Machine Man #4 (1984)

[angelophile]

The final issue of the Machine Man limited series from 1984 brings to a close the year 2020 based saga, as we see a face off between Aaron and the combined forces of Baintronics and that era's Iron Man.

By Tom DeFalco, Herb Trimpe and Barry Windsor-Smith.




After the refuge of the Midnight Wreckers, Sactuary, is saved from attack, the Wreckers discuss the next course of action. Along with old ally Gears Garvin, most of the scavenger team are against taking the fight to Sunset Bain and her forces. However, Aaron is determined and while the others continue to argue, he recovers his detached arm and makes his move.



The answer is Baintronics Inc.'s headquarters. Despite Machine Man's attempt to come in peace, Sunset Bain orders her forces to attack, much to the disgust of her recluctant robotic Girl Friday Jocasta.

The Wreckers follow and end up in a pitched battle on Baintronics HQ's roof while Aaron attempts a distraction.



Aaron confronts Bain and she is forced to pull her forces back. However, after her other allies have left the room, she orders Arno Stark AKA Iron Man 2020 to end this.



During the battle Stark's bigotry comes to the fore as he taunts Aaron that robotic men are no substitute for the real thing. Despite this claim, Machine Man gains the upper hand.



Down below, Jocasta and Ambassador Brickman observe the fight.



Brickman ends his own life, rather than be captured by Aaron, giving in to the fear that has driven his entire career.



Back in the war room...











It might be Stockholme Syndrome, but Jocasta and Aaron part ways on good terms, but with the feeling of an opportunity missed a second time.

When the police vehicles arrive, Jocasta jams their signals just long enough for Aaron and the Midnight Wreckers to escape.



And that's the end of the story for Machine Man.

However, it's not the end for Arno Stark. He will encounter another robotic foe in the future, yes?

Comments

[michael_ellis_day]

There's a quasi-postscript of sorts for the Jocasta/Aaron relationship in Avengers Forever, which reveals that at least in one divergent timeline they marry and even somehow consummate their union. (To say more would be spoilerish -- although the marriage seems like a throwaway bit, it turns out to have deep significance to the motives of the lead baddie in that story.) It's not relevant to this story as that future Aaron and Jocasta are from a different timeline (one where aliens stage an invasion of Earth from a base on Mars in the year 2001) but I wanted to note that at least one other writer used them as a couple.

[angelophile]

Yeah, they're exes in Marvel Zombies 3 (which features the Nextwave-influenced 616 universe Aaron) and elsewhere too, so the relationship definitely got picked up on in mainstream Marvel outside of this mini.

I only read the Marvel Two-in-One issues when compiling these posts and when I read this story originally (I'm showing my age) I assumed there was more to their relationship than there actually was. But I guess it was only really a potential relationship at this point, as things moved too quickly in the two issues of the showdown with Ultron for it to reach any potential.

I don't know if the Iron Man issues that Machine Man appeared in later in 616 have any more. I may revisit them at some point after I've shared more from the 2020 universe.