From the Mouths of the Marvels:

"Wow! I'm in for the thrill of a lifetime...meeting Cleopatra in person!!"

- - Iron Man, page 10

When Spielberg saw Iron Man's screen test, he realized he wasn't quite right for Indiana Jones.

Iron Man from Tales of Suspense #44
August 1963 • 13 pages

Publication Date: May 9, 1963

Letters Page: No letters page was published in this issue

I: Feature Story: "The Mad Pharoah!"

Job Number: X-229

Pages: 13

Plot: Stan Lee
Script: Robert Bernstein (credited as R. Berns)
Pencils: Don Heck
Inks: Don Heck
Letters: Sam Rosen

First Appearance: King Hatep/Mad Pharoah, Paul, Cleopatra

Villain/Origin: King Hatep

Guest Appearance: Paul, Cleopatra

Iron Man Tech: transistorized teargas bombs, caster wheel mobility

Setting: Cairo, Egypt

Synopsis: Tony Stark boards a plane to fly to Egypt, where he is to join an old friend of his who is excavating King Hatap's tomb. Before boarding the plane, he endures some good-natured ribbing from reporters about what he thinks his chances would be to romance a lady like Cleopatra. By the time he gets to the site dig, his archaeologist friend Paul worries that it will take months of aimless digging to find the tomb. Tony offers up the services of his "friend" Iron Man, who can use his powers to probe through the pyramid walls. Tony enjoys an evening in Cairo watching belly-dancers before he has to retire to his room and "recharge" his heart.

The next morning, Iron Man comes on the scene at the dig for King Hatap's tomb. He uses a powerful transistor-powered fluoroscope to quickly find the tomb, then uses a diamond drill to tunnel his way down. Taking only minutes to do what normally would have taken months, Iron Man and Paul find King Hatap's mummy, which is entombed inside strange wrappings the archaeologist has never seen, an oddity entirely befitting the man Paul calls "The Mad Pharaoh." Iron Man leaves to change back into Tony Stark, but when he returns, Paul informs him that the mummy appears to have been stolen. While Paul is out looking for the thieves, a mystery man approaches Tony in his tent, a man who declares himself to be none other than King Hatap, the Mad Pharoah! Tony believes him because he is wearing the Sacred Asp ring, the same one he is depicted wearing in the hieroglyphics. King Hatap tells Tony that he was never dead; in fact, he has just awoken from 2,000 years of suspended animation, after taking a serum to make it look like he was dead in order to evade his enemies.

Now, Hatap's plan is to return to his time and take back rule of Egypt, as well as defeat Cleopatra, the woman whose rule he had rebelled against. He demands that Stark and his scientific mind go back in time with him or else he will allow Paul and his workers to die from a plague he had begun to spread. Stark agrees, not only to save their lives, but for the sense of adventure in going back in time. After Stark agrees, Hatap revives the men, and they rub a golden charm twice to bring to life the Chariot of Time, on which they travel all the way back to the sandy dunes of ancient Egypt.

Once there, Tony rolls down a hill to get out of sight of Hatap and changes into Iron Man. The armored super-hero rises up in the sky, causing Hatap to think he is a monster that has killed Stark, and he flees to protect himself. Iron Man decides to go meet up with Cleopatra, and on the way, he sees the Roman Army laying siege to an Egyptian palace. He decides to enter into the battle on the side of the underdog Egyptians, and manages to topple their marauding army and send them into a hasty retreat. Once the battle dies down, Iron Man asks for audience with Cleopatra, but the thankful Egyptians tell him she had fled in a barge only minutes before. Iron Man chases down her barge, which is almost overtaken by a Roman galley, but he easily blasts through the hull of the invading ship and causes it to sink.

Later, Iron Man is in the chambers of the beautiful Cleopatra. He tells her that Hatap is back to take over the throne. Cleopatra begs Iron Man to help rid Egypt of his menace, which he agrees to do. The first thing he decides to do is reclaim Hatap's magic charm, in order to get back to the future. Of course, Hatap clutches the charm for himself as a means of escape to the future, in case things go badly for him. Iron Man leads an army of Egyptian soldiers to battle against Hatap and his army. Iron Man attaches caster wheels to his suit and then propels himself like a battering ram straight into Hatap's force, demolishing their chariots and sending them flying. Now down to a one-on-one battle, Hatap is no match for the machine man. Hatap tries get away to rub the charm he holds in his hand, but he trips and falls onto a sword, killing himself. Iron Man grabs the charm, and despite an entreaty from Cleopatra to stay and rule her kingdom with her, he goes back home to 1963.

Back in the future, Paul shows Tony a strange hieroglyphic, one which features someone that looks like Iron Man with Cleopatra.

--synopsis by Gormuu

Issues Reprinted
Iron Man from
Tales of Suspense #39-50

Click on cover image to learn more about each issue.

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