TALES OF SUSPENSE - #58 (1964 - CONDITION FN)

 Now I'd better get back to the factory before everyone realizes how well they can all get along without me!  - IRON MAN 

• Captain America vs. Iron Man 

• Captain America's first appearance in this series. 

• Second appearance of Kraven the Hunter (Sergei Kravinoff). 

Synopsis for "In Mortal Combat with Captain America!"

While testing an underwater breathing apparatus, Iron Man drives killer sharks out into the ocean. Once he finishes, he returns to Stark Industries. Right below his flying path, Kraven the Hunter and the Chameleon are smuggling themselves back into the country. When they reach the coast, Kraven begins crawling up a cliff when he's spotted by Iron Man and easily defeated. However, Chameleon goes unnoticed and takes this as a chance to prove himself superior to Kraven by defeating Iron Man.

Inside Stark Industries, Happy shows off his new horrendously flashy plaid jacket to Pepper, but he's met with criticism and sarcastic remarks. A heavily wounded Captain America breaks into the building, demanding to see Iron Man. Cap tells Iron Man that while walking down the street, hw was lured to a building and captured by the Chameleon, posing as an old man. Using an "electronic thought-transference machine," the Chameleon, had acquired Cap's memories and could impersonate him. Cap had been able to recover from the procedure and escape.

However, as soon as Iron Man leaves to find the Chameleon, the wounded Captain America smirks, and tells himself that his plan has worked. At Avengers Mansion, the Golden Avenger encounters the real Captain America, but Tony attacks, believing him to be the Chameleon. Cap runs away from his friend while trying to reason with him, to no avail. Captain America hits Iron Man, and he buckles rather easily. Tony recalls that he hadn't had the opportunity to recharge his chest device, and that's why he's weak. Iron Man flees in order to recharge, and Captain America simply brushes off the confrontation, thinking that it must've been some sort of prank.

A few minutes later, Happy checks on "Captain America" and finds him gone, so Pepper decides to alert Iron Man. However, Tony is recharging and can't answer the call. Because of that, Pepper decides to find Iron Man herself. When Happy and Pepper borrow one of Stark's cars, they discover a device that acts as a tracer to lead them to Iron Man.

Now fully-charged, the Golden Avenger spots Captain America walking down the street. Cap is forced to hide in a factory, where he encounters a sentry who initially shoots at him, before recognizing his childhood hero. Iron Man breaks through the window and confronts Captain America, still believing him to be the Chameleon. Cap activates a trapdoor below Iron Man, making him fall through a tunnel with gravel. Iron Man escapes from the gravel machine into a room with giant cement mixers, just when Pepper and Happy arrive at the factory. Their vision is impaired by the cement dust, and Happy blindly walks toward the edge of the gravel pit. Cap grabs Happy's wrist as he's falling to save him, making Iron Man wonder if he's truly the Chameleon. Before anything can be cleared up, Pepper falls into a sand pit and is rescued by Iron Man, but not before Happy accidentally leans on a water valve and drenches her.

A steam shovel suddenly threatens Happy and Pepper, but Iron Man easily stops and destroys it with one punch. He wonders how could a shovel move by itself, and Giant-Man appears on the scene showing him its operator, another Captain America. As soon as Giant-Man releases him, the Chameleon is unmasked, clearing up Iron Man's confusion.

The Wasp explains that ants were witnessing the fight between Captain America and Iron Man, and Giant-Man picked up their tone with his cybernetic impulse. When they arrived at the scene, they discovered the Chameleon watching the fight from above, through a skylight. The police arrive shortly after, and the Chameleon is apprehended. Wasp comments on Pepper's wet and ruined hairdo, and she storms out, angry at Happy. Iron Man and Captain America shake it off, but Tony later scolds himself for being fooled by the Chameleon so easily.

💥 CONDITION: FN

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