Type: Divergent Earth
Environment: Earth-like
Usual means of access: Presumably vibrational attunement
Dominant Life Form: Humans
Significant Inhabitants: Iron Man (Tony Stark), Iron Man (James Rhodes), Iron Man 2020 of Earth-8410: Earth-939 divergent, Arno Stark, Morgan Stark, Spider-Man; Morgan Stark's lover
Significant Locations: Stark Enterprises
First Appearance: What If? II#53 (September, 1993)
History:
(What If? II#53 (fb)) - When Arno Stark, the Iron Man of
2020 traveled into the past to find the child named Robert Saunders, he
was stopped by Spider-Man, who thought that Arno was kidnapping the child.
Spider-Man's punches damaged the mechanisms that allowed Arno to travel through
time, leaving Arno stranded in his past.
(What If? II#53) - Six years later, Arno had become a drunk when he saw on television that Tony Stark was "dead." Six days later, Arno had sobered up and met with Tony's cousin, Morgan Stark, who explained a plan to remove Jim Rhodes from Tony's employment and make him a suspect for Tony's "murder."
Several more days later after Morgan's plan had went through, Jim Rhodes, in the War Machine armor, confronted Arno, who had now taken Jim's position in Stark's company. Arno easily offered up Morgan Stark himself and the evidence against Morgan in return for control of Stark Enterprises. Arno then fired a repulsor at Rhodes using his Iron Man 2020 armor that he was secretly wearing underneath his business suit. Rhodes responded by firing a barrage of weapons at Arno, who easily deflected each attack. With Rhodey surprised, Arno explained that he knew Tony's security codes to Tony's armor workshop and discovered a way to deceive Jim's sensors. The injured Rhodes demanded to know who Arno was, but Arno replied by blasting Jim out the window, killing him. Soon after, Tony returned from his seeming death in a new suit of Iron Man armor and attacked Morgan Stark, demanding to know where the other "Iron Man" was. Tony then found Arno flying through the air nearby and savagely attacked him. The attack damaged Arno's boot jets, and Arno fell from the air, hitting the concrete below and dying. Tony Stark was left wondering who Arno really was.
Five years later, Morgan had escaped to Central America with his lover and child. Morgan angrily threw beer bottles at his lover, announcing that Tony Stark always won and that he had taken everything from him. His lover grabbed their son, who protested that he wasn't finished with his drawing. She then said "Tomorrow, Arno. You can finish it tomorrow."
Comments: Created by Simon Furman, Manny Galan, and Jim Amash.
This Earth diverged from the events seen in Amazing Spider-Man Annual#20 (November, 1986).
This is somewhat of an odd situation, as the Iron Man of 2020 is not native to Earth-939, but rather Earth-8410 ("Earth 2020 A.D."). Earth-939 diverged from Earth-616 when Arno Stark became trapped in the past, and so he was duplicated.
This reality's designation was revealed in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol.2
Clarifications:
No known connection to:
IRON MAN 2020
When Arno Stark traveled into his past to recover the young boy, Robert Saunders, he was attacked by Spider-Man who thought that Arno was kidnapping the boy. Spider-Man damaged Arno's armor, preventing him from returning to the year 2020, his home time period. Stranded in the present day for years, Arno became a drunk until he heard of Tony Stark's supposed death. Arno then met with Tony's cousin, Morgan, and the two conspired to place murder charges against Tony's trusted ally, Jim Rhodes. When Rhodes, in the War Machine armor, approached Arno about the charges, Arno killed him. Soon after, Tony returned as Iron Man and managed to find Arno's location from Morgan. Iron Man then attacked Arno, damaging his boot jets and causing him to fall from the air. Arno crashed into the concrete below and died almost instantly.
--What If? II#53 (#53d
IRON MAN
When Tony Stark apparently died, Jim Rhodes was given control of Stark Enterprises. Hearing the news of Tony's "death," Morgan Stark (Tony's cousin) met with Arno Stark (the Iron Man from 2020) and conspired to remove Rhodes's control of the company with a fake murder charge. Rhodes quickly suited up in the War Machine armor and confronted Arno at his desk at Stark Enterprises, demanding to know who he was. Arno blasted Rhodes out of a window, killing him.
--What If? II#53 (#53d,
images: (not counting ads)
What If? II#53, p5, pan5 (War Machine)
p8, pan4 (Iron Man 2020)
p11, splash page (Iron Man holding Arno's body, main pic)
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Last Updated: 06/30/05
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