Match 13170 Corey Mills vs. Iron Man

[Guest Dinsdale Piranha]

This picks up where Vincent (Beauty and the Beast) vs. Killer Croc left off.

 

 

 

Croc has been expecting the lion-man's leap but its speed and ferocity still caught him unprepared. Vincent's teeth tore into his shoulder and claws dragged across his scaly flesh. Only his armor-like skin saved him from being mauled and even then the pain jolted him. He threw several punches to Vincent's ribs, but couldn't get much power behind them while they were locked together. He locked his arms around Vincent in a powerful bear hug and lifted his from his feet.

 

With a strangled growl, Vincent stopped biting and grabbed Croc's arms, trying to pry them loose. Then he switched tactics and slashed one clawed hand across the scaled criminal's face. With a cry of pain, Killer Croc hurled Vincent backward. The Beast flew out of the small chamber and into the large grotto beyond.

 

Vincent landed and back somersaulted into a crouch. He rose with a bestial growl, baring his fangs.

 

"Like to bite people, huh?" Croc snarled. "Well, I bite back."

 

Baring his fangs the reptilian man lunged forward and swung a powerful arm. Vincent ducked under it and raked his claws across Croc's belly. With a bellow of mingled rage and pain Killer Croc slammed both fists down on the Beast's head. Vincent was momentarily stunned and Croc used the opportunity to garb a double fistful of his cloak. Spinning like an Olympic hammer thrower, Croc hurled the Beast into one of the grotto's stone walls. He started to move in to finish the job but turned when he heard a noise behind him. Two men wearing cloak's like Vincent's were helping Mercy Graves from the chamber. He started toward them when something big and powerful jumped him from behind.

"Father, Paschal!" the Beast roared. "Get the woman away. I will hole this man here!"

 

"In your dreams, pal," Croc growled, twisting in Vincent's grasp. He applied his own hold and the two rolled around the floor for several moments, punching, clawing and biting. Finally they broke apart and rose to face each other, each bleeding and breathing hard.

 

"Why are you here?" Vincent asked. "What is this woman to you?"

 

"She's nothin' but a paycheck," Croc replied. "And anyone who tries to get between me and that is gonna get a serious cast of dead!"

 

"Why do you need money so much?"

 

"Are you kidding?" Croc demanded.

 

"Money is the worst currency that ever grew among mankind," Vincent said. Killer Croc--apparently not recognizing the quote from Sophocles--only frowned.

 

"Money is the only way a freak like me gets to live the good life. Well, money and fear… but you should know that. You're like me."

 

"I do not trade in either of those currencies," Vincent replied. "The people here do not fear me… they accept me."

 

"No way!"

 

"Is that what drives you?" Vincent asked. "Perhaps it does not need to be so."

 

"What do you mean?"

 

Perhaps you could find a place among us."

 

Croc's knobby brow furrowed in thought. "You mean it?" he said. "You'd let me stay."

 

"I cannot make promises for the others, but I would speak on your behalf." Vincent rose from his crouch and held out a hand. Croc hesitated, then took it.

 

Then, with a malicious smile, Croc seized Vincent's arm with both hands and dragged him forward into a hard knee to the abdomen. Vincent doubled over and Croc hammered him with several hard rights.

 

"You're a real rube," Croc said. "Maybe I will come back to your little hidden world, but I'm gonna do it on my own terms."

 

With a deep growl, Vincent grabbed Croc's legs and, lifting him, carried him across the room at high speed. They struck a bricked up opening and burst through. They fell through darkness for several seconds and hit cold water. The shock of the impact separated them. Vincent shrugged off his cloak and stroked to the surface. The underground lake had been sealed off for so long that Vincent had almost forgotten about it. Now he treaded water, letting his senses adjust to the dark to guide him out. Suddenly he felt a sharp pain as Croc's jaws closed around his lower leg. Before he could catch his breath, Vincent was dragged underwater. He struggled desperately but he was out of his element and soon was overcome by a darkness that was more than the mere absence of light.

 

Moments later, reptilian eyes broke the lake's surface and moved to a nearby shore. Killer Croc pulled himself out of the water and stood listening for a while. When there was no sound, he bared his sharpened teeth in a grim smile.

 

"Told ya I bite back," he muttered. "Now to find that woman and get my payola."

 

************************************************************

 

 

 

THE PREVIOUS NIGHT, LEX LUTHOR'S LIMOUSINE IN NYC.

 

Dr. Sevarius looked back at the blazing warehouse anxiously. The place had been his headquarters for several months and he hated to leave.

 

"If that police woman survives…"

 

Lex Luthor, behind the wheel of the big car, chuckled. "Don't worry, doctor. You'll never be arrested; I'm going to help you drop off the face of the earth. You'll be completely free to pursue your research. As for me--there are several hundred people who will swear that I'm in Metropolis at this very moment.

 

 

***************************************************************************

 

 

The Chameleon strode through the LexCorp building confidently in the guise of a security guard in a dark suit. Thanks to the information his mysterious employer had provided him, he had been able to bypass all the security protocols. Now he entered the special elevator that ran to Luthor's living quarters and inserted the key card he had been given. He was required to place his eye up to a scanned to check his retinal print but his special contacts (from his oh-so-prepared employer) made it past that as well.

 

A few minutes later the doors opened and Chameleon stepped into a spacious living room where Lex Luthor himself was going over the notes for his speech that evening.

 

"What is it?" the billionaire snapped. "Why are you here?"

 

"Sir," Chameleon replied. "Ms. Head said that there was a last minute change she needed to make with the itinerary. She sent me to inform you."

 

"Are you going to tell me about it or make me stand here all evening?" Luthor demanded.

 

"It's like this, sir…" Chameleon produced a compact TASER from his coat and fired it, striking Lex in the center of the chest. The billionaire went down but his body went into a very inhuman kind of spasm. "…all evening…all evening…all evening…" he repeated. Chameleon stooped to examine Luthor and quickly realized that he was actually an amazingly lifelike robot. He had heard of such things through his contacts in the world of corporate espionage. Supposedly, SHIELD had been accepting bids on what they termed Life Model Decoys some time back. The contract had gone to Stark Industries but supposedly both LexCorp and Xanatos Industries had also spent a great deal developing their own versions as well, and here was the proof.

 

Though it was an interesting discovery, Chameleon didn't let it interfere with his mission. He peeled off his mask and began shifting his disguise. Five minutes later, he emerged from the elevator into the lobby, though now he looked, moved and sounded just like Lex Luthor.

 

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

"…and so, ladies and gentlemen," Chameleon-Luthor concluded to the dignitaries and reporters at the LexCorp proving ground a few miles outside Metropolis, "this new battle armor has the potential to revolutionize modern warfare, saving countless lives among our brave troops. And the potential from other areas from space exploration to law-enforcement and beyond is unlimited."

 

He gestured and a test pilot in a white suit of armor stepped in front of the podium.

 

"Mr. Luthor," a pretty, black-haired reporter called out. "Can you comment on--"

 

"There will be time for questions after the demonstration, Miss Lane," Chameleon Luthor said. "Vow, please direct your attention to--"

 

He was interrupted by the whoosh of powerful jets as a red and gold armored figure descended from the sky to land on the podium. Iron Man's faceplate rose to reveal the famous face of Tony Stark.

 

"Hey, Lex," he said, his armor projecting his armor tapping into the sound system to throw his voice over the speakers. "I heard you were having a demo tonight so I thought I'd drop by."

 

"Tony," Chameleon-Luthor said. "This is… unexpected."

 

"Well, I just got to thinking that you had your new prototype, and I've just been putting the finishing touches on my new Mark III armor. What say we demonstrate them together and let the folks see how they stack up."

 

"Tony, this isn't the time," Chameleon-Luthor said.

 

"Oh, c'mon Lex," Iron Man said. "You're not afraid of a little healthy competition, are you? That doesn't sound like my old poker buddy at all. Wouldn't you folks like to see that?"

 

There was scattered applause through the crowd and Tony held out his hand. 'How bout it, Lex? If you win, you can say you beat me. If you lose you can spin it to say that you came in second place and I was next to last."

 

"Mr. Stark," the dark haired Planet reporter called. "Why such a showy display?"

 

"Miss… ah, Miss Lane, was it? Tell you what, why don't I give you an exclusive on that after the show." He winked at her and then lowered his visor.

Forcing a smile, Chameleon-Luthor stepped forward and shook Iron Man's hand to the crowd's applause. Using the handshake to lean into Luthor, Tony spoke.

 

"I've always known you were a heartless, unscrupulous profiteer, Lex, it's just part of your charm. But cheating at cards? You've crossed a line."

 

Chameleon-Luthor stepped down from the platform to where his chief designer and test pilot stood.

 

"I don't like this, Mr. Luthor," the big designer said.

 

"I'm not paying you for your opinions, Irons," Chameleon-Luthor snarled. "Now, Mills, I want you to do whatever it takes to make a fool out of Stark."

 

"You got it, boss," Corey Mills said.

 

"Good man!" Luthor patted him on the back, then stood back as Mills and Stark rocketed into the air. When the audience's attention was away from him he peeled an almost invisible thin sheet of latex from the palm of his right hand. This false skin had left a small sticky spot on Iron Man's gauntlet and on Corey Mills' back when he had touched them with it. Chameleon-Luthor smiled. His employer was going to be very pleased.

 

 

**********************************************************************************

 

Under normal circumstances this would be a curb-stomp, but this is not the current Iron Man armor from the comice and movies. This is the old MK III which was introduced way back in Tales to Astonish #48, though I am giving him JARVIS and the communications and sensor set up from the first movie. There aren't good stats for the old MK III so what follows is the best I can reconstruct it.

- Amplifies the users strength * 20 (this puts the strength in the -3 ton lifting range)

- Chemical thruster boots (per Tales of Suspense #49 these make him faster than X-Men's Angel but much less maneuverable.)

- MK II Monobeam (limited range)

- Repulsor rays

- Proton gun

- Electromagnetic beams to attract or repel metal objects

- Image reproducer (Can create half a dozen holographic doubles of Iron Man)

- Collapsible roller skates

- As revealed in several issues (notably Invincible Iron Man #38) showed the MK III armor being damaged by powerful small arms fire (something like a .50 cal sniper's rifle acctually hurt Tony throught he armor)

 

Not important, but the Chameleon seen here is the same as the "Spectacular Spider-man" cartoon.

 

Corey's suit is identical to the one from the Superman animated series except the crippling neutral interface is not yet in use.

 

Last but not least: I hit the wrong button this fight is supposed to feature IRON MAN, not IRON LAD. If the mods can do anything, I'll be grateful.

[Callisto]

Learn More About

Corey Mills

Read more about Corey Mills at Wikipedia

Official Site: DC Comics Links: Wikipedia DC Animated Universe Wiki DCAU Resource.com

 

Iron Lad

Read more about Iron Lad at Wikipedia

Official Site: Marvel Comics Links: Wikipedia Marvel Comic Vine

 

 

[Guest force_echo]

Fairly good setup, but I'm not sure about the small arms fire part. The US military specifically said they had nothing other than a nuclear weapon that could take out this model of the armor, and the comics have him taking heavy .50 machine gun fire and tank shells with no ill affect. I think in Invincible Iron Man they wanted to exaggerate how far Tony's gone from MK I to Extremis so they dramatized a bit.

[Guest Dinsdale Piranha]

Fairly good setup, but I'm not sure about the small arms fire part. The US military specifically said they had nothing other than a nuclear weapon that could take out this model of the armor, and the comics have him taking heavy .50 machine gun fire and tank shells with no ill affect.

 

I've been digging through Essential Iron Man vol 1 for data and haven't seen either that quote or IM shrugging off tank shells. Do you have an issue number I can check out?

 

Tales of Suspense #42 has him dodging a sword swung by the Mandarin. The issue doesn't say says there's anything special about the sword and when it misses, it lodges in a stone wall. The implication is that a weapon that can cur through a foot of stone has the potential to hurt him.

 

The bit about the rifle comes from IM #38 where a Maggia boss named Jonah shot IM in the shoulder with a rifle, wounding him badly enough that he had to retreat and his arm was in a sling the rest of the issue. I'm being generous when I say it was a .50 cal. It looked like a regular 30.06.

 

The issue was (IMO) badly written but it is still canon. I'd treat it as the most powerful gun available, with a special armor-piercing round, and even then it was a fluke that Tony got hurt. Even so, this is about the weakest version of Iron Man. I don't think he wants to wade through fire from a .50 cal machinegun or a Vulcan Gatling gun if he can help it, and he seriously does not want to take a direct hit with a tank shell.

[Guest force_echo]

[Guest Dinsdale Piranha]

Gotcha, thanks!

 

Though it's the testimony of a bystander in a crowd. The man may or may not know what he's talking about, but in the context it sounds like he's saying "Iron Man is really tough" in a hyperbolic way rather than making an measured assessment fro, a position of knowledge.

[Guest Dinsdale Piranha]

I can't find a scan, but I found more information in Tales of Suspense #51. Iron Man follows Scarecrow (an amazingly lame villain) to a Cuban naval boat where he is selling Stark's weapons designs. When the Cubans open fire on him (page 11), Iron Man thinks this...

 

"Lucky for me they're only using small arms fire! I wouldn't want to be facing a machine gun like this!"

[Guest Dinsdale Piranha]

Found it!

[Guest force_echo]

It's not just a bystander in the crowd, it's a military scientist/weapons designer. I haven't read that comic, but the dialogue "like this" leads me to assume that he's in a different state of condition that he's normally in, a state of condition that could lead to why he wouldn't want to face down heavy machine gun fire.

[Guest bigballerju]

Good setup and as great a suit as the one Corey has Ironman still wins. Ironman is smarter and has the abilities with this suit to pull out a win. It may take while but he wins. Ironman's suit has the weapons and abilities to take out Corey.

[Guest Dinsdale Piranha]

It's not just a bystander in the crowd, it's a military scientist/weapons designer.

 

Nope, it's a factory worker.

 

I haven't read that comic, but the dialogue "like this" leads me to assume that he's in a different state of condition that he's normally in, a state of condition that could lead to why he wouldn't want to face down heavy machine gun fire.

 

I have read the issue and he is not in any different sort of condition. He's fully rested and prepared and has just put on the armor.

[Guest Darxeth]

Don't you mean Iron Lad?

[Guest Dinsdale Piranha]

It's supposed to be Iron Man. I checked Iron Lad by mistake and it can't be undone.

[Guest Darxeth]

Oh. Lol I was just skimming.

[Peypeypeypey]

It's not just a bystander in the crowd, it's a military scientist/weapons designer. I haven't read that comic, but the dialogue "like this" leads me to assume that he's in a different state of condition that he's normally in, a state of condition that could lead to why he wouldn't want to face down heavy machine gun fire.

I thought by "like this", he meant up close. Either one could be right, I guess.

[Guest force_echo]

Nope, it's a factory worker.

No, it's not. I've read the comic, Stark is at a lab in a munitions factory, that's a weapon engineer/scientist who was working in the lab.

[Guest Dinsdale Piranha]

I've just read the issue (Tales of Suspense #63)

 

Tony Stark is touring a munitions factory. A saboteur called the Phantom starts a fire in the missile testing section. While firefighters work on the blaze, Iron Man moves into the burning area find the cause of the fire. The onlookers aren't identified in any way. We can reasonably assume that they have a reason to be there, and they aren't firefighters. They might be scientists, or technicians, or factory workers, or even administrators.

 

I'm afraid this statement can't be decisive. We don't know anything about this man. He may not know what he's talking about and he may be making a wry hyperbolic statement instead of an objective assessment of fact. Even if he is serious, the opinion of a minor character is less telling than Iron Man's own statements from the same period and written by the same writer. It is also trumped by the visual evidence of the armor being damaged by Hawkeye's blast arrows, the Mandarin's karate blows, and the Melter's ray blasts. They're all impressive attacks, but vastly less powerful than a nuclear detonation.

 

Iron Man could shrug off these lesser attacks these days, I'm sure. Back then, his armor was much less powerful and he was much more vulnerable.

[DSkillz]

Good set-up and nice continuation of the arc, Dinsdale.

 

As for the match, many here may not remember/realize this, but Corey was pretty evenly matched with DCAU Superman in that LexCorp armor, and in fact probably would've beat him had Supes not exploited that armor's weak spot last minute. I could see Iron Man getting knocked around for a while and maybe worse unless that same weak spot in Corey's armor is still there in this match.

 

Last but not least: I hit the wrong button this fight is supposed to feature IRON MAN, not IRON LAD. If the mods can do anything, I'll be grateful.

 

Can't really change the combatants, sorry. But since this is still a good story, I'll edit the title.

[Guest Dinsdale Piranha]

Good set-up and nice continuation of the arc, Dinsdale.

 

Thanks!

 

As for the match, many here may not remember/realize this, but Corey was pretty evenly matched with DCAU Superman in that LexCorp armor, and in fact probably would've beat him had Supes not exploited that armor's weak spot last minute. I could see Iron Man getting knocked around for a while and maybe worse unless that same weak spot in Corey's armor is still there in this match.

 

Now that you mention it, I do remember thinking there was something wrong with that. If Corey's strength was amplified 20 times like they said, it should have been a big mismatch.

 

I'll watch it again before the write up.

 

And thanks on the title.

[DSkillz]

Now that you mention it, I do remember thinking there was something wrong with that. If Corey's strength was amplified 20 times like they said, it should have been a big mismatch.

 

I'll watch it again before the write up.

 

It's really quite possible that Corey's strength was "only" amplified 20 times at the start. In that episode's climax, he told Superman that the suit was making him stronger the more he wore it.

 

Then again, Bruce Timm and Co. never were too great at measuring strength scale.

 

And thanks on the title.

 

No problem. It's not really something I do often, just for the good matches and rumbles.

[Guest Dinsdale Piranha]

It's really quite possible that Corey's strength was "only" amplified 20 times at the start. In that episode's climax, he told Superman that the suit was making him stronger the more he wore it.

 

Then again, Bruce Timm and Co. never were too great at measuring strength scale.

 

LOL! Too true.

 

I was able to watch it and I think Corey's success had to do with three things.

 

1) He fought a much smarter fight than Superman did.

2) Superman seemed to be trying to avoid hurting Corey... at least until the very end.

3) Corey did something very clever at the start of the fight by blinding Superman with his lasers. Superman was badly impared for most of the battle.

 

He probably was getting stronger toward the end, but that won't happen in this fight because this version of the LexCorp armor doesn't use the neural interface.

[DSkillz]

He probably was getting stronger toward the end, but that won't happen in this fight because this version of the LexCorp armor doesn't use the neural interface.

 

Gah, it says as much in the set-up! How did I miss that? Reading comprehension FTL!

 

Anyways, since Corey and Tony are on a even playing field with strength, Tony will very likely win due being more clever and having the much more diverse armor.

[Callisto]

Match Final Results

USER RATINGS

A

A Nice continuation of the arc!

B

SCORE

Corey Mills: 2

Iron Lad: 14

FPA: 3.7