Saturday Showcase: Iron Man (Eddie March)

    Before there was James Rhodes as the Iron Man, Tony trusted another individual to wear the armor and call themselves Iron Man.  That man was Eddie March and it is about time he gets his due, that is why he is today's Saturday Showcase.

    Eddie started his life as a professional boxer.  It is during his boxing days where he met a sparring partner that would introduce him to Tony Stark aka Iron Man.  Who is this sparring partner you ask?  Why it was Happy Hogan, Tony's left arm (since Pepper was his right, lol).    Eddie's boxer career was ended by a blood clot and that is when Happy introduced him to Tony and his career at Stark industries began.

    It was during his employment at Stark industries that Tony saw someone who he could trust and let Eddie in on his secret.  Tony eventually trusted Eddie so much, that he gave him a set of Iron Man armor to help him out in case a mission was to dangerous to handle alone or if Tony was needed elsewhere.

   Eddie was thrilled at Tony's offer and trained harder than ever before to be the best Iron Man that he could be.  Unfortunately, his stint as Iron Man had a some tragedies that would occur that eventually led some to lose faith in the Iron Man.
One such tragedy is when Eddie was fighting Dr. Spectrum and the crystal possessed him and made him lash out and appear to be going insane.  It took the mighty Thor to stop the madness and allow Eddie to get the help he so desperately needed.

Eddie's career as the Iron Man may have been short lived, but he took on villains such as the Crimson Dynamo, Doctor Spectrum, and Ultimo.  Though his hero days may be over, he is still a key figure in the world of Tony Stark as well as in the Marvel Universe.

Well Done Eddie, Well Done!

Until next time, get your READ on!

First Appearance: the Invincible Iron Man Vol. 1, # 21

Marvel Comics

January 1970