Random Happenstance

(Apologies for the shadowy lettering on this one: Suffice to say, it's MODOK's standard rant.)

MODOK is laughing his giant ass off, and uses the amassed power of the Zenith citizens to create a giant energy MODOK--not as stumpy, but no neck,round head, same terrible hair. Iron Man takes one for Cap and ends up thrown across the island. MODOK is finally going to get even with Cap for all the times Cap wrecked his plans, so Cap surrenders. MODOK is frankly shocked, but it was a ruse, and Cap turns his energy shield back on in MODOK's hand, disrupting it; and Iron Man finishes him off.

Badly beaten, Iron Man then turns his attention to freeing the citizens. A mental projection from Jason points out that the AIM Navy and Air Force, apparently, will arrive on the island in minutes, and that casualties are inevitable, AIM will use them for world domination, communications are jammed, and so forth. Iron Man manages to adjust the radiations of the Zenith process, so that when it's stopped, the citizens will survive, but in their pretreatment states, that is, sickly. This would deprive the world of dozens of gold-skinned centerfolds, but they would be of no use to MODOK.

Jason says they would rather die than give up "physical and mental perfection," and since they are a big group mind they all agree. Iron Man takes that cue to drop due to his injuries, leaving the decision to Cap: "Subvert the will of the people, or watch them die when AIM reaches the island." Cap pushes the button, and Jason's mental image disappears.

With the Zenith radiation down, AIM leaves, SHIELD arrives, the people of Zenith are helped back into a society that refers to them as "shortbussers," and Cap and Iron Man feel like losers. Cap admits to being a hardass on issues of personal rights; yet when Iron Man reveals his id to Pepper and Happy Hogan (two of his longest standing friends) and sees a brief hurt look in their faces, Tony can finally see Cap's point. "Sometimes we do have to make complicated choices, but we don't have to like them."

I liked this comic, but I have to admit, I prefer the days when an issue or topic of discussion can be brought up, and if not solved, at least discussed, in the space of a single (larger) comic. Instead of a 70 part crossover. And that Cap and Iron Man were able to shake hands as friends in the end, which seems pretty unlikely in the wake of Civil War. Maybe I'll be wrong, but it's too early to say. The cover of Black Panther for Storm and Panther's wedding, with Cap and Iron Man glaring at each other at the actual wedding, doesn't bode well.

It's also problematic to reconcile this issue's Iron Man, with the Iron Man that gave up his secret identity seemingly on a lark about 50 issues later. (The more I look at that page, the more I think Tony did it less to save the dog, and more to piss off his girlfriend!) Then getting the same character to point C, government registration stooge, seems less likely. He was willing to do this to save his secret identity, now he thinks everyone should give theirs up? I don't know. What do you think?