosive arrow Iron Man’s way. It doesn't affect the armour, but the blast does hit Natasha and Hawkeye picks her up and carries her away - maybe it is real love!

Tony ends alone, reflecting that he should stay away from Pepper. He likes her, but the only thing keeping him alive are his transistors, and who knows how long there going to last?