Knowing that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is moving forward to tell the epic comic story, Civil War, I am reminded that the now infamous storyline wasn’t the first time that I witnessed Iron Man and Captain America at odds. Iron Man 228, written by David Michelinie, was one of the first times that I saw these super-heroes against each other. This was for sure one of the first few times that I experienced any hero fighting another hero. This particular issue takes place during a larger story called Stark Wars or Armor Wars as it’s also known as where Tony’s Iron Man technology was stolen and then used without his knowledge in various ways. The beginning of the issue has Tony Stark and Steve Rogers reuniting after a period of time and has Stark helping out Steve with an important favor. They begin on a friendly basis, which raises the feeling of tragedy that comes at the end of the issue. As the story moves forward, “Guardsmen,” who protect a top-secret vault that Steve Rogers deems necessary, are now using part of the stolen technology. Tony Stark and James Rhodes hatch a plan to break into the secret vault and destroy the tech, which is rightfully Starks. By the end of the issue, Captain America and Iron Man are face to face against each other and its Tony that has to make a decision that ends their friendship. I’ll always remember that this issue had a very sad impact on me. It was the first time that I was exposed to such a story where a pair of heroes could start out as friends at the beginning of the issue and by the issue’s end, there was an irreparable divide between them. It was David Michelinie’s realistic approach at the concept of consequence that made me look at comics as more than just a collection of panels filled with action scenes. I began to look at the comics as ways to tell a dramatic narrative that happened to take place in the world of super-heroes.
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