In Tales of Suspense 48, Iron Man battled Mister Doll, a voodoo-vibed villain who always seemed a bit too similar to the Fantastic Four’s Puppet-Master to me.
And then there’s that unfortunate name. Mister Doll was originally to be called Mister Pain, a more intimidating nom de guerre that presumably made the Comics Code Authority uncomfortable.
But the point of the issue wasn’t really the villain, anyway — it was showcasing Iron Man’s newly redesigned armor.
“The story seems to mostly be a backdrop for giving our hero a new look and design, and in doing so, also increasing his powers, making him in some ways a stronger, better and more durable Iron Man than before,” observed Drew R. “But perhaps more importantly, reminding us, that unlike Thor, for example, our hero’s powers can be enhanced with new technologies that he develops.”
Of course, no amount of armor can stop an opponent who’s capable of reaching into your mind to cause you agony. Defeated twice by Mister Doll and nearly killed, Iron Man develops a little deus ex machina gadget — a “transistor-powered force beam” — that can instantly reshape the villain’s doll and turn his power against itself.
Now in its tenth episode, the feature is also starting to explore character development. “From the clearly established feelings Pepper Potts feels for Tony Stark to the ongoing tension between her and Happy Hogan, the supporting characters get a lot more attention than might first meet the eye,” Drew noted.
Mind control was a theme underlined in the Marvel titles on the newsstand that month. Beyond Mister Doll, the Fantastic Four teamed up with the CIA’s Col. Nick Fury, and they all had their hands full battling the Hate-Monger’s mind-control ray in Fantastic Four 21. Meanwhile, back in World War II, that same Nick Fury had to handle the propaganda-peddling Lord Ha Ha in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos 4.
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